Worth mentioning that, unlike any camera-based method and any printer-scanner-based method, the Coolscan V has a fourth (infrared) colour LED in addition to the usual R, G and B LEDs, that enables automatic dust removal from colour films. Also worth mentioning that, because VueScan completely reverse-engineered the Coolscan V ED driver software, it can also read the IR channel and do the automated dust removal (if you tick the appropriate box). This is a huge time saver compared to other methods.

Nice review. Glad to see some love for such an old scanner. I have had one of these scanners since about 2004 and I have scanned about 50,000 slides (for personal use) using the auto loader. With the auto loader I can scan a Logan box full of slides (750) in 3-4 days. I have also scanned APS film with the APS adapter and negatives with the adapter Darryl showed. As he says Vuescan software is a life saver. Excellent software! Much better than the original Nikon Scan software that became obsolete shortly after I purchased my scanner.

God job finding the scanner in such ba great shape! Enjoy your new friend! Keep up the good work!

Vuescan is good but I find the results from Nikon Scan 4 slightly better in both sharpness and colour. It also loads thumbnails for all shots before scanning. Super convenient especially if you do a whole roll of film at once. Nikon Scan runs well on Windows XP through a virtual machine but M1 Macs may not be able to do that yet. I would also recommend the 4000 or 5000 ED over the V because they can scan whole rolls in one go. The Coolscan V is limited to 6 frames.

I got one of these last month instead of the Pacific Image XAs and it has been a pleasure to use! Compared my scans to my friends XA and it's crazy how the Coolscan can still keep up with modern scanners to date. P.S. when not in use store in either sideways or get a dust cover the Coolscans are known to be dust magnets and can affect performance if the dust gets onto the mirror inside

Welcome to the Coolscan family. Have the 4000 it’s great even though it’s from 2002.

Thank you so much for this review! I bought the Nikon Coolscan V a long time ago. Although the scanner is connected to my iMac, I actually never use it again. Lately I have been using a flatbed scanner that works much faster, but does not give such good quality images. Since I have been using Vuescan for years, I will once again dust off the Nikon and use it for quality scans. Thank you for bringing this gem back to my attention.

Dust being drawn in through the ventilation holes was always a problem with these back in the day. Eventually the contrast would be degraded and scans would have a bloom in the highlights. A tip I was given by Nikon was to make a cover from a plastic bag and keep the whole scanner covered when it wasn't in use. The other main problem was with the auto loader which would periodically jam. There are some rollers inside which need to be wiped over with alcohol on a Q tip to remove a deposit from the neg.

I bought my coolscan V ED from a local used camera shop in 2020. I love it! I use it with Vuescan.

Hi Darryl, I bought the same scanner in the 90,s in Holland. It sat for many years unused but since a few weeks I am using at again with win10 and the latest software from Nikon. Had issues with the s21 and blinking error. Found this youtubechannel FotoFilmDesign and follow his explanations about cleaning the s21 and the blinking error and the scanner works perfect. Greetings from the Netherlands Paul

I'd LOVE to see a more indepth video showing how to get the most out of VueScan and the Nikon Coolscan V 35mm film scanner (using transparencies)

I’d really enjoy a full video on this scanner and VueScan pro as I also have a Coolscan (5000) and use the same software but would like to learn more about it.

Please do a full review on the Vuescan software and Nikon Coolscan V. It's an awesome scanner, and still great up to this day.

I'm the graphic artist for a university physics department and have been in this job since 1998. We bought a Nikon Super Coolscan 4000ED back when that was the current 35mm high-end model, around 2002 or so, and we were still shooting with film at the time. That thing has been used sporadically over the years. At one point it was loaned out to a grad student who kept it for a few years; when he finally returned it, it had obviously been dropped off a desk or something -- the metal housing was loose and severely bent at the top front. It looked as if someone had tried to open the scanner by prying the housing apart with a screwdriver. Recently it fell to me to scan the archive (read: boxes and drawers) of 35mm slides and negatives produced in the department since the mid-'70s up until we went all-digital in the mid-2000s. I dragged the Nikon off the shelf, clamped and bent the housing back into shape and put it in place, acquired a Firewire to Thunderbolt2 adapter AND a Thunderbolt 2 to Thunderbolt 3 adapter, hooked it all up, and it scans like new. After scanning 13,000-some odd frames between March and late June, it began rejecting negative strips when inserted, but taking the SA-21 negative feeder apart and cleaning it (for the first time ever) got it back to normal. I'm closing in on 15,000 scans and will likely finish the job within a month or two. This thing is like Iron Man (Endgame notwithstanding) -- used and abused, it just keeps whirring along. It's a beast!

I downloaded and installed the latest Nikon Scan software (version 4.0.3) onto Windows 11, 64 bit and it works perfectly, without any tweaks or hacks.

Great video. Would be great to have a video on using Vuescan with the Coolscan.

I've got a coolscan V and would love to see a more in depth video on how to get the most out of Vuescan! I'm new to this (all the gear and no idea!) and am quite disappointed with my results (colours especially). Thanks! Great video

Store your scanner in landscape position or upside down, this ensures a longer period for a clean surface mirror.

I enjoyed your review. I have an ‘abused’ one so I worry about dust. I was interested to hear you say you opened it up to see if it needed cleaning. Any chance you might do a quick ‘how to’ video on checking the inners of the scanner?

thank you for posting this video as promised!!!

Thanks for sharing, I loved your review. Sorry if you've already asked lots of times, but how comes you use Vuescan for software? I am stucking on Vuescan and Silverfast to scan so that would be really appreciated if I was able to hear your thought, thank you very much.

Hey Darryl! You won't believe this I got this same scanner of craigslist here in the USA last week brand NEW condition! The guy never used it and was when the time hit digital he had it all these years gave it to me for 100$ USD. I am loving it so much!

Thanks - good video - I wanted to see which way the slides went in though - shiny or matt on top and that bit was missing as it just cuts to the software screen, doh! Agree with last comment the dust removal is excellent. I am scanning slides that are over fifty years old, from my childhood.

Hey Darryl, Thank you for the review - I learned a lot. As you mentioned to make sure a scanner was not over used: is 8000 scans a lot, or should I try my luck buying it? Best regards!

I bought the software years ago (professional version) after not using it for several years, the software started acting weird, the screens were different . I contacted the company, they knew who I was from the original download purchase, and got me access to a fresh version of the software. very quick and effective response on their part. couldn't be happier with the software. In contrast, The nikon software would freeze up on me often, though maybe the ancient computer I was using at the time was limited in functionality. The nikon has been robust. put it away for more than a decade, although the communication cable deteriorated and developed cracks. easily replaced with similar (printer) cable hanging around in my apartment. I would like to see a video on advanced using of the software. I am a BW hobbyist, and found that this scanner will capture the tiny defects that 35mm has (as well as tiny scratches and dust). For example, Delta 100 film has extremely specular T-grain crystals scattered throughout the emulsion, and they seem to show up as extremely bright white spots in the scan (Delta developed in Xtol). They can appear as defects. When adding a layer of tone to these 'defective' images, the spots seem to add a bit of contrast to the overall image. Interestingly, these 'defects' do not show up when wet printing. Hence, I feel that wet printing has advantage in the final image (for BW) when compared to scanning. Let alone that negatives has such a huge dynamic range of information on them, I think that a scanner would almost have to scan multiple times to capture all that information in some kind of an HDR way. (I'll add the disclaimer: I am no expert, so take my perspective with that in mind)

I would like to know more about how you scan slides using this scanner, a Mac, and the Vuescan software. What settings in Vuescan do you use to get the best quality for archival, digital, and prints of the images. Great video! Thanks for sharing!

Just FYI: There IS a bulk film adapter (the SA-30) available on the secondary market for these Nikon scanners. While any you find are likely to be technically "used," you may find one available that was purchased and hardly used in reality, or possibly one that was never used. It MAY also be that you can feed a whole roll of film into the SA-21 negative strip adapter and scan the whole thing by opening the hatch in the back of the scanner, but I've never had a developed, uncut roll of film to try it.

My son found one in a thrift shop for $12.00. He was a good son and passed it my way.

I got a Nikon Coolscan III from my dad that he had used back then. Is there any possibility to use this with a modern PC and Win10 to scan my grandmothers negatives and positives. It has a SCSI connector. What have I to do to make it work?

I need to get the right cable to go from scanner to usb mac, having trouble finding the right adapter cable, help!

Used to work with these Nikon cools an 800 and 900 135 and 120 Nikon scanner. But there was also an glass holder so Jup you can use xpan format

Hello Darryl, thanks for this video! The scanner looks almost brand new, so, congrats! But indeed, I have a question concerning digitizing analog photos. You’re using this scanner as well as a digital camera for digitizing analog photos. Do you like one method over the other? Or do you have any advice or reasoning for going one way or the other? Thanks! I am looking forward to your next videos😃👍!!!

Hi I have Coolscan with a Nikon SF-210 together with Vuescan, it has been working nicely but now is is just not picking up the Dia Slide anymore.. any idea!

Really digging your content! Considering you have lots of experience in scanning with scanners and digital cameras, I’m curious how the quality compares?

Thank you Darryl! Another great review. Would you recommend this for a newbie?

Anyone know where I can find a SCSI II>USB adapter so I can use my Nikon LS-2000? Thanks!

How do the black and white pictures come out? The colors are truly great in the files you shared. Thanks for the great video!

i have learn a lot from this video about nikon coolscan v ED . hope you can do a in deep about vuescan soon . Cheers

Hey Darryl! I was wondering what the scan times are with the Nikon Coolscan V when scanning DNGs for NLP both with Vue-Scan and Silverfast. Is it also about two minutes? What about lower resolutions like 2800-ish dpi?

I am currently using a Canon 9000F Mark II to scan my film. How much better is a Nikon Coolscan for film scanning over a flatbed film scanner? Also was wondering how much better VueScan is compared to Canon’s own scanning software. Canon did update the scanning software and drivers for The 9000F MK2 even adding native Apple silicon support but other than that the software feels the same. The scan previews still are so low resolution that it looks like they were straight out of Windows XP, and there’s no support for modern image formats like HEIF. definitely feels Canon did the bare minimum to update the software for modern hardware and operating systems.

Wish i could have gotten one of these when I had my F100.

Still have this scanner and I'm interested in your upcoming videos on this scanner, especially in comparison to other methods

It takes 15 minutes to scan 4 negatives. Is there a way to speed up? I use Nikon softare on Windows 7.

Interesting and informative information on a newer scanner than the one I have. I have a Nikon Coolscan 2000, not used for 10+ years, is it worth using to scan my 35 mm slide and negative collection. Assuming when I plug it in and it powers up.

I have a Coolscan III I bought new in 2000, love it but I believe 4000 DPI will do more justice to my slides. Thanks for the review, I'll check your files on Dropbox. If had one of the 2700 DPI ones, how do they compare? Is it worth changing? Thanks!

sorry didn't watch all, but do you have to CUT the film in order to be scanned? or you can introduce it all (I wonder wether any adapter can hold and roll the film inside)

Hi Darryl! I would like to know if vuescan uses all 4000 dpi available from Nikon coolscan V ED.. Let me know Greetings from Italy Gianluca

Nice video, thanks. I have one since 2002-3 bought new then. I think now it suffers from dust, any tips on cleaning it? Thanks again!

The SA-21 adapter accommodates only 6 frame strips. This is not a hardware limitation, but rather a firmware leash. If you're a bit handy, a quick solder job to jumper two solder pads in the SA-21 removes that 6 frame limit. I converted mine years ago and regularly scan uncut film rolls. It's awesome. Setup 38 frames for scanning, go have lunch everything's digitized by dessert. I remember watching an old KZfaq video of an amateur film maker digitize his project, literally multiple tens of thousands of frames this way. Ah, forgot to mention I use a Nikon CS5000 rather than the V. The 5000 is faster.

Hi Darryl, can you do a batch scan of a strip of 35mm with Vuescan? Like it’ll advance to the next frame automatically etc?

I have this exact scanner and I'm wondering if the standard version of VueScan will allow me to scan film negatives.

yes, do another vid that covers all the settings one might use when scanning.

Hi Darryl, Andrew here in Canada originally from the Uk Good video, I use a cool scan V with vuescan pro, great program and the system is reliable on a windows even with some windows glitches I would be interested to see your experience with the key settings and what you have found to work well. Number of scans etc Cheers Andrew

Do you think the Coolscan 4000 is much slower than your V (LS-50) model ? I've seen some great deals on it, but it's older (2001) despite having the exact same resolution (4000 dpi).

i have a nikon ls2000, scsi to firewire adapter, works great with vuescan. note about that, if your version of vuescan wont keep registration info, downgrade to an earlier version.

I'm having trouble finding the firmware for this scanner. Can someone help me find a download? Thanks in advance.

the coolscan v cannot feed strips longer than 6, the coolscan ls5000 can since the strips can feed out the back.

I realize that my inquiry is not directly to Nikon Coolscan V but I am desperate for information so I will post this here in the hope for some info from you Darryl or a reader. I recently installed an Adaptec 29160N PCD card into my Mac G5 running Leopard (10.5.8) I have successfully installed the driver and am using VueScan. It seems to recognize the scanner but when I put in the MA-20 adapter into my LS-2000 Nikon Scanner and put a slide in it says, "The scanner is not ready. insert film into scanner. I have inserted the slide but it does not recognize it. Any ideas of what is needed? The driver I installed did not specifically support Leopard. It was hard finding a driver. I found driver apd29160x_X_v12a.hqx. It recognizes the card was recognized!. However, when I try to scan I get the message to insert film into scanner. I am now using the Nikon software 9.0.96 I don't understand how the unit is supposed to work in terms of pin connections and sensors, so I am in a fog as to what to look for. Where do I find or see the pins on the Nikon slide mount adapter? Where is the sensor that detects slides? I have two MA-20 adapters and have tried both. I also have the LS-2000 scanning unit as well as the LS-30 (also labeled in front as the Nikon Coolscan III). Same results no matter what different combinations I use. Any chance you would have any insights and time to give them?

Could you do a video where you show how you use the software for it? thanks

Hi, can you please share the name or brand of dongle you're using to connect from the Nikon Coolscan to Macbook please?

Worth mentioning, VueScan customer support is stellar! Have you tried an entire roll? My 4000 claims a max of six frames.

Anybody know what countries this will work in?

Nikon Coolscan V vs 24MP Camera Scanning. What do you think?

I bought one of these in the '90's, I think. I've been scanning transparencies off and on over the years, as I have tens of thousands of them, mostly Kodachromes, the best camera medium ever made. I came to know it inside and out. VueScan is NOT nearly as easy to use as they lead you to believe with VueScan. And their Mac Ventura version on my Mac M1 Desktop will not work at all for me. Lucky, I kept a MacBook Air and an old OS on it, so it works fine there. Also, DUST and cleaning the glass is a big issue. Very difficult. You can find directions for cleaning the guts on the Internet but you better have a lot of patience, and be very careful. I now keep the thing covered when not in use. Also, to do a transparency and get top quality with this thing is very slow. MUCH BETTER alternative is the Canocan 9000 f Mark ii with Canon IJ Scan software, but again it won't work with all OS's. You can do 4 slides on the Canon in the time it takes you to do 1 with the Nikon Coolscan V. Quality is not quite as good, but it's fine. But it takes practice to get everything working, and it is not all that stable.

Saw this in a thrift store once. I instantly regret not getting it.

So nice

Have been frustrated for years over lack of compatibility of my Coolscan III.

Heads up to everyone - film scanning is now only on the PRO VERSION of Vuescan - just found that out the hard way...

Just starting to shoot film because of your channel and was looking for a 35mm scanner. Can I email you a link to a Coolscan I found on Ebay, would like your input.

Photos on the Dropbox are straight from the scanner or after editing? Thnaks

Like to see the software operating

What software can I use to test a 5000 ED scanner?

Why are prices not mentioned in this video? Or did I miss it?

The backside shows USB... careful.. there other models that use Firewire and the port looks very similar... but very hard to find firewire software or connections to modern computers.

The limit is 6 frames

When I plugged in my canon 5000F to my mac, and then opened VueScan, there is no reaction whatsoever. Weird. How did you make it work for you?

Yo tengo ese escáner y necesito saber cuánto vale, alguien que pueda ayudarme ??

12MP is completely fine for 35mm negatives. I think you’ll probably get all the resolution you can get out of a 35mm frame with a Fuji X-Tran 26MP sensor.

❤

Thank you for sharing your knowledge and quality of your online videos. Recently started to work with Nikon Scanner 4000 and the SA-21 adaptor and Vuescan. For the life of me, can not locate the "eject film" as I don't have the Nikon software. Any suggestions? Much appreciated!

Hi Darryl - just emailed you. I am responsible for the marketing of VueScan. Thanks - Beverley.

The original software works perfectly with windows 10

the nikoncsan software works better than vuescan IMHO，especially when batch scanning

Show me max reso :)

Nikkon or Nikon. I believe it's Nikon.

CCD vs CMOS isn’t a relevant discussion anymore. CMOS are able to capture than information both resolution, color, and dynamic range. Any “look” attributed to a sensor type is now dependent on how the image get treated after the information was captured by a sensor.

Mostly a good video, but would have been better to just stick to the review of the scanner. Describing what a great buy you've had and how perfect it is lets it down a bit.

Got mine for 20$ 😅

没有使用原厂软件就很差评