COOLSCAN V & Slide Feeder

[spf.ma]

Hi,

I was reading very interresting articles about this product, which was
supposed to be able to use a slide feeder.
But it looks like it doesn't finally !

Is this a limitation in the firmware of could a software like VueScan get
rid of this ?

A saw on a german site that the SF-200 (the one I have !) was working with
the 5000, ...


Thanks

 

[Kennedy McEwen]

A saw on a german site that the SF-200 (the one I have !) was working with
the 5000, ...

But the 5000 is not the V, just as the 4000 was not the IV - and the IV
did not accept bulk film feeders either.

 

[spf.ma]

Certainly thery aren't the same, but I think that even NIKON products do
have many parts in common.

I've found a chart explaining the compatibility quite well on their support
website.

We are all aware of that it's mostly a marketing issue, but I just would
like to know where it settles. VueScan allows mult-pass scanning on devices
which can't do it normally. But it's more like a hardware/buffering feature
than an intenal caracteristic, and if you can drive the motor, you can at
least emulate it.
For an optionnal device, it coul be more complicated, or it could not !

But the 5000 is not the V, just as the 4000 was not the IV - and the IV
did not accept bulk film feeders either.
--
Kennedy
Yes, Socrates himself is particularly missed;
A lovely little thinker, but a bugger when he's pissed.
Python Philosophers (replace 'nospam' with 'kennedym' when

replying)

 

[Ed Hamrick]

We are all aware of that it's mostly a marketing issue, but I just would
like to know where it settles. VueScan allows mult-pass scanning on devices
which can't do it normally. But it's more like a hardware/buffering feature
than an intenal caracteristic, and if you can drive the motor, you can at
least emulate it.
For an optionnal device, it coul be more complicated, or it could not !

I once worked hard trying to get the SF-200 working on the LS-30
(CoolScan III). It seems that Nikon has very effectively prevented
this in firmware, and I suspect that there's no way around this
with the LS-40 and LS-50 (CoolScan IV and CoolScan V).

Regards,
Ed Hamrick

 

[Kennedy McEwen]

Certainly thery aren't the same, but I think that even NIKON products do
have many parts in common.

Sure do, and Nikon have become very adept at using firmware locks to
prevent you from "misusing" those parts not released for a particular
application.

Just look at the standard SA-21 film strip handler supplied with every
35mm scanner in their range. It is virtually identical to the SA-30,
apart from the little brush on the film feed and the film take-up spool
that screws onto the back of the scanner. But getting the SA-21 to
handle a strip of film with more than 6 images on it is specifically
firmware blocked - whether you have the SA-30 take-up spool fitted or
not!

I would love to use the LS-4000 to scan reels of 8mm cine film, taking
advantage of ICE, GEM and ROC to create clean, high resolution, grain
free, colour restored digital reproductions of the originals before they
fade to oblivion. Can I use the eminently suitable SA-21 or SA-30
feeders (checkout the size of the drive rollers) to pass the film? Not
a chance - I had to rig up some Heath Robinson jig made out of old film
editor parts, a partially disassembled MA-20 slide holder and a stepper
motor driven from the serial interface. Even that would only scan a few
feet of film before the scanner went into default calibrate mode and
threw a wobbly because their was film when it didn't expect any. :-(

Would Nikon over consider marketing an 8mm film feeder? No.

Such is life, the ideal tool for the job sits on my desk and is unusable
because of a firmware lock. :-(

 

[ThomasH]

I once worked hard trying to get the SF-200 working on the LS-30
(CoolScan III). It seems that Nikon has very effectively prevented
this in firmware, and I suspect that there's no way around this
with the LS-40 and LS-50 (CoolScan IV and CoolScan V).

This was a noble attempt

Even more travesty was made by Nikon regarding disabling SA-30
on LS40 and now also on LS50, but accepting SA-21! This is a
nasty move on Nikon's part. This is not about necessity to equip
scanner with additional hardware to make it work with SA-30, its
about adding hardware to make it impossible, and such measures
are never received well by consumers.

Thomas