Test and Review of a Nikon Coolscan LS-4000 ED Film Scanner Lens

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  Nikon Coolscan LS-4000 ED Film Scanner Lens

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  Nikon Coolscan LS-4000 ED Film Scanner Lens

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  Nikon Coolscan LS-4000 ED Film Scanner Lens

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  Nikon Coolscan LS-4000 ED Film Scanner Lens

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  Nikon Coolscan LS-4000 ED Film Scanner Lens

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  Nikon Coolscan LS-4000 ED Film Scanner Lens

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  Nikon Coolscan LS-4000 ED Film Scanner Lens

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We're back to the line of film scanner lenses, this time with a Nikon Coolscan LS-4000 Film Scanner. Size-wise, this one's bigger than the Minolta DiMage 5400 and 2820-U scanner lenses that we tested before, and as you can see, it's almost exactly the size of a 35mm film roll. This one, too, was the life of the party in the early 2000s until it was discontinued in late 2003. Without further comments, let's move over to the photo samples we took with this lens mounted on a Nikon Z7.

Color Shots and Bokeh

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  Nikon Coolscan LS-4000 ED Film Scanner Lens Sample Photo

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  Nikon Coolscan LS-4000 ED Film Scanner Lens Sample Shot

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  Nikon Coolscan LS-4000 ED Film Scanner Lens Swirly Bokeh Effect

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  Nikon Coolscan LS-4000 ED Film Scanner Lens Color Shot Sample

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  Nikon Coolscan LS-4000 ED Film Scanner Lens Swirly Bubble Bokeh

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  Nikon Coolscan LS-4000 ED Film Scanner Lens Sample Shot

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  Nikon Coolscan LS-4000 ED Film Scanner Lens Bubble Bokeh in a Sample Photo

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  Nikon Coolscan LS-4000 ED Film Scanner Lens Sample Color Shot

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  Nikon Coolscan LS-4000 ED Film Scanner Lens Sample Color Photo

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  Nikon Coolscan LS-4000 ED Film Scanner Lens Photo Bokeh Quality

The shots we took show a great character of swirly and bubbly (or bubble) bokeh in the photos. Also, shots have a beautiful sharpness in the center, where you can use as a sweet spot for portraiture. The image, however, doesn't cover the whole area of a full-frame digital sensor, so, vignetting is eye-catching. I decided to crop a vertical shot to show you what a frame with lower vignetting and great bokeh looks like. Look at the photo below.

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  Nikon Coolscan LS-4000 ED Film Scanner Lens Bokeh in a Cropped Shot

The bubbles are generally soft, with a bit of sharpness on their borders.

Black-and-White-Shots

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  Nikon Coolscan LS-4000 ED Film Scanner Lens Black-and-White Photo Sample

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  Nikon Coolscan LS-4000 ED Film Scanner Lens B&W Sample Shot

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  Nikon Coolscan LS-4000 ED Film Scanner Lens B&W Sample Image

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  Nikon Coolscan LS-4000 ED Film Scanner Lens in B&W Photography

B&W photography with this lens on a Nikon Z7 has a shocking contrast, and vignetting only adds to the character of the shots.

Flare

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  Nikon Coolscan LS-4000 ED Film Scanner Lens Flare Effect

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  Nikon Coolscan LS-4000 ED Film Scanner Lens Flare in a Sample Shot

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  Nikon Coolscan LS-4000 ED Film Scanner Lens Flare in a B&W Shot

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  Nikon Coolscan LS-4000 ED Film Scanner Lens Sample Flare Shot

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  Nikon Coolscan LS-4000 ED Film Scanner Lens Flare in a Sample Photo

The elements of this lens is flawless in any respect, so there's no dust or scratches that flare can magnify. As a result, we see much better flare shots than we do from a 1920s projector lens. My favorite flare shot is the 4th frame above where a purple and green reflection can be seen behind the green leaf in focus.