WTB: Scanner for Film

[Gbealnz]

I'm back looking for a scanner which won't break the bank. In the past I have tried the Plustek line, and quite liked them. I'd happily have another.

I need this for 35mm only, and am happy to carry on with the likes of the Plustek, Minolta, or Nikon style, rather than a flatbed style, if at all possible. I can be swayed either way though, so don't hold back. Some suggest a V750 or similar is perfect. I tried a simple flatbed Canon scanner recently, and wasn't impressed.

I run a Mac only, with OSX10.10 Yosemite. I "think" I still have a copy of Silverfast 8 on the Mac, but need to check. In the past the last Plustek I had wasn't compatible with the Mac/Silverfast/OSX combo I had, so it got sold. I'd like to avoid this with the scanner I end up with, any help appreciated.

What you got? PM or e mail me, g.beal ( at ) xnet.co.nz
Gary

 

[Godfrey]

I have both a Nikon Coolscan V ED and a Super Coolscan 9000 ED. For film scanning, I find them far more consistent and better quality performers than the Epson V700 I had once ... I sold it when I found I just didn't use it enough.

Prices on both have gone quite high, but I'd just hunt up one of them if I needed another film scanner. I may put the 9000 on the market since the amount I need it nowadays is vanishingly small.

G

 

[Gbealnz]

I have both a Nikon Coolscan V ED and a Super Coolscan 9000 ED. For film scanning, I find them far more consistent and better quality performers than the Epson V700 I had once ... I sold it when I found I just didn't use it enough.

Prices on both have gone quite high, but I'd just hunt up one of them if I needed another film scanner. I may put the 9000 on the market since the amount I need it nowadays is vanishingly small.

G

Thank you Godfrey. I have a line on a couple that have surfaced.
Care to e mail me please with a price on the 9000, if you think it would fit my criteria (my not breaking the bank one).
Gary

 

[weinschela]

AFAIK, the Nikons will work well with Silverfast or Vuescan but the native Nikon scan software (which I happen to have liked, sigh) will not run on any of the newer Mac OS X systems.

 

[Gbealnz]

Thank you Alan.
Seems the issue so far, either buy the latest scanner, and know it will work, or pick and choose, and hopefully find one that plays with the latest operating systems.
Gary

 

[Godfrey]

Nikon stopped updating NikonScan for OS X about when Snow Leopard came out in 2009 IIRC, which means it hasn't worked properly for almost six years. Pretty dead in the water at this point. That's about when Nikon was discontinuing all the Coolscan products anyway, so it was probably a matter of not wanting to waste development money on a dead product, from their perspective.

Makes no difference to me: I've been using VueScan to drive all my scanners since 2000 and never once even looked at NikonScan. In fact, I only look at a scanner after checking to see whether VueScan can drive it. The Coolscan V and Super Coolscan 9000 work beautifully on OS X, even with El Capitan, using VueScan to drive them.

Gary, I'm not sure what "not breaking the bank" means to you. If I decide to sell the 9000, I'll want to get on the order of US$2800 for it, after fees and shipping. It's on the high end of the current going rate for the past three months, but this is a unit that has not been used over-much, in the original box, with a couple of extras (for example, it includes one of the ANR glass carriers, which alone cost me US$400 a year or two back). I paid a bit more than that for the package.

Shipping it to NZ, unfortunately, would cost a bundle because it is a pretty delicate device and will need to be packed large to protect it as well as shipped through a higher-end carrier service so that it doesn't get tossed about and destroyed before it even arrives. I'm not even entirely sure yet that I want to sell it as I doubt I'll ever be able to get one in condition that's this good again, should I ever need/want it. But that's about what I'd want for it if I do.

G

 

[wjlapier]

If it's 35mm only then the Coolscan V is it. I use one with Vuescan and it's pretty easy.