Home > Consumer Reviews > Nikon LS-30 Coolscan III Film Scanner for PC (PC/PowerMac)

This was a great scanner for it's time. It does a good job of scanning slides (haven't used it much for negative scanning). The Color Management System doesn't do the job I wish it did, often the colors are darker than the slide, so I usually adjust them in Photoshop. The shadows can be dark as well.

Overall, it's a good scanner, especially if you're only doing small-print or web work. Nikon now has newer scanner models with greater o/p and bit depth.

The question to ask yourself is "What am I going to do with the images I scan? Produce small prints or put them on the web?" If so, this scanner is perfect. If you're a semi-pro or pro who wants as much detail as possible, then get a newer model (ie: 4000 ED).....which will most likely be my next purchase. :)

I use the LS-2000 with the bulk slide loader. For the price (used thru ebay), it can't be beat. The scans are very good, to my eye. The software works well. I followed Nikon instructions and updated the firmware in the scanner with no problem. The SCSI connector hooked up with no real issues. However, users must accept that the bulk loader is a sloppy contraption that will jam every 20 or so slides. Get used to it and enjoy that you are not having to hand feed every single slide. The major flaw seems to be a lithium lubricant on the rails that carry the scan head, or the lubricant on the screw drive that powers the moving head. I got the same "lock screw not removed" message but it was often after the scanner had sat for months with no use. It finally quit completely. I took it apart, massaged it a bit, cleaned off the old, solidifying grease, and gently applied some WD-40. It still seems to have a rough spot but it is working once again. Once it dies for good, I will take my old slides to a pro photo shop for scanning to CD.