filmscanners: NikSharpener Pro

["Tom Scales" <tscales@attglobal.net>]

Just thought I'd throw in my two cents on this one.  I just bought a Nikon
LS-4000 to replace my Polaroid Sprintscan 4000.  I made the switch purely to
get the roll film adapter.  In hindsight, since it sounds like the SS4000
Plus might have the adapter that will be backwards compatible, I guess I
should have waited.

Water under the bridge, as I am happy with the LS-4000.

Anyway, one of my challenges in the world of a 'digital darkroom' has always
been unsharp mask. I use it, but not as effectively as I would like.  Bottom
line, I just don't understand it well enough, even after reading up on it.

So, after reading a lot about Nik Sharpener Pro, I checked out their
website. The full-blown Pro version is expensive as heck, but there is a
'middle version' that is Pro, but for inkjets and the internet.  Perfect for
me, as my two outputs are web pages and an Espon 1270 printer.  $169.

So I bought it.

I'm scanning madly today as yesterday was the opening day of soccer season
for the kids.

Let me tell you, the combination of the LS-4000 feeder and Nik Sharpener Pro
has cut the time to get the scans on the web down by, I estimate, 75%.  60%
of that was the rollfilm adapter, but a good 15% was Nik Sharpener Pro.
Just invoke the plugin and click OK and, by magic, the sharpening is
perfect.  And I mean perfect.

So, maybe it is pricey, but from my point of view, I just spend two grand on
a scanner, the extra cost of Nik Sharpner Pro is pretty small, especially
for the benefit.  I think it compliments ICE nicely too.

Tom
P.S. and, no, I have no connection to any of these companies.