what scanner to buy.

[dalebe]

i'm after a good quality scanner, but do'nt know which one to buy(of course not too expensive) any ideas please?

 

[Bob_McBob]

What kind of scanner?

 

[dalebe]

What kind of scanner?

a high res photo scanner, i have a huge photo archive, and would like to save them digitally to see how they look on my computer screen, i had one but it was just a cheap low resolution scanner, my photos did'nt look good enough to save to disc.

 

[Bob_McBob]

The cheapest film scanner I'd buy is the Konica Minolta Scan Dual IV, which is currently $240 at B&H. You could look for an older model (Scan Dual III and earlier) used, but I'm quite wary of buying used electronics, especially when they have moving mechanical parts.

The Scan Dual IV is an excellent model, and will easily best any flatbed in scan sharpness and dyanamic range. What it doesn't have is extra features like Digital ICE (extremely effective hardware dust and scratch removal for colour film). I wouldn't be as concerned about the resolution difference between it and more expensive models unless you plan to make large prints.

I personally own a Nikon Coolscan V, which I upgraded to from a Scan Dual III. I can't speak for the IV, but my Coolscan is significantly faster at scanning, and it has the extra features like ICE. I recently scanned about 1200 slides, and the extra speed and ICE made an enormous difference.

Without ICE, you'll spend a lot of time spotting your colour scans. If your time is worth money, the price difference may not be as significant for you as it was to me. I originally bought the Scan Dual III because I only planned to use it for black and white scanning, for which ICE doesn't work. The Coolscan V is currently $570 at B&H.

There are many other options available new or used, so your selection really comes down to how much you're willing to spend.

 

[dalebe]

thanks for that bob, i'm going to keep a lookout for one of those minolta duel IV scanners this coming weekend, as for price range, i was thinking in the region of about 150 to £200, i think that's about $350, or there about,