At Macworld Expo Nikon unveiled a new line of desktop film scanners, the Coolscan IV ED, Super Coolscan 4000 ED and Super Coolscan 8000 ED.
Aimed at photo enthusiasts, the Coolscan IV ED is the entry-level 36-bit model with an optical resolution of 2,900 dpi that can scan files up to 68MB in size. Capable of scanning a 35mm color slide or negative in about 42 seconds at 2,900 dpi. The scanner connects to Power Macs via a USB connection.
Expected to ship in Mach at a US$895 MSRP, the scanner will come bundled with Adobe Photoshop 5.0 LE, a film strip adapter that holds from two to six film frames, slide mount adapter, and a holder that accepts one to six frames of film.
Designed for photo professionals and graphic designers, the Super Coolscan 4000 ED features a 42-bit color depth and an optical resolution of 4,000 dpi. Capable of digitizing a 35mm slide or negative in 38 seconds at 4,000 dpi.
The $1,695 Super Coolscan 4000–also expected to ship in March–comes bundled with a FireWire interface card for high-speed connectivity. It also includes the same film holders and slide adapter that come with the Coolscan IV ED.
Ideal for graphics pros, the Super Coolscan 8000 ED has a 42-bit color depth and an optical resolution of 4,000 dpi. However, the system–expected to ship in April for $2,995–is capable of scanning 35mm and medium-format (120/220) negatives and slides up to 6x9cm, 16mm film, slide glass, and electron microscope imagery.
The Super Coolscan 8000 ED comes with a FireWire card and a 120/220 film holder in addition to the standard 35mm film holders and adapters.
All three scanners provide automatic and manual focus, a Nikkor ED lens that features extra-low dispersion glass for enhanced image sharpness and color accuracy, new CCD imagers to improve overall image quality, and LED technology that allows the CCD to run at a lower sensitivity to reduce image noise.
The new scanners come with Nikon Scan 3.0 scanning software, which now has a scene analysis function that automatically corrects tone and color in negatives. The software also works in tandem with the included Digital ICE3 image-correction modules–Digital ICE, Digital ROC and Digital GEM–that can be used to, respectively, correct surface defects, reconstruct original color, and reduce grain details in film.
Requiring Mac OS 8.6 or later, a G3 or higher processor, and at least 32MB of RAM (64MB is recommended), Nikon Scan 3.0 also provides ColorSync-compatible color management that allows users to scan and deliver images directly into Photoshop in a choice of 10 color spaces.
The scanners also come with a full version of Altamira’s Genuine Fractals 2.0 for image scaling and lossless compression.