Which cheap film scanner?

I have an Olympus es-10 that I am tired of. Basically it was good

several years ago but now it sucks compared to whats available.

I am thinking of graduating to a Minolta Dimage dual scan II or

something else similiar and in the same price range etc.

Anyone have any experiences with this scanner or can recommend a good

one? I will be doing mostly slides and black and white for

enlargments up to 11x14.

Thanks!

The Dimage Scan Dual II is not bad. And certainly is better than the old Olympus you have. A few things to consider however:

 

To get an 11x14, you technically need a 4000dpi scanner or you'll have to interpolate the scans from the Dual II since it cannot produce large enough files. This is assuming you'll be printing on an inkjet and will use 300dpi files.

 

The Dual II is an excellent performer, especially considering the cost. Its shadow reading abilities are not the best but are quite acceptable for a scanner in its price range. The new Minolta Dimage Scan Dual III may be able to read deeper in to shadows, however there are no direct side by side comparisons to prove or disprove this.

 

Other good scanners in the price range would be the Canon 2710. You might get by with an Acer/Benq or some other brands but I wouldn't suggest them.

Great scanner. Just does not have ICE dust/scratch removal which can be a pain. And for that reason I upgraded to a Nikon LS-4000. BUt the MDDS II is capable of very good scans. Click on my name under this message and then on my "personal URL" link and you will see some links at the bottom of that page to some MDDS II scans I've done.

If you're going up upgrade to 4000dpi, consider <a href="http://www.rit.edu/~cgs2794/comparison.htm">this</a>.

Interesting comparison, Carl. I reckon the Canon's the one for me, then!

Check out the LS-40 (Nikon CoolScan IV ED) it is more expensive but offers ICE, Roc (Reconstruction of color) and GEM (Grain Equalization Management) I have done 11x14 wit good qualities. It doesn't look pixilated but noise is slightly apparent. Good from 1 foot and back. I do not interpolate I just send it at the highest quality and have it printed at a lower resolution. It's great and well worth the money. I got mine NEW (sealed box with sealed parts) on ebay for much less. It�s a good investment.

I'm not sure "cheap" and "film scanner" are words that go together!

Have you considered the secondhand market? Those in the UK may like to checkout https://secure.ffordes.com/index.htm for a good source. I'm sure there are similar outlets in the USA.