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Film Scanners
$
650 street
www.konica
minolta.us
877-462-4464
Konica Minolta’s 5400-ppi DiMAGE
Scan Elite 5400 impressed us with
high resolution, accurate color, and fast
speed when we tested it earlier this
year. On color-negative film, it resolved
71.3 line pairs/mm, and turned in 83.9
line pairs/mm on black-and-white film.
Color accuracy was rated excellent.
Both USB 2.0 and FireWire connec-
tions ensure a fast file transfer, even
with Digital ICE turned on. The only
caveat? It’s limited to 35mm, so you
can’t scan medium-format or APS with
this speed demon.
TESTED JUNE 2004
Konica Minolta DiMAGE
Scan Elite 5400
$
slides. The scanner’s D-max of 4.3
should ensure plenty of dynamic range,
while the depth of 12 bits per color
channel (42 bits total) should record a
wide palette of hues. APS fans can
spring for an optional APS roll car-
tridge, which enables batch scanning
of up to 40 images at a time. Advanced
scanners will enjoy the included
SilverFast Ai 6.0 scanning software.
Nikon Coolscan V ED
$
600 street
www.nikonusa.com
800-645-6689
Though considered entry-level for the
Coolscan line, the V ED still has an opti-
cal resolution of 4000 ppi, plus a D-max
of 4.2—not quite the 4.8 of Nikon’s flag-
ship 9000 ED, but still enough to pull
plenty of detail out of dark shadows.
Color depth is 14 bits per channel. Like
all the Coolscans, the V ED includes
Digital ICE, ROC, and GEM for
automatic dust and scratch
removal, color restoration,
and grain removal. It
won’t do medium-format
film, but an optional APS
adapter is available.
Microtek
ArtixScan 4000tf
$
700 street
www.microtekusa.com
310-687-5940
The ArtixScan 4000tf has an optical
resolution of 4000 ppi, which should
be enough to create tabloid-sized
scans of your 35mm negatives and
Pacific Image
PrimeFilm 3650 Pro3
$
465 street
www.scanace.com
310-618-8100
The PrimeFilm 3650 Pro3 is
designed specifically to make
quick work of 35mm film scans.
A slot on the right side of the unit
accepts entire rolls of 35mm film for
scanning at up to 3600 ppi and, with
Digital ICE enabled, you can automati-
cally remove scratches and dust at the
same time. The 3650 Pro3 has a gener-
ous color depth of 16 bits per channel
(48 bits total), and an ample density
range of 3.6. Both FireWire and USB 2.0
high-speed connections are included.
Ever wonder why the
prints you made have
wildly different color
and tone than the pictures you see
on your monitor? Frustrated that
you’re forced to waste stacks of
paper, multiple ink cartridges,
time, and money trying to
tweak what you saw on
your monitor? Then it’s
time to get a monitor
calibrator.
Once, the cost of a
monitor-calibra-
CALIBRATION 101
┮
HOT
TIP
▲
FILM SCANNERS: PUT YOUR FILM ARCHIVES TO WORK
✚ Despite recent advances
in flatbed scanners, the
resolution, density range,
and color accuracy possi-
ble with dedicated film
scanners still make them
the best way to turn your
film and slides into digital
images. And with USB
Hi-Speed 2.0 and FireWire
connections popping up
even in moderately priced
models, they’re faster than
ever. If you’ve got old, well-
worn slides or film, you’ll
definitely want to try the
automatic dust and scratch
removal offered by Applied
Science Fiction’s Digital
ICE, which is included
with most film scanners in
this class.
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