Probably the "best" under $2000 scanner for medium-format and 35mm film is the Nikon 9000ED, but you really need the accessory glass film carrier. It may, or may not still be available. A couple of years ago I had to wait about 6 months to get one.
Probably the "best" under $2000 scanner for medium-format and 35mm film is the Nikon 9000ED, but you really need the accessory glass film carrier. It may, or may not still be available. A couple of years ago I had to wait about 6 months to get one.
Yes, unfortunately the glass carrier is mandatory - the glassless plastic frame ones that come with the 9000 are adequate for 35mm but utterly dysfunctional for 120.
B&H happens to have both flavors of the glass carrier in stock at the moment.
What is the largest image size that the Nikon 9000 can accommodate? My understanding is that 6x9 cm is the max. If I want to scan 6x12 cm, then I'll need something else. Correct me if I'm wrong, please.
Fluid mounting is also an option. KAMI makes a holder kit for the Nikon 8000 / 9000, sold through Aztek, and thee is also the Image Mechanics Fluid Mount Tray. Both around $600. I understand that Scan Science may also offer a fluid mount kit for less but don't have the details.
Sandy King
Oren, sorry to see you used the word mandatory.
I've seen some comments regarding film flatness issues with 120 film but thought I would wait until I tried the holder included with the scanner first. Having no experience with fluid mounting I will probably opt for the glass holder but I don't look forward to the price tag. One would think that a scanner designed for 120 film would be usable for 120 film without having to buy accessories!
Just checked out B&H for the 120 glass film holder. I wasn't aware there are two, one is called a rotating film holder. Can anyone explain the difference?
The rotating holder allows you to shift (rotate) the negative thru a few degrees to correct for tilted horizons in the original negative...thus you don't have to use "rotate" in Photoshop.
I don't really like using my 750 for anything less than 6x17. Anything smaller just doesn't seem to be that great. Just my personal opinion though...
Yes, one would think a $2000+ device should be usable for its intended purpose right out of the box. But it's not. It's hard to imagine how Nikon let this holder design out the door - it's rare for them to sell such an out-and-out lemon. Fortunately, the scanner itself is much better engineered.
I ended up with the rotating holder simply because at the time I bought my 9000 I was able to get one immediately, while the plain glass holder was out of stock. Apart from whatever's going on in the picture, it also makes it easier to correct for minor misalignments of the film in the holder. FWIW, so far I've not used the rotation feature.
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