Which scanner for B&W negs ?

[mark_punch]

I have been researching lots of old threads on this forum about scanners .....but nothing

seems really up to date, so could I ask the more experienced of you guys out

there....what's the best current/recent scanner for B&W negs ? ....... (up to about $1500)

many thanks , Mark

[benjamin_shapiro2]

FWIW, I'd advise against all but the top-end Nikon. The collimated light source Nikon uses

shows every spec of dust. I hear the Minolta's are better in this regard.

 

Ben

[eugene_scherba]

I have the Minolta 5400 and am pretty happy with it. It is slow, but

I

don't scan a whole lot. Heard the Nikons have harsh light but are

faster. Still, if my budget was $1500, I would go for the Minolta

Multi Pro so that I could scan medium format when needed.

[eugene_scherba]

Scanning Tri-X with my Minolta is a bit of a pain to me. The Minolta

5400 has some kind of a softbox-like glass slide that helps dissolve

grain (you have to select "Grain Dissolver" feature in software to

activate this). This helps reduce grain, but, still, with Tri-X the

grain is just way too nasty. My favorite films to scan are Ilford

XP2 and Kodak TCN400 (discontinued). These chromogenic films scan

beautifully, and you can use Digital ICE on them. T-Max is also much

nicer than Tri-X (if you plan on scanning that is), but you can't

use ICE with it.

[andrew_rose]

I would second (or third) the Minolta 5400. The dust is visible, but if your negs are clean

and you use proper technique for handling they will look quite good. Grain is definitely

visible with Tri-X, but it renders quite well and the prints that I get out of it (using an

Epson 1270) are really nice.

[derek_stanton2]

The successor (update) to the Minolta 5400 was announced today at PMA.

 

5400 Elite II.

 

http://www.pma-show.com/konica_minolta/002_dimage_scan_elite_5400.html

[nagle]

I may be wrong (and hope to be corrected), but I believe that the auto-spot (dust) removal features on some scanners dont work on b&w negs. I live without it, but spotting is easy, and correctable, if a bit boring.

[lutz]

Thanks for posting the link, Derek. BTW, did one of my numerous mails get thru to you, in the end?

[glenn_stauffer1]

I asked a similar question on another forum. I've been using a Minolta Dual IV with mixed results. What was recommended to me was the Epson 4870 - soon to be 4990 in the states. I'm waiting until the 4990 hits the shelves or until I confirm that the only change is to the size of teh scan area and not a change in the light system. If the scanner is basically the same as the 4870 but able to handle larger transparencies, I'll look for the 4870 on sale.

 

--Glenn

[mark_punch]

Thanks everybody for your input...much appreciated , Mark