I just got a coolscan 9000 after years of lusting after them. Thanks for the tutorial, I'm glad to see it all just works and I don't need to go down the rabbit hole of buying a 20 year old Windows laptop!
So glad I found your videos! Just getting back into shooting film and wanted a Nikon Coolscan. Bought the V ED, Vuescan and Neg Pro because of your vids!
Great stuff Parker. I bought a 5000 a while ago to scan slides and negs using vuescan and then Lightroom. But I’ve never been that confident about my settings so this has really helped!! Cheers
Thanks, Parker for this video. I purchased a Coolscan IV before seeing your video comparing all of the models. I had buyers remorse after watching that video. I was glad to see this video using the IV. Time to order software and get scanning!
Outstanding video. I’m about ready to get my 4000 that’s been sitting in a closet for years. And hook it up to my Mac Studio and do some scans. Thanks for the great video.
dude you are a legend for posting this im trying to figure out how to get it to automatically name each file while batch scanning right now it makes me rename after the scan each time
Mine does it automatically. Its probably either that you need batch scan on or you need the output name similar to how i have it. You could reset all settings to default and try again
I have a 4000 with vuescan on my Mac and works fine - I can't remember how to do negatives as all I have is the FH 3 film holder - I forget if there is another attachment that it goes into any help GREATLY appreciated - good channel
I would recommend getting something like the SA21 film holder because itll scan 6 negative frames at a time. The FH holder needs to be inserted into the MA21 adapter which you could also get. The SA21 that i recommend will save you a lot of time. The MA21 is much more manual and you have to spend more time per frame. Hope that helps
@@parkermillican Yes! Being able to scan my parents and in-laws slides automatically is invaluable! And, as a photographer that likes films, I can scan my own film as well!
@ i dont have one, and i havent ever had one serviced. Reddit may be a good resource. Ive seen videos about cleaning the screen which seems fairly strait forward
Great video! I use a Nikon Coolscan ls50 for over decades. Although it is on the shelves often too. Also using VueScan for a very long time. One question; Why scan as negative and convert with the Negative Lab Pro plugin for Lightroom? You can get a positive image right from the Coolscan 4000 also? At least with my LS50 that's possible.
@@WACONimages thanks!! Mine rides the shelf too often, every time its down im much happier with my pics. I use NLP for lightroom because i find the colors and conversion to be much more accurate and prettier (for lack of better words) than the coolscan/ vuescan conversion
So glad to hear it! Thats a great question. I havent scanned half frame, but what I would probably do is set the frame size to the correct proportions and then figure out frame spacing so it would scan each frame individually. The other option would be to scan two frames at a time and then duplicate the files after the fact
Just ordered a Nikon Coolscan 5000, not sure if I'll need adapters to connect to an iMac with usb and usb-c. Probably intend to use Silverfast and not Vuescan so also not sure about specific scan settings. Interesting that you choose to not white balance in NLP on the border of the frame. I always do now after seeing some weird colors for not doing so. Maybe now with NLP version, that isn't as critical. Also interesting that roll analysis doesn't work for all frames. that makes sense and so far have found that to be true for frames with very different exposure settings. I've been using a Primefilm XAS Super edition for a couple of years but hate the banding issues and how incredibly slow it is at scanning a whole roll. Hopefully Coolscan is a better scanning tool.
Yea i white balance sometimes and sometimes I dont. Ive found that it tends to not make a HUGE difference, but also if im not happy with the first results, ill white balance and sometimes that helps You may need an adapter depending on which cable comes with your scanner. Some convert to usb, some dont. I have to use two seperate adapters and the apple branded ones work great for me I hope you enjoy the 5000! Its a great one. Happy scanning!
@@parkermillican So I got my LS-5000 and it is a world of difference from my Primefilm XAS Super Edition. Huge upgrade. The guy I got the scanner from forgot to send me the Silverfast Ai software, still waiting on that so I had to try the demo mode for starters. I was not liking the outcome of the files, just couldn't get the right quality for some reason. I don't know why. I'll try again once he forwards me the documentation and serial number but out of curiosity I tried the Vuescan and the demo files were so much better. I think the multi-exposure setting helps a lot but I also read that Vuescan backward engineered the drivers to a lot of older scanners so I think scans just come out better because there's better communication between hardware and the computer (I use an iMac and btw didn't need adapters as I could plug in via USB2). I'm again very thankful to have this video you made because I referenced all your pointers and they helped immensely. Setting as dng file increased range of editing options I found but the most helpful tip was on how to make sure the frame was properly set during preview by setting the X-offset correctly. Once I figured how to set that, everything else was a breeze. I decided to purchase Vuescan since it really pairs well with the LS-5000. I may try the Silverfast Ai software later but I like the ease of use of Vuescan and the results. I tried a few 6 frame strips of film and editing to liking in LR. Significantly better results than my Primefilm paired with Silverfast 9. Again, I think the multi-exposure helps significantly but also the scratch/dust removal in Vuescan is perfect even when set on Light. Thank you!
This is all so great to hear!! Such an encouragement, thank you! Youre right, vuescan does backwards engineer drivers, I totally should have mentioned that. Im stoked youre enjoying the scanner! @@cggg490
I recently got my hands on one of those and was looking for some tips and tricks on the matter. Thank you for all the information you're giving us about getting those scanners going! I'd love to know more about budget alternatives for the software side of it, for those still new to it all. What would you recommend to someone in such a scenario?
@@DuncanSteven i like vuescan because its a one time payment, and personally i havent used other softwares, but i think nikon has a free version of nikonscan on their website that you may wanna try!
@@parkermillican oh I'll look that up! I saw some things about the bundled software not doing so great on newer windows versions, so I'll have to test it out. Agree on preference for one time payments 👌🏻 not a fan of subscriptions
Thanks for this, perfect timing as I'm planning to buy a CS 4000 and wondered about the workflow. How are you catching the film when it comes out the back? Thanks!
@@smlelikeyoumeanit3882 as long as you keep an eye on it, youll be fine. Watch out and make sure the back door is open. I kept it closed on accident for my first scan and it bent my roll on frame 8. Oops!
Hey Parker! I acquired the same coolscan as yours from a friend of mine. I already have NLP. My question is: what cable adapters are you using!? I’m trying to figure out adapters to use on my MacBook Pro M1 so I can test the unit. This video is pretty much exactly what I’m trying to accomplish! Thanks!
@@AntGarcia77 hey thats great! I have two different adapters - the first is firewire to thunderbolt and then thunderbolt to usb c. Theyre both apple branded adapters and work well!
@@salobaas i do save it as a Tiff DNG file!For the other settings, i need to review NLPs suggestions again to be fair, because its been years since i got NLP, but Ive found these to be best for the 4000 and my workflow
hiiii, I have a nikon coolscan 4000 and I also scan using vuescan. somehow vuescan will not scan after frame 6, eventhough I have batch scan turned on. have you ever had this problem?
Do you have the back door open on the scanner? I didnt know there was a backdoor and had the same problem when i first got it. The little door is black and should just hinge down
yess, I have it open. ☺️ I think I might have the wrong adapter that only does 6 frames? did you modify yours at all? I think I have the sf-21 that only does 6 frames (without modification)…😵💫
@@parkermillican ohhh okay, that checks out. i’m thinking about doing the stockholmviews’ one. that one seems less complicated than soldering pins 16&17 together. do you remember what modification you did? i felt like i was going insane haha 😭 i have about 20 scans of the first 6 frames because I kept trying to scan them.
@@cine_mara I bought mine already modified, and I think someone has soldered together pins. I would definitely recommend it. It has been a game changer for workflow.
Hey I just bought a coolscan 4000 and downloaded vuescan however vuescan is not recognizing the scanner. I'm on an m1 backbook pro using a Apple Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter, PASOW FireWire 800 to 400 9 to 6 pin Cable, and Apple Thunderbolt to FireWire Adapter. Should vuescan automatically pick up the scanner with this configuration or am I missing something critical?
try turning the scanner on then opening vuescan. that sometimes helps. Ive done the inverse and sometimes it wont register. You can also manually select the scanner in vuescan using the 'source' option. Let me know if either of those help!
@@parkermillican Hey appreciate the quick response! Ive tried turning the scanner on prior to opening vuescan and no luck. When I click on "source" on the "input" tab on vuescan, the only visible drop down is "file". Are you aware of any other potential solutions?
hmmm that is odd. the other thing I would think is that it has something to do with the 800 to 400 cable. Have you tested those before to make sure they work?
Thanks, this is exactly what I was looking for! What adapter(s) are you using to connect the scanner to your computer. From what I've seen the Coolscan 4000 is a firewire 400 and for a modern macbook you'd need to convert Firewire 400 -> Firewire 800 -> Thunderbolt 2 -> Thunderbolt 3 (or something similar). Is that what you're doing?
thanks for the kind words! yes i do something really similar. I have 2 apple brand adapters. Firewire 400 -> thunderbolt 2 -> usb c. Not 100% sure on the versions but i think thats correct
Alright, thanks! I should be getting my 4000 in the mail soon. I have an old laptop with a firewire port, but would rather get it working on a new computer if possible.
I just got a coolscan 9000 after years of lusting after them. Thanks for the tutorial, I'm glad to see it all just works and I don't need to go down the rabbit hole of buying a 20 year old Windows laptop!
@@blainehale thats awesome! Happy scanning!
So glad I found your videos! Just getting back into shooting film and wanted a Nikon Coolscan. Bought the V ED, Vuescan and Neg Pro because of your vids!
Thats great to hear! I hope you enjoy it Happy scanning.
Great stuff Parker. I bought a 5000 a while ago to scan slides and negs using vuescan and then Lightroom. But I’ve never been that confident about my settings so this has really helped!! Cheers
Glad that helped! Cheers
Thanks, Parker for this video. I purchased a Coolscan IV before seeing your video comparing all of the models. I had buyers remorse after watching that video. I was glad to see this video using the IV. Time to order software and get scanning!
Happy scanning!! Im loving my IV!
Thanks for the kind words :)
Outstanding video. I’m about ready to get my 4000 that’s been sitting in a closet for years. And hook it up to my Mac Studio and do some scans. Thanks for the great video.
Get it out! That sounds fun! Thanks for the encouraging words
Do you use a FireWire to USB adapter for your setup?
@@RScottNH yes, its a usb to fire wire and then another adapter to lightning
dude you are a legend for posting this
im trying to figure out how to get it to automatically name each file while batch scanning
right now it makes me rename after the scan each time
Mine does it automatically. Its probably either that you need batch scan on or you need the output name similar to how i have it. You could reset all settings to default and try again
I have a 4000 with vuescan on my Mac and works fine - I can't remember how to do negatives as all I have is the FH 3 film holder - I forget if there is another attachment that it goes into any help GREATLY appreciated - good channel
I would recommend getting something like the SA21 film holder because itll scan 6 negative frames at a time.
The FH holder needs to be inserted into the MA21 adapter which you could also get. The SA21 that i recommend will save you a lot of time. The MA21 is much more manual and you have to spend more time per frame.
Hope that helps
Thanks! :) Just got a CoolScan 5000 at a thrift store for $5! With the SF-200 Adapter.
@@iKokomo WOAH thats a great deal!
@@parkermillican Yes! Being able to scan my parents and in-laws slides automatically is invaluable! And, as a photographer that likes films, I can scan my own film as well!
@ yes! Its a huge win. And honestly the results are a step above labs most of the time because you can dial in each shot
Random Question, if I want to get this serviced, how do I go about doing that? Do you have a video on that? Thanks!
@ i dont have one, and i havent ever had one serviced. Reddit may be a good resource. Ive seen videos about cleaning the screen which seems fairly strait forward
Keep making these vids man they help a ton!
@@jaromprice if theres things you have questions about, let me know and I can do more!
@@parkermillican Maybe a comparison on the quality of the scanning yourself vs using a film store to scan your film?
@@jaromprice Yea, can do. I think I have some rolls that I had scanned by the lab before the coolscan. I can try and put something together
Great video! I use a Nikon Coolscan ls50 for over decades. Although it is on the shelves often too. Also using VueScan for a very long time. One question; Why scan as negative and convert with the Negative Lab Pro plugin for Lightroom? You can get a positive image right from the Coolscan 4000 also? At least with my LS50 that's possible.
@@WACONimages thanks!!
Mine rides the shelf too often, every time its down im much happier with my pics. I use NLP for lightroom because i find the colors and conversion to be much more accurate and prettier (for lack of better words) than the coolscan/ vuescan conversion
But thats not to say the vuescan is bad. Its good, just not my personal preference. Its great if you dont want to spend the money on NLP and lightroom
Very useful. I would like to know how this scanner works when doing half frame scans
So glad to hear it! Thats a great question. I havent scanned half frame, but what I would probably do is set the frame size to the correct proportions and then figure out frame spacing so it would scan each frame individually. The other option would be to scan two frames at a time and then duplicate the files after the fact
Just ordered a Nikon Coolscan 5000, not sure if I'll need adapters to connect to an iMac with usb and usb-c. Probably intend to use Silverfast and not Vuescan so also not sure about specific scan settings. Interesting that you choose to not white balance in NLP on the border of the frame. I always do now after seeing some weird colors for not doing so. Maybe now with NLP version, that isn't as critical. Also interesting that roll analysis doesn't work for all frames. that makes sense and so far have found that to be true for frames with very different exposure settings. I've been using a Primefilm XAS Super edition for a couple of years but hate the banding issues and how incredibly slow it is at scanning a whole roll. Hopefully Coolscan is a better scanning tool.
Yea i white balance sometimes and sometimes I dont. Ive found that it tends to not make a HUGE difference, but also if im not happy with the first results, ill white balance and sometimes that helps
You may need an adapter depending on which cable comes with your scanner. Some convert to usb, some dont. I have to use two seperate adapters and the apple branded ones work great for me
I hope you enjoy the 5000! Its a great one. Happy scanning!
@@parkermillican So I got my LS-5000 and it is a world of difference from my Primefilm XAS Super Edition. Huge upgrade. The guy I got the scanner from forgot to send me the Silverfast Ai software, still waiting on that so I had to try the demo mode for starters. I was not liking the outcome of the files, just couldn't get the right quality for some reason. I don't know why. I'll try again once he forwards me the documentation and serial number but out of curiosity I tried the Vuescan and the demo files were so much better. I think the multi-exposure setting helps a lot but I also read that Vuescan backward engineered the drivers to a lot of older scanners so I think scans just come out better because there's better communication between hardware and the computer (I use an iMac and btw didn't need adapters as I could plug in via USB2). I'm again very thankful to have this video you made because I referenced all your pointers and they helped immensely. Setting as dng file increased range of editing options I found but the most helpful tip was on how to make sure the frame was properly set during preview by setting the X-offset correctly. Once I figured how to set that, everything else was a breeze. I decided to purchase Vuescan since it really pairs well with the LS-5000. I may try the Silverfast Ai software later but I like the ease of use of Vuescan and the results. I tried a few 6 frame strips of film and editing to liking in LR. Significantly better results than my Primefilm paired with Silverfast 9. Again, I think the multi-exposure helps significantly but also the scratch/dust removal in Vuescan is perfect even when set on Light. Thank you!
This is all so great to hear!! Such an encouragement, thank you! Youre right, vuescan does backwards engineer drivers, I totally should have mentioned that. Im stoked youre enjoying the scanner!
@@cggg490
I recently got my hands on one of those and was looking for some tips and tricks on the matter. Thank you for all the information you're giving us about getting those scanners going! I'd love to know more about budget alternatives for the software side of it, for those still new to it all. What would you recommend to someone in such a scenario?
@@DuncanSteven i like vuescan because its a one time payment, and personally i havent used other softwares, but i think nikon has a free version of nikonscan on their website that you may wanna try!
@@parkermillican oh I'll look that up! I saw some things about the bundled software not doing so great on newer windows versions, so I'll have to test it out. Agree on preference for one time payments 👌🏻 not a fan of subscriptions
@@DuncanSteven same here. I do think vuescan is worth the money, but it doesnt hurt to try the free stuff first
Thanks for this, perfect timing as I'm planning to buy a CS 4000 and wondered about the workflow.
How are you catching the film when it comes out the back?
Thanks!
Right now, im just giving it space and I let it curl up or manually curl it. I plan on getting a 3d printed catcher eventually
@@parkermillican thanks, I plan to do the same!
@@smlelikeyoumeanit3882 as long as you keep an eye on it, youll be fine.
Watch out and make sure the back door is open. I kept it closed on accident for my first scan and it bent my roll on frame 8. Oops!
Hey Parker! I acquired the same coolscan as yours from a friend of mine. I already have NLP. My question is: what cable adapters are you using!? I’m trying to figure out adapters to use on my MacBook Pro M1 so I can test the unit. This video is pretty much exactly what I’m trying to accomplish! Thanks!
@@AntGarcia77 hey thats great!
I have two different adapters - the first is firewire to thunderbolt and then thunderbolt to usb c. Theyre both apple branded adapters and work well!
Great video … very helpful.
Thanks!
Why don’t you use the settings as per NLP manual, and create DNG’s from Vuescan?
@@salobaas i do save it as a Tiff DNG file!For the other settings, i need to review NLPs suggestions again to be fair, because its been years since i got NLP, but Ive found these to be best for the 4000 and my workflow
How do you get a preview of all the frames? When I do a preview it seems to scan all the frames, but I cant see the list of other frames.
@@Fat-totoro-cat the list should be on the right side. Maybe it’s hidden and needs to be pulled up?
Are you using Vuescan or another program?
hiiii, I have a nikon coolscan 4000 and I also scan using vuescan. somehow vuescan will not scan after frame 6, eventhough I have batch scan turned on. have you ever had this problem?
Do you have the back door open on the scanner?
I didnt know there was a backdoor and had the same problem when i first got it.
The little door is black and should just hinge down
yess, I have it open. ☺️ I think I might have the wrong adapter that only does 6 frames? did you modify yours at all? I think I have the sf-21 that only does 6 frames (without modification)…😵💫
@@cine_mara oh yea my adapter is modified to do batch :/ the 21 will only do 6
@@parkermillican
ohhh okay, that checks out. i’m thinking about doing the stockholmviews’ one.
that one seems less complicated than soldering pins 16&17 together. do you remember what modification you did?
i felt like i was going insane haha 😭 i have about 20 scans of the first 6 frames because I kept trying to scan them.
@@cine_mara I bought mine already modified, and I think someone has soldered together pins. I would definitely recommend it. It has been a game changer for workflow.
Hey I just bought a coolscan 4000 and downloaded vuescan however vuescan is not recognizing the scanner. I'm on an m1 backbook pro using a Apple Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter, PASOW FireWire 800 to 400 9 to 6 pin Cable, and Apple Thunderbolt to FireWire Adapter. Should vuescan automatically pick up the scanner with this configuration or am I missing something critical?
I should also add that I am using vuescan x64. Any advice is appreciated and thank you for putting together this series!
try turning the scanner on then opening vuescan. that sometimes helps. Ive done the inverse and sometimes it wont register. You can also manually select the scanner in vuescan using the 'source' option.
Let me know if either of those help!
@@parkermillican Hey appreciate the quick response! Ive tried turning the scanner on prior to opening vuescan and no luck. When I click on "source" on the "input" tab on vuescan, the only visible drop down is "file". Are you aware of any other potential solutions?
hmmm that is odd. the other thing I would think is that it has something to do with the 800 to 400 cable. Have you tested those before to make sure they work?
Great content, thank you so much.
Thanks for watching! I hope it was helpful :)
I'm curious about how long it takes to scan each frame.
@@myronachtman4304 depends on the type of coolscan, but about 45 seconds per frame. I have a chart of times in my other video
Thanks, this is exactly what I was looking for! What adapter(s) are you using to connect the scanner to your computer. From what I've seen the Coolscan 4000 is a firewire 400 and for a modern macbook you'd need to convert Firewire 400 -> Firewire 800 -> Thunderbolt 2 -> Thunderbolt 3 (or something similar). Is that what you're doing?
thanks for the kind words! yes i do something really similar. I have 2 apple brand adapters. Firewire 400 -> thunderbolt 2 -> usb c. Not 100% sure on the versions but i think thats correct
Alright, thanks! I should be getting my 4000 in the mail soon. I have an old laptop with a firewire port, but would rather get it working on a new computer if possible.
@@zachariahclay3105 nice!! Vuescan has made that easy on new computers. good luck!