First Scanner

I've read a jillion posts about scanners here in trying to decide between film

and flatbed scanner as my first. I don't see much comment about how convenient

and effective the film/negative holders are between the two types. My scanning

needs will be 35mm slides/negs only. I will not do my own printing and will

not branch into medium format. My biggest projected use will be to digitize

film images to share with friends through email or online storage services.

I'm interested in scans to fill a normal monitor with a reasonable image.

Still working on how to store and make available digi-images. Budget not much

of a problem but convenience of use is. Which does the better job of

film/slide holders, film scanners or newest generation flatbeds?

 

Thanks

 

Don Boyd

If you'll only be scanning film, why bother with a flatbed? I own a Nikon 4000 and two Nikon 5000s. They are very fast and I've had no repairs needed. The Nikons also accept the optional batch slide feeders.

I consider this an excellent question, I have it too. I hope you get answers.

If you are only going to scan 35mm slide/neg, go with a dedicated scanner. For 35mm, my Epson 4990 (flatbed) is neither cheaper nor convenient than my dedicated Minolta Scn Dual II, and has worse image quality. Good luck.

 

David Lee

I recently purchased a Konica Minolta Dimage Scan Dual IV brand new for $199.0 plus shipping of 20.00. About 2 months ago.

 

I have scanned 35mm negatives/slides with excellent results at 3200ppi.

The included software works very easy. I also have a software program

called VueScan that works extremely good with this scanner abiet somewhat more elobrate to use. My slides are Kodachromes from 30-40 years ago, they come out great. I looked at the higher end units, but I do not plan on printing anything greater than a 8x10-11x14, some scanner provide digital ICE to remove dust scratches ect. but they do not work from what I have read with Kodachromes.

 

Look at the Konica Minolta Dimage Scan Dual IV as an option.

 

Each unit you look at will have pro/cons..Price vs Performance vs your needs. My goal was to digitize my slides from over the years, it will be a long process but hopefully they will be archived.

 

Bob

>>My scanning needs will be 35mm slides/negs only<<

 

Then, buy the best 35mm scanner you can afford.

Robert, where did you find the Konica Minolta Dimage Dual Scan IV for $199.00 plus shipping?

~ My biggest projected use will be to digitize film images to share with friends through email or online storage services ~

 

I've got the Nikon 5000 ED and it works well. But if you are sure all you wish to do is scan images for sharing on the web, consider also the Epson V750, which allows for much more convenient batch scanning of up to a dozen images. There will be a quality trade-off compared with the Nikon, but for the purpose you specify, I'm not sure it's significant.

 

Perhaps one of the scanning gurus will weigh in.

 

One of the most frustrating questions in deciding what scanner to buy is whether the advantages of a particular model will make a difference for our particular envisioned use.

35mm Only? It's no contest. Get a dedicated film scanner. I have had my Nikon Coolscan V for about a year now and could not be happier. Easy to use and far better than flatbeds.

I would recommend a dedicated film scanner--you will see a major difference in quality on screen as well as in print. Since you will not be printing very large, look for a Minolta Scan Elite--they are discontinued but you can find new stock on ebay at great prices. It has Digital Ice for auto dust and grain removal--an essential if you plan to scan negatives. The Scan Elite will scan 2800 dp and I've seen it selling at around $300. To get equivalent power in a Nikon scanner you will be paying $250 more.