The Nikon Coolscan V is limited in resolution only the film grain itself. This isn’t much of a concern when using medium format because of the massive negative, but in 35mm every grain counts if you’re looking for the best quality image possible.Ībove is a crop from area shown in the red square at 100%. However, flatbed scanners have a glass surface that sits between the scanner and the film itself, and this glass ever so slightly blurs the 35mm image. I used to use Canon flatbeds, but they’ve sadly discontinued their high-end machines.
I have a Epson flatbed scanner that only costs a little less than $200 that handles medium format, Polaroids, 35mm, and anything else I can throw at it. Screwing around with dedicated film scanners like the Nikon Coolscan V is a very expensive hobby. If cost is at all a concern, get a flatbed scanner. For our purposes here, we’re assuming you’re doing it yourself and you want an insane amount of quality. The 35mm photographer has many choices in scanning that vary wildly in cost, time and quality, many of which are covered in my article on workflow. The process requires massive scanners, military-grade processors, and an excessive amount of storage. Photographers are not alone in this, as Hollywood spends millions upon millions of dollars on transferring their 35mm stock to digital (and back again). One of the most frustrating parts of the hybrid digital/film workflow is making the leap from the chemical to the digital. Updated September 2014: Added additional info I’ll integrate this information with more detail into the article when I get a chance.
This works best if you do a preview on the first frame of the strip so the scanner can figure out how many frames there actually are before you do the batch scan.
If multiple frames are highlighted, you can do a batch scan by hitting the ‘scan’ button.
Update January 2018: I’ve been using this scanner for nearly a decade, and I finally figured out how to do batch scans with this thing! If you have the 35mm strip film adapter, after loading film, you can use ctrl to select multiple frames.