Hackjob

Alright, here it is- Part 2 of my Nikon Coolscan LS2000 post. This is going to be somewhat difficult to explain in non-computer terms, so I'll try to keep it as simple as possible.

Basically, my workflow involves three different main parts: My glorious ThinkPad T530 (my main computer), the Nikon Coolscan LS2000, and a Macintosh Performa 5215CD with a 5500 motherboard and 300 MHz G3 processor upgrade.

The Performa manages to be even older than the scanner and this makes it somewhat difficult to use because it doesn't have USB, is comparatively slow to modern computers, and can't access Dropbox or Google Drive (although it can access basic websites).

I overcome these shortcomings by connecting the computer to my ThinkPad via ethernet and using the Web Sharing application on the Performa to host the photos I scan to my ThinkPad, which can access them in a web browser. Inevitably, downloading files is quite slow, but pays off, as it allows me to keep my scanner relevant and gives me a reason to own such a relic from the mid 90s.

 So, coming up next- An actual video of me using this scanner and computer! It should be out on YouTube in the next few days.

Yee

     Well, here it goes. My first post in ages and my title is Yee. Yee. What on Earth does Yee mean you ask? Honestly, I don't quite know either. All I do know is that it was leagues better than staring at a blinking cursor waiting for some eventual input. And the best part is, it's a title, and it works.

     Now that that's over with, let's get over the elephant in the room. Where the hell did I go? Well, I got busy and forgot. Yes, I did get busy with nothing sometimes during the hiatus, but altogether I was much more occupied with college and friends than I was before. However, it's 2 AM and I feel like talking to my imaginary followers right now. Also, I've been meaning to post something for about a year now anyway.

    What to talk about... well [these wells might make a decent drinking game, tbh], I got a 50mm STM lens for my 5D Mk II. It's much better than Canon's previous 50mm 1.8. And although I could easily go into technical details and drone on... and on... and on... about meaningless drivel [as I'm doing now], I feel I'd be beating a dead horse (or a D.H.). I could talk about my new camera, a Pentax P3n, but honestly, there's nothing to say. It's plastic, is an SLR, takes batteries, meters, goes "click!", winds, and might actually take pictures.

     No. What I'm going to talk about today is actually something I feel has gotten very little attention. Using old film scanners, or in particular, using a Nikon LS2000 for primetime film scanning.

     This thing is as old as recent high school graduates. It's old enough to smoke in 48 states. I heard it did weed with its friends a few times and got caught by its dad (which explained it's falling grades).

     Although it did some stupid things in its past, it's actually a decent scanner today. It does what it's told to do, and goes beyond (way beyond actually) the call of duty.

    So why is it relevant? It's a great value. It does high resolution scanning and can beautifully scan film. It can use its scratch reduction software to eliminate minor scratches on your negatives. I got mine for $200 from eBay. Newer Nikon film scanners are at least $100 more and you don't get much else for the price, except USB.

A slide of Fuji RDP III scanned with my Nikon LS2000

When you look at this picture, what do you notice? It's freakin vibrant. Yeah slide film is sexy but it needs to be scanned properly in order to appreciate its sexyness. This scanner knocks it out of the park, consistently, every time. 

Nikon Coolscan LS2000 scan

Sam's Club scan

 

As you can tell from the pictures above, my scan on the right is much more vibrant and has much better detail in her hair than the picture on the left. What you get from this scanner is control. Everything can be manipulated to get everything possible out of an image. Film can take a lot of detail in from a much wider range of exposures than people think possible. It's actually close to around three stops of light in either direction with color print film and black and white. With slides it's much less forgiving, but that's the nature of the beast.

So, you might be thinking: "That's nice. What's the catch?"

It's SCSI. For the non-computer people, SCSI (pronounced "scuzzy") is an ancient protocol that was most popular on consumer electronics in it's bulky two row, 20 pin connector form in the 80s and 90s. For the most part, that connector is dinosauric now.

What the hell does all that mean? Well [#4, btw], it means that you need an adapter card for your Windows box to run. For those of you with laptops or any Mac made after the 1998 iMac, you're done here. 

I wasn't though. I persevered and found a really clunky way to do things. The best part is that it works seamlessly. 

And that's for part two, coming tomorrow night!