A Nikon negative scanner is a good option for those professionals who need to scan and convert negatives and slides into digital photos or other digital media on the computer. It is useful for those who want to need to convert large quantities of slides or negatives into digital photos and want the scanner to capture fine details and provides a very high quality digital picture. A Nikon scanner will provide you with a leading edge in professional desktop imaging.

There are many different types of Nikon negative scanners. This includes the Nikon SuperCool Scan line which is a re-incarnation of the LS line – The Nikon SuperCool 2000, Nikon SuperCool 4000, Nikon SuperCool 5000 and the Nikon SuperCool 9000. The Nikon 4000 had a few glitches and was replaced by the Nikon 5000. The Nikon SuperCool 4000 can still be found but used.

The Nikon SuperCool 5000 is a good option for professionals due to its sophisticated technology and software. Scan results are extremely sharp due to the 4000 true dpi optical resolution and there is an accurate colour reproduction with the 16 bit A/D converter and 16 bit output channel. It is also very convenient as it has a film scanning speed of 20 seconds per image (including image transfer to display) or takes 11 seconds if you just want to see the preview, which is very useful for those who need to do a lot of scanning. The software present includes the Scan Image Enhancer which allows for one touch image correction and automatic brightness and colour adjustment saturations with no complicated control settings make it easy to use.

Another Nikon slide scanner which is a good option for imaging professionals is the Nikon SuperCool 9000. While it may not be as fast as it the Nikon SuperCool 5000, as scan time is 40 seconds (including the time for image transfer to display) or 13 seconds to just view the image, it does share other similar technology. It has a 4000 dpi optical resolution and 16 bit per colour A/D input for sharp and clear results. The software also contains automatic colour contrast compensation for accurate results as well as digital image correction options if the slides are not in good condition.

Prices for the Nikon negative scanners are on the high side, but they are still cheaper than the purchase of drum scanners. The Nikon SuperCool 5000 retails for around $5000 and the Nikon SuperCool 9000 is found for around $3000. This is a bargain compared to the price of professional drum scanners for scanning slides, which can be found between the price ranges of $38,000 and $80,000.

There is a great range of products that you can find if you are looking for a good Nikon slide scanner. In the category of film scanners includes the Nikon 35mm slide scanner.  This range of scanners has been designed to convert slides and films into digital form.  While simple scanners only support the 35mm format, Nikon is also producing multi format scanners which also support the 4 x 5 inch format.

The multi format scanner has other enhanced features like the auto focus option and Precision 12-bit A/D conversion which cannot be found in most of the simpler film scanners.  Different film scanners vary on the basis of scanning times and their optical resolutions. A popular product among the Nikon slide scanners is the Nikon CoolScan slide scanner. Other than the slide scanners, Nikon has a range of CoolScan products that are meant for normal documents and images as well. These include the CoolScan 3 and 4 and the Super CoolScan.

The CoolScan 3 has an optical resolution of 2700 dpi while the CoolScan 4 has an enhanced resolution of 2900 dpi.  The color management system designed by Nikon has been integrated into the CoolScan 3 while in the CoolScan 4, the newly developed CCD technology has been integrated which helps in reducing image noise and provides clear resolution.  The CoolScan 4 also supports various formats including the 35 mm format and 1X240 formats.   In the super CoolScan, the optical resolution is further enhanced to 4000 dpi.  The super CoolScan has the ability of multi-sample scanning and produces images which are virtually free of any noise. In the super CoolScan series, there are two produces which are the Super CoolScan 4000 and Super CoolScan 8000. The optical resolution of both the scanners is the same but the Super CoolScan 8000 has some enhanced features providing better quality images.

Apart from the Nikon slide scanner, the company also produces flatbed scanners.  There are three models in the flatbed series which vary on the basis of optical resolution. The SCANTOUCH AX-1200 is the top of the line flatbed scanner having a high optical resolution of 1200 x 1200 dpi and a ten bit converter. Then there is the AX 210 with an optical resolution of 600 x 1200 dpi and an eight bit converter. The AX 210 has analog nonlinear gamma processing.   The flatbed scanner that is the lowest in terms of optical resolution is the AX 110 which has a resolution of 300 x 600 dpi. The AX 110 has an eight bit converter like the AX 210.

The Nikon CoolScan V ED is one of the latest products by Nikon in the market.  Like any other scanner, the most basic feature to look for is the dpi or the optical resolution of the scanner. The CoolScan has a dpi rating of 4000.  This scanner offers a great deal for amateur photographers or those who are aspiring to step into the world of professional photography. The Nikon CoolScan V ED film scanner is a handy machine which is the size of a normal box. It can fit in most places easily without taking up precious space. The scanner comes with software which you need to install on your PC and the installation process is pretty straight forward and doesn’t take much time.

You can easily connect the scanner to your PC via the USB port which has been especially integrated into the scanner for the ease of users.  The lens that has been used in this scanner is Extra-low Dispersion (ED) glass lens which is new in Nikon Scanners. The timing of the Nikon CoolScan V ED scanner is 38 seconds per scan. A lot of attention has been also paid to the quality of the image that is produced by the Nikon CoolScan V ED scanner. In order to make sure that the quality and the color of old images are enhanced, Nikon has integrated Digital ICE4 technology from Kodak’s Austin Development Center.  This technology consists of Digital ROC which helps in enhancing the color of old photos.

Apart from the ROC, the technology consists of Digital GEM which minimizes the grain and the Digital DEE and optimizes the contrast and the exposure of the scanned image. The fourth component of the ICE4 technology is the Digital ICE which removes the effect of any scratches or dust on the image without damaging the sharpness of the image.  This innovative brings old and faded photos back to life. Even the smallest dots in old negs are slides are covered by the ICE technology.  In order to save on time, the scanner has the option of auto focus which reduces the amount of work that you need to do because the scanner adjusts the focus itself. The LED illumination technology in the CoolScan has been designed by Nikon and the LED lamp requires no warm-up time after the scanner is turned on. Other than that, the LED technology in the CoolScan removes the risk of heat damage which might be caused by the lamp.