> I'm gonna change my scanner real soon. I would like to see a
> big improvement but I don't want to spend much on it, which
> one should I consider ? I've heard good comments on Minolta
> Elite 5400 II, does it really better than Dual IV...
I had it narrowed down to their the 5400-II or the Nikon
Coolscan V. I got the Nikon because:
1. I already had a Nikon and was comfortable with the build
quality--no issues with broken film holders.
2. The price was the same.
3. Konica-Minolta's bailing on the photo industry.
4. Availability at the time of a brand new non-refurb unit from
B&H.
I'm quite satisfied with it. The colors are decent, although the
default settings may tend to dull things a bit. "Velvia Green"
goes slightly flat, but at least the gradients are there. One
word I wouldn't apply to the Coolscan V is "finicky". I can slap
just about anything in there and even with the Nikon software it
will give you a decent scan without breaking a sweat. (designed
for a photolab monkey to do). The specifications are the same
as the 4000, but I believe Nikon fixed some intelligence issues
along the way. As to bit-depth, well, except for one
horrendously shadowed slide, I'm not seeing any quantifiable
gain in scanning higher than 8-bit. Unless, of course, there is
going to be heavy manipulation afterwards. But the scanner
software is full-featured enough that you can usually nail the
colors and tonal depth without having to photoshop the picture
afterwards.
Vuescan supports the Coolscan V, but I haven't encountered a
situation yet where I've needed it. The Nikon software is
FINALLY that good.
However, Vuescan does break out the IR channel for you and
allows the "dust/scratch" removal to be done in-computer instead
of in-scanner. Vuescan is a little faster and allows
overscanning, but the colors need to be profiled.
To make a long story even longer... You can't go wrong with
the Nikon. I also considered the Canon FS-4000whatever, but
didn't care for the film handling workflow. That's a personal
thing, though, and one still may be in my future as I have a
pile of MF and LF trannies and negs to digitize.
AG
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