Good picture quality - if you can wait.
Written: Aug 20 '04
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Ease of Use: |
 |
|
|
Pros: Price. Convenient batch scanning. Picture quality.
Cons: Slow startup and scan time.
The Bottom Line: If you want good results do not wish to spend a fortune and is comfortable with a bit of waiting then this is for you.
|
|
|
| aolsson's Full Review: Konica Minolta Dimage Scan Dual IV Film Scanner (3... |
I simply had to replace my old scanner that was not performing well with contrasty slides. I am also very much on a budget. The specs of the Minolta Dual Scan IV seemed to fit the ticket:
- Price under $300
- 3200 dpi
- Gamma 3.6 (4.8 with multipass)
- Option for batch scanning. The unit can scan 6 negatives or 4 mounted slides at a time in batch mode.
The install process requires you to read the manual carefully. The important thing is to install the software and drivers *first* and connect the scanner to the USB port after. Also note that connecting to a USB hub may not work.
I got the software and hardware setup done and the scanner was working perfectly after a few minutes.
One important thing is the proper startup procedure - and some patience. First start your pc. Next turn on the scanner. When the green light stops blinking you can start your application. At least on my PC this takes a while. Several minutes of blinking in fact. This is apparently not a fault so just let it take its sweet time.
Read the manual before loading the 35 mm strips/slides. Only after this I realized that the door of the unit should only be opened a little bit for 35mm. The fully opened door is for APS only.
Patience may also be required for the scanning process itself. Especially with multipass scanning each frame takes a long time to process. Find a crossword puzzle or turn on a video...
The picture quality is on the other hand very much worth the wait. With this machine I can get the maximum quality out of my slides with all the details left in the shadow areas. Color negatives also scan very well. At least the few I have tried so far.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 270
Interface: USB
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
aolsson
|
|
Reviews written: 14
Trusted by: 0 members
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.