Coolscan III & Nikon rant (was Re: digital cameras)

[Shireen Gonzaga <whimbrel at comcast_net>]

Tony Terceira said:
> The Nikon Cool Scan III is a good model for 35mm slides, can be
> had used for $400.

I have the Coolscan III. It's an excellent scanner. But
Nikon customer and software support for their digital
products is terrible.

Advantage:
produces gorgeous hi-res scans. One especially neat feature
is software that automatically removes slide or negative
scratches from the images (ICE).

DisadvantageS:

- The coolscan III needs a SCSI connection. Many
computers today (like the newer Macs) use USB only.
So you will need to install a SCSI card in your machine
if you don't have one. (Don't get a USB-SCSI adapter,
it cannot handle the data flow from a hi-res scanner.)

- If you own a Mac, Nikon does not offer coolscan III (and
maybe IV) software for OS 10+. So you have to revert to
OS 9.2 in order to use your Nikon scanning software. And
I'm not talking about launching 9.2 from the OSX
environment which you can do for many old applications.
You have to restart the machine using OS9.2. This is a
major pain.

- Good luck getting information on their website. :-(

If you're thinking of getting a used Coolscan III,
research its compatibilty with your computer first!
And consider other models, like Polaroid.

If you have a Mac G3/4 and just got a used coolscan III,
get in touch with me before you install it, to avoid a lot
of headaches and wasted time

- shireen

--
Shireen Gonzaga
Baltimore
whimbrel at comcast_net



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