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With no prospect of a full frame Nikon DSLR on the horizon, i have decided to go back to film for some of my imagery. Not wanting to spend tons of money on a darkroom, PP on a PC is a better option but i need a scanner good enough to get me excellent results. (I will also be scanning old negatives as well)

I have been looking around for a dedicated film/transparency scanner and have come down to the two following models

1. Epson Perfection 4990 Photo Scanner
2. Minolta 5400 II ELITE Film Scanner

I know from this thread
http://www.dslrusers.net/viewtopic.php?t=4352
that some members have both the two models above.

At this stage i am leaning towards the Epson model, however the Minolta has better dynamic range at 4.8 compared to 4.0, but is this going to be noticeable? It also has a better resolution, 5400dpi compared with the Epson's 4800. Reviews have noted that the Epson software is better than the Minolta.

The Espon Perfection 4990 Photo Scanner
http://www.epson.com.au/products/scanne ... 0photo.asp

The Minolta 5400 II ELITE Film Scanner
http://www.konicaminolta.com.au/product ... 179&sid=43

Before i take the plunge, has anyone got any advice on either of the two models, that may sway me one way or the other.

I have seen some wonderful results with the 4990, and their ICE software seems to work wonders with dust and other imperfections..
I haven't seen scans with the Minolta, but they also come highly recommended and you seem to be getting more for your money(?)

Have you checked out the Nikon Coolscan series? Pricey, but the duck's nuts in terms of dedicated pro-sumer film scanners. Then again, I suppose it all depends on what resolution/how big you want to print. I think I would lean towards the Epson (I'm a Mac user ), but if money was no object I'd definately look at the Coolscan.

i have the epson 4990 photo. (bought it when it had the free R310 promo)
I liked the idea of using it to scan in existing photos for which I didnt have negatives for, and I use it for OCR at work for colleagues.

My main reason for buying it was cutting costs of my photography (only working with film atm, and scanning costs were extortionate and not very good)

I bought it for a wedding I shot, around 15 rolls on film. I reckon it'd have paid for itself soon enough. (that and ordering film in bulk from BH)
I was very happy with the way it scanned them in! - from 160 - 1600 ISO films.

I can send you an example of a scan if you like.

funny, im going to be going the other way - hopefully getting a DSLR. I will keep the 4990 for my F100 where I want longevity and large filesizes for originals.

if i lived closer id loan it to you,
pity i was just in Ryde today.

Jonathan

jdear wrote:if i lived closer id loan it to you,
pity i was just in Ryde today.

Jonathan

Thanks for the offer, but i would have been unable to find time to use it. In between renovating the house and extended hours at work, i have very little time on my hands for the next few weeks anyway.

Since i wrote the orignal message i have located a few more reviews on both scanners and now i am swayed towards the Minolta, but mostly because it will more likely be still useful in 3-4 years, so long as it still works by that time.

I thought about the Nikon coolscan but I set my budget at $1000. That is enough to get a very good unit that does the job well.

actually I would recommend a dedicated film scanner if your budget is that large. The problem Ive found with my flatbed is that it is a nightmare to keep dust off. I use a blower brush each time I need to scan. Dedicated scanner is more self-contained and not open to dust getting into the scanning area so much.

Although expensive, and Im not sure if the minolta has it, a bulk feeder attachment will certainly help with batch scanning.

I spose the prospect of a free printer, and a reseller price sold me the epson.

look fwd to seeing some scans!

Jonathan

The more i think about it, the more inclined i am towards the Minolta, which is a dedicated film scanner. The higher resolution and better density of 4.8 is most likely the thing that will push me in that direction.

I've got a Canon 9950F flatbed, which when I bought it was their highest end scanner. I've scanned negatives at 2400dpi and printed them at A3 without any problems.

A reasonable site for reviews is:
http://www.photo-i.co.uk/

Just out of interest why has Nikon's lack of a "full frame" digital camera made you go back to film, exactly?

Steve,

You will be much happier with a dedicated film scanner and it will be a time saver for you overall compared to the flatbed.

I have a CoolScan and the diff between quality of scan, time savings, Dynamic range is faily large.

If you want to have a play with it just as a trial let me know.

Paul

Steve,

I've got Epson 4990 and quite happy with it. Actually, you've probably seen scans from my dad's photos from Siberia (35mm film) and my photos from Hasselblad (120 medium format film).

I had a chance to compare it to Nikon and Canon - Canon is about the same but produces more chromatic abberations. Nikon lowest coolscan model (don't remember model number) isn't any better than Epson or Canon and can not scan medium format or large format. Higher models are good but they are in different price range. With some (not really huge) quality advantage their prices are too high for me

An interestingly timely discussion.
I have just been down this path.

Firstly, I looked at your Konica Minolta link, and you list the dImage 5400.
There is a new model - the dImage 5400 II. I cannot find a picture or specs from the Konica Minolta Australian page (the above two links), even the US linkgives a great write up but no pics.
Aha - found it - on the US site -
DiMAGE Scan Elite 5400

DiMAGE Scan Elite 5400 II

A picture from an Australian site and a reasonable price can be seen here, but see below for the best price...

You said

Killakoala wrote:I thought about the Nikon coolscan but I set my budget at $1000. That is enough to get a very good unit that does the job well.

Well they also sell the Nikon CoolScan V for under $1000 here. But if you scroll down a bit, you will see they are recommending the Minolta one.

So having decided on the Minolta DiMAGE 5400 II, I bought it from here for $919, or $940 delivered with insurance. I paid on Friday and should have it within a week.

You will note, however, that this link is showing the picture of the 5400 when the wording shows it is the 5400 11 - so I phoned them, they told me not to take too much notice of the picture and that I will be getting the right one.
That's why I went to the trouble of finding the pics in the links above for you. Evidence of which is which model - 5400 = silver and square front, 5400 II is black front and curved upper and lower front.

Reasons I went for the Minolta -
It won the award,
I could buy it for less $
It was quicker (a bit, but you wait on both for quality)
It was higher resolution, not that I will be using the maximum often.
Comparing the specs, it would appear that the Minolta does right to the edge of negatives better, going by the numbers.
They both do the ICE thing, but the Minolta one has this extra Pixel Polish Image Enhancement... Probably just a shortcut to avoid a bit of PP.
And I like the 4-slide and 6-negative holders that come with the Minolta, not as an extra...

I found the link I was looking for - the best description on the 5400 II here.
Loads of info and specs on this unit, go thru the tabs on the left.

Hope this helps. Good luck! PS I am in the lucky position that a relative is paying for it, but the downside is I have to do a heap of scanning for them. Haven't seen their box(es) of slides yet...
I think it will be worth it for me. At least I will be able to convert all my film.

tasadam
I hope you got a good discount? Konica Minolta have just gone belly up. There should be no effect on your purchase though as warrenties and spare parts, should you require them, will be available for quite a long time. And...it is an excellent scanner.

See http://www.dpreview.com/news/0601/06011 ... ltaout.asp

Thanks for the info Tas. I appreciate your efforts. I too have ordered one before they run out.

Konica-Minolta looks like a great film scanner. Unfortunately it doesn't fit my needs - I'm scanning 120 films

I am in Melbourne at the moment for work. Went to Teds in town this evening and they had one there. I asked the price, they said for $1000 and raved about how good it was. Didn't tell them I just bought one for $940 delivered. Maybe you could haggle if you can find someone close to you that has one...

If you still in the market for a scanner.
I have a Dimage 5400 Elite - Also a Epson 2450 Flatbed.

The 5400 is a bit of hit and miss depending on the film type. Surprisingly Velvia doesn't come out as well as 30 year old Etkachrome 400. Maybe because of the saturation. Also varied results between different companies negatives.

I would buy a 4990 - because it does medium and large format and - from reports and reviews, the negative / transperancy results are almost as good as a dedicated scanner. AIM digital in Box Hill, Melbourne does both of these scanners. Check their prices on the net.

Make sure you get ICE software with the 4990. It comes included with the Minolta. Silverfast is also handy although it costs extra.

I have dumped my F100 and gone back to the FA.

Ivanerrol

I got the Konica-Minolta and prelimenary results are that i am very happy with it. Now i realise how degraded my old negatives are. Quite remarkable. So much for my dustproof box.

Hey way to go! I now have the Konica Minolta Dimage Scan Elite 5400 II as well.
And I cannot see why anyone would want to use maximum resolution to reproduce a 35mm. Just too big a file and too much grain.
I'm happy with digital.
I have only played with it briefly so far, and notice it does its quick scan and shows the whole neg, but then on the full scan it crops the sides.
I'm sure there's something I have overlooked but will work it out when I have time. Which will have to be before my D200 arrives, because then I will have NO time

These scanners are no longer available by the way.
You might get lucky and find a supplier with stock, but as they seem to be the best neg scanner about for 35mm, they seem to have all been snapped up now that they are no longer available.

I had mine on order with ccc camera house for over 2 weeks. No supply, just back ordered.
I went to Melbourne and saw one in Teds.
So I phoned KM and they said the last shipment had been received and then sent out to their dealers, that's it.
So I rang CCC and told them KM said no longer available.
They rang me back an hour or two later and said they would cancel my order (did it while I was on the phone with him) and if I could get one somewhere else, go for it. I checked the internet site and sure enough, the order was in a "cancelled" status.
So I bought the one at Teds.
Then I find CCC have deducted my credit card. I ring them. What a hassle. Finally I find out that the scanner had been received by CCC and they sent it to me. But as the computer wasn't up to date, it let him cancel the order. Very unprofessional.
So I ring my post office and sure enough there is a box waiting for me. I phone CCC again and get them to ring the PO and arrange return shipment and request an immediate fix to my credit card deduction.
They won't credit until they get it back.
That was all a week ago. I phoned them yesterday and they said they got it back and have credited my card but it will take a few days to come through. They also say the one they got back sold straight away.

A lesson to all potential shoppers - if they cancel an order, get it in writing (an email at least) and check your credit card balance BEFORE shopping elsewhere.

They also say the one they got back sold straight away.

I think that was the one they sold to me.  BTW. That shop is a poor excuse for a camera shop. The staff are inattentive and seem annoyed by having customers in their shop distracting them from their own personal banter. If it was then cheapest price for the that scanner and it wasn't so hard to locate, i would have taken my business elsewhere.

Anyway, it's all worked out in the end.

On the cropping issue, there is an automatic cropping adjustment on every scan you do. Simply adjust the crop markers to the size you want and save it as the default from the 'default' tab on the left hand side. It should be the same everytime you use it now. Also you can adjust the default DPI setting this way.

Killakoala wrote:I think that was the one they sold to me.

Then your scanner has been on a holiday to Tasmania
At least you got it at a good price! And it has the memory of a brief but pleasant holiday to my local post office...

It was cold and smelled of cider. Mmmmmmm...cider........