Nikon Super Coolscan(R) 8000 ED Delivers High Speed, High Volume Digital Image Reproduction with Drum Scanner Quality for Scanning Multiple Film Formats

First-Ever Desktop Film Scanner with Digital ICE3(TM) Technology, 4.2 Dynamic
        Range and 4000 dpi Resolution Maximizes Workflow Productivity

    MELVILLE, N.Y., Jan. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Nikon, the industry leader in
precision optics, digital imaging and scanner technology, today introduced the
Super Coolscan(R) 8000 ED, a revolutionary multi-film format scanner that
offers the highest dynamic range and resolution of any desktop film scanner
available today.  The Super Coolscan 8000 ED is capable of scanning a variety
of film formats, including 35mm, 120/220, 16mm, electron microscope and
prepared microscope slides, at true 4,000 dpi optical resolution with image
quality equal to drum scanners.  Designed for professionals looking to
increase productivity and profitability in graphics applications, the Super
Coolscan 8000 ED produces large volume, high-speed scans in a fraction of the
time of other scanners, saving considerable time and manpower.
    The Nikon Super Coolscan 8000 ED joins the Super Coolscan 4000 ED and the
Coolscan IV ED as the first scanners on the market to offer Digital ICE3(TM)
technology from Applied Science Fiction(TM), a suite of sophisticated digital
enhancement tools for color correcting and enhancing images.  Digital ICE3,
which works within the Nikon Scan(R) 3.0 software, combines three image
correction tools -- Digital ICE(TM), Digital ROC(TM) and Digital GEM(TM) --
that can be turned on or off to correct and enhance images, reconstruct
original color and equalize and manage grain details in film.  With Digital
ICE3, professional photographers, graphics and archival professionals, in
particular, will now be able to restore and catalogue positive and negative
images that may be unusable because of fading, under or overexposure or
scratches on film and negatives.
    "Nikon has once again revolutionized the desktop scanner market with this
ground-breaking introduction -- a truly unique film scanner that offers drum
scanner quality, Nikon's unmatched precision ED glass, LED technology, Nikon
Scan 3.0 software and Digital ICE3 imaging technology in a multiple format
desktop model," said Deborah Sauer, General Manager, Marketing, Consumer
Digital Products for Nikon.  "With the Super Coolscan 8000 ED, sending images
out to be scanned by a drum scanner will become obsolete -- graphic, pre-press
and photography professionals will now be able to control their images from
start to finish with the speed and flexibility never before realized in a
desktop scanner."
    The Super Coolscan 8000 ED has a sophisticated imaging system that
integrates Nikon's renowned ED glass technology into a Scanner Nikkor lens and
proprietary LED technology for accurate color reproduction.  It features an
optical density of 0 to 4.2 and 4000 dpi for a wider dynamic range and higher
resolution than any other desktop film scanner on the market today.  The
usability and features of the Nikon Scan 3.0 software and the scanner's
ability to handle file sizes up to 790MB -- enough to fill up an entire
80-minute CD-ROM -- make it extremely attractive to imaging professionals and
professional photographers.
    For increased workflow process, the Super Coolscan 8000 ED offers "out of
the box" plug-and-play simplicity.  Nikon Scan 3.0 software, which acts as an
interface between the scanner and computer, makes it possible to preview the
image to be scanned, adjust scanner settings and scan the image.  Nikon Scan
3.0 offers unprecedented control with features and qualities that are familiar
to Adobe(R) Photoshop(R) users.

    Flexibility and Versatility
    The Super Coolscan 8000 ED offers the flexibility of thumbnail and batch
scanning of 35mm/35mm panorama and medium format (120/220) negatives and
slides up to 6x9 cm, and 16mm film.  For added versatility, the scanner also
has the optional capability to scan electron microscope and microscope slides.
Users may also select multi-sample scanning at two, four, eight or 16 times.
Images can be scanned through several options, offering greater productivity
and time savings:
    -- 35mm strip film: 1 to 12 frames (2 strips)
    -- 35mm mount film: 1 to 5 frames
    -- 120/220 strip film (6x4.5 size): 1 to 4 frames
    -- 120/220 mount film: 1 to 2 frames
    -- 16mm film: 1 to 60 frames (3 strips)

    Automatic Color Management For Increased Productivity
    Through the Nikon Scan 3.0 software, the Nikon Super Coolscan 8000 ED
permits a variety of options for enhancing and restoring scans of positive and
negative film.  A scene analysis function automatically corrects tone and
color in negatives.  In addition, Nikon's sophisticated Color Management
System ensures colors from the scanner are reproduced accurately on different
output devices such as printers and monitors.
    The Color Management System, which works in tandem with ColorSync(R) on
the Mac OS(TM) platform and ICM 2.0 on the Windows(TM) platform, allows users
to scan and deliver the image directly into Photoshop in any of ten popular
color working spaces.  Using Nikon Scan 3.0, images can be saved as JPEG or
TIFF files.  The software also offers the option of autofocus with manual
override.
    For simple scaling of images to larger file sizes, the Super Coolscan 8000
ED includes a full version of Altamira Genuine Fractals(TM) 2.0 software.
Genuine Fractals also allows compression of files for storage or transmission,
such as e-mail or web posting, without losing the original image quality.

    Unmatched Nikkor Optics and LED Technology
    The scanner takes advantage of Nikon's Scanner Nikkor ED lens technology,
which features extra-low dispersion glass for superior image sharpness and
color correction with minimal chromatic aberration.  A new custom CCD
complements the lens to boost overall image quality.
    In addition, Nikon's proprietary LED technology accurately controls color
and permits the CCD to run at a much lower sensitivity resulting in less noise
and truer scans.  The LEDs, which precisely control the individual color
channels of Red, Green and Blue, enhance the capability of the Digital ICE3
imaging technology to harness the image's true color.

    Digital ICE3 Offers Unprecedented Image Restoration and Correction
    Digital ICE (Image Correction & Enhancement) technology works by reading
the surface defects of color film, and recording them in a separate channel.
A proprietary algorithm is applied to the image, removing all the surface
defects, such as dust and scratches, within the scan and leaving the original
film intact to produce a perfect scan.
    Digital ROC (Reconstruction Of Color) technology, which has been
customized specifically for the Super Coolscan 8000 ED, automatically
reconstructs lost color values in faded or aged positive or negative film
resulting in scans with correct color and exposure.  Digital ROC can also
correct for many under or overexposed images from negative and positive film.
In addition, the software creates a baseline standard or "normalization" of
color from scan to scan, which is especially useful with negative film.
    Digital GEM (Grain Equalization Management), through a complex set of
proprietary algorithms, reads the grain details in the film and extracts all
vital data related to image quality while effectively minimizing the grain
clutter without affecting sharpness.  Images taken with high-speed film will
appear as though they were taken with much lower speed film.
    The Super Coolscan 8000 ED will be available in April 2001, with a
suggested retail price of $2995.  The scanner is packaged with Nikon Scan 3.0
and a full version of Altamira Genuine Fractals 2.0 software; the FH-835S 35mm
Strip Film Holder; FH-835M 35mm Mounted Film Holder; and the FH-869S 120/220
Strip Film Holder.  The Super Coolscan 8000 ED also includes an IEEE 1394 PCI
card for Macintosh and PC platforms, and all necessary cables for desktop
computer operation.
    Optional film holders include FH-869M 120/220 Mounted Film Holder; FH-869G
120/220 Strip Film Holder with Glass; FH-869GR 120/220 Film Rotated Holder
with Glass; FH-816 16mm Film Holder and FH-8G1 Medical Slide Holder.

    Altamira Group, Inc. is the world's leading provider of image scaling and
resolution-on-demand technology.  Altamira's products streamline and enhance
the way companies create, edit, store, and electronically deliver digital
images of any size or resolution on-demand to their customers, resulting in
significant process efficiencies and cost savings.  More information can be
found on Altamira Group's web site at http://www.altamira-group.com.
    Applied Science Fiction develops proprietary technologies for the imaging
industry that link traditional photography with the digital age.  ASF licenses
its branded technologies through Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) that
provide products for the professional and consumer imaging markets.  More
information can be found on ASF's web site at http://www.asf.com.  Digital
ICE, Digital ROC, Digital GEM, ASF and Applied Science Fiction are trademarks
of Applied Science Fiction, Inc.
    Nikon is the world leader in imaging, including film scanning, 35mm SLR
photography, digital cameras, compact cameras and sport optics.  Nikon Inc. is
the U.S. distributor of world-renowned Nikon professional 35mm photography
systems, Nikon digital still cameras, electronic imaging film scanners,
compact automatic Nikon 35mm and Advanced Photo System cameras, the Nikon
speedlight system, interchangeable Nikkor lenses, Nikonos underwater
photographic systems, Nikon Eyewear, Nikon sports and recreational optics.
For more information contact Nikon at 800-NIKON-UX, or visit Nikon at
http://www.nikonusa.com.

SOURCE  Nikon Inc.