Summary: This is a great product. While it is capable of great scans - I've done 35mm slides, 35mm negs, and (mostly) 6x7 negs and slides- it needs help. Several other reviews have mentioned the problems with the 120 neg holder. There is an easy fix - take off the hinged holders and substitute a thin piece of frosted glass to fit within the negative holding rails. Place your negative on the holder, convex side up, and cover with the glass.
I also purchased VueScan from Hamrick software which drives the 8000 without a problem - which I can't say about Silverscan. With VueScan I've never had a problem with the scan lines and you have complete control over the scanner's capabilities, including complete control over the number of multiscan per pass, and the ability to add a seperate long exposure pass. It may not be fast, but it does a superb job!
Strengths: Scanning quality
Weaknesses: 120 format film holder, NikonScan4 software.
Summary: Reading these reviews has been very interesting, and I agree with the majority of the comments.
The 8000 is a great scanner and is capable of producing some top quality scans. Indeed this is verified by the fact that I have never had a complaint about the scan quality from my professional and amateur photographer clients.
HOWEVER, getting top quality scans with this unit can be long-winded and sometimes extremely frustrating. Let me explain. The supplied medium format film holder is rubbish. Its fiddly and difficult to get the film flat as it only holds the long sides of the film and subsequently the film can bow. This can result in partially out of focus scans. Very irritating if you only discover that the scan is out of focus after waiting over 10 mins for it to appear on the screen. The best way to combat this problem is to ditch that carrier and get the glass carrier that keeps the films totally flat. It makes a HUGE difference. The price of it however is a complete rip-off. The cheapest I found it was £300.00. A terrible price for a bit of plastic and a couple of bits of glass!
But by far the biggest problem with this scanner is the intermittant banding. In other words lines running accross the image. Nikon mention this in the manual but they state it will only happen on contrasty negs and slides and when extreme curves adjustments have been made. Rubbish. It can happen on a perfectly exposed, normal contrast neg and slide. The only way you can get rid of it is by using the fine scan mode, but that just prolongs the whole scanning process 3-fold.
The scanner has other quirks too which have also been mentioned on this section. But all of them can be got round - with difficulty. But it really shouldnt do these in the first place.
Strengths: Fantastic scans, if you know how to get round the scanners faults! ICE is very good and Scan3 software very comprehensive - perhaps a bit too comprehensive?
Weaknesses: The banding, poor quality film holders, expensive glass film holders, thick, dark shadow-like lines appearing down one side of your images. This happens mainly when scanning MF B&W negs (and yes the ICE is switched off!)
Customer Service: Contacted Nikon about the abouve. They said tehy had not heard of these faults. They are the only people who haven't!!
Summary: I bought this scanner 2.5 years ago, and have been using it subsequently to scan in all my current photographic work, plus archive all my old films going back 15 years. (A bit obsessive, no?). So far I have scanned about 1000 6x7s (mostly slide, but some neg), and 8500+ 35mm (slide both mounted and strips, and neg strips). It's still working, so my example at least is reliable.
I scan exclusively at 4000dpi, with Nikon Colour Management switched off, using Fine mode (I got banding sometimes, so decided quality was preferable to speed). I use Digital ICE where I can -- love it!
At first my scans of 6x7 seemed sharp enough, but after a while, I felt I wasn't getting the best from them, so bought the 869G glass 120 film holder. This has its quirks, but works pretty well (it didn't come with instructions, but a web search found a 1 page Nikon guide -- the thing you need to know is that the film masks go beneath the film). I recommend this unit, but don't pay the outrageous UK prices for one -- import one from Germany or the US.
Recently I started shooting 35mm panoramics with my Mamiya 7. I tried scanning these by laying them on the glass of the 869G, but the results weren't brilliant. Light from the sprocket holes in the film was bleeding into the scan area. The 869G does not come with film guide for 35mm panoramics; only the 869GR (the rotating version does). I considered making my own masks, but then I found that replacement mask sets for the 869GR can be ordered from B&HPhoto in New York. I took a flyer and got a set, and indeed the panoramic masks do the job fine. There is a tab in the middle bottom of the mask which you might want to cut off, but I haven't bothered -- it does no harm.
The generic LS8000 ICM profile supplied is not great. I finally got around to using Monaco EZColor 2.6 to profile my monitor, printer and this scanner, and I'm most pleased with the results. Don't bother with the Ektachrome IT8 -- get the cheaper, and better, ones from Wolf Faust (www.coloraid.de).
I have never used GEM, or multipass scanning -- results have never warranted it.
Strengths: Reasonably robust under prolonged use.
Holders apart from std. 120 holder work well.
Excellent scans, with good detail.
Weaknesses: It is slow, esp. in Fine Mode (which I use all the time). 12 35mm slides takes about 40mins; 12 35mm colour negs need about an hour.
Some noise when in use, but I've got quite used to it. When it stops, I load it with more.
The original MikonScan software was flakey. Now I have 3.1.2, the problems have gone away.
Forces you into buying enormous hard drives, plus burning 1000s of CDRs / 100s of DVDRs, if you use it as much as I do!
Rating Reviewed by: David 42(Unregistered User)
(Professional)
Review Date December 19, 2003
Overall Rating 1 of 5
Value Rating 1 of 5
Used product for Less than 1 month
Review 4 of 24
Price Paid:
$0.00
Summary: A good photographer friend of mine, who went for a trip gave me his Nikon supercool scan 8000, so I could scan my huge medium-format archive. I´ve worked already a couple of times with it at his place, but now, after I ve scanned 70 negatives I´ve found even more flaws. I haven t done scanning with slides so far. This scanner is not at all worth the money, my friend has payed for, it s not worth to be called professional. The flaws in short are:
1st:The scanner cannot cope with the unexposed stripes between the negatives (medium format). Even, if they are cut out before the scan. The result is a brownish shine, that gets more than 4mm into the scanned picture, specially, if it is a dark area on the negative (as in skies or light walls). This brownish zone cannot be retouched later.
2nd : The negative carrier (without glass), that comes with the 8000 is not really capable of holding the negatives flat. Sometimes my scans are sharp from edge to edge, sometimes they are not. The device to stretch the negative doesn t seem to do it s job properly. Of course, Nikon offers a separate glass holder for a lot of money, but why is it not included in the package (like Minolta does)?
3rd : Even with negatives (that have lesser d-max than slides), I don t get the complete tonal range out of them. The stronger exposed areas, that are dark on the negative (clouds, light walls etc) come out completely white, with no detail at all. Photographers, who know about fine art printing, will agree, that it is annoying to have completely white zones on a picture. Specially, if on the negatives there are details to see.
4th : Again there is a problem with skies or other areas, that are monochrome. The scanner produces small stripes, when used in normal mode, specially in the corner areas. They look a bit like those in the photo-printouts from a cheaper or earlier computer-printer. It is said, that this problem disappears, when the fine-mode is used with only one LED, but then the scanning time takes three times as long.
5th : The scanner is big, heavy and loud. If it would do it s job, I could live with that, but now I ask myself, if Nikon just put some hot air into their model.
6th : The scanner cannot be used with USB, only fire-wire is possible.
I´ ve just bought a Minolta dimage multi pro, and it´s much cheaper, smaller and better. (I paid 1.900 euro inkl. tax). The negative carriers are well thought, they come with masks for every negative size. the tonal range is better and there haven t been any stripes. On the other hand, only fire-wire and scsi connections are possible.
Strengths: Better than nothing...
Weaknesses: Picture Quality
Similar Products Used: Canon Scan FS 4000, Minolta Dimage Scan Multi Pro
Rating Reviewed by: Bob Hyland(Unregistered User)
(Intermediate)
Review Date August 14, 2003
Overall Rating 1 of 5
Value Rating 1 of 5
Used product for 1 to 3 months
Visitors rate this review 5.00 of 5,
3 votes
Review 5 of 24
Price Paid:
$2500.00
from B&H
Summary: I wish I were able to offer a good review, but, in fact, I have yet to have the pleasure of scanning a single negative! I purchased the scanner new from B&H, and previously had a Coolscan IV. Earlier this summer I also purchased a medium format camera and wanted to be able to scan that format as well. Upon arrival, the very first time I tried to use the scanner, the "EZ Loader", the tractor feed which engages and calibrates and aligns the film holder, failed to engage. I called customer service and returned it to the Melville NY facility for repair. About 2 weeks later, it was returned, and I tried again. Same result. Again I called Customer Service, was told to send it with the film holders this time. I did so, received it again today and STILL SAME RESULT! I am VERY DISAPPOINTED with Nikon! I paid full price for a new device, which I have yet to use, and I am now returning for a THIRD REPAIR.
Strengths: Power cord works
Weaknesses: Does not load film holder, let alone scan
Similar Products Used: Coolscan IV
Customer Service: This is the MOST disappointing aspect. I feel CHEATED. I have paid for a new device, which I have yet to use, and the serial number on this device will now show three repairs. I feel that I am entitled to a brand new scanner, that is what I paid for.
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