The effect of dust on a Coolscan

After not using it for a while, I pulled my Nikon Coolscan LS-2000 out and re-connected it.

I was shocked by the quality of the scans: they were awful. There were halos around bright parts of the image.

I did some research on the web which indicated that the Coolscan LS2000 had a mirror buried deep inside it that reflected light before it hit the sensors. Although the mirror is buried deep inside the device, it can gather dust. Dust leads to unsharp images and halos around bright areas.

I took a deep breath and followed instructions on taking the Coolscan apart. Sure enough, my mirror was covered by a heavy layer of dust. I cleaned it as best I could. (Even when taken apart it was hard to clean it.) When I put it together again, images seemed clearer.

However be warned: There be dangers here. Taking your Coolscan apart may void your warranty. You might manage to successfully clean the mirror but not put the device back together with the accuracy that it needs: so you might fix your dust problem and be left with a dust free scanner that doesn't successfully focus.

Preventative action is best: I live in a reasonable dusty city apartment. With my new Nikon Super Coolscan 5000ED I'm going to take steps to keep it covered when not in use and to reduce general dust in the vicinity.

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