Minolta Scan Elite II?

[photophorous]

Anyone have any experience with a Minolta Scan Elite II? I'm considering upgrading my Canon Canoscan 8400F flatbed scanner with a refurbished Scan Elite II. The Minolta has slightly lower resolution (2820 vs 3200 DPI), but I assume since it's a dedicated film scanner that it will significantly outperform the Canon? I'm hoping the Minolta is sharper and will capture more usable detail. I'd mostly be using it for B&W film, and I don't need to print any larger than 8x12.

My main concern is that the most recent review I've found was written in '03. I don't know if the Minolta is too old, or if it will still outperform my Canon flatbed. The Canon does a better job than I expected, but every scan requires lots of sharpening. I think it's fine for web display, but I want to be able to make good quality prints too. I'd like to get a Coolscan V, but the Minolta is $300 less, thus demanding consideration.

Anyone have any experience with these scanners or general advice? I haven't used any scanners other than the Canon, and I've read every review I can find on the Minolta.

Thanks,
Paul

[Medley]

I have no personal experience with it, though I've read some reviews and comments from a digital darkroom forum I frequent. The facts that I've been able to get thus far can be summed up as follows:

It's a good scanner, with very good ICE capabilities when it works, but tends to be quirky. The most frequent complaints were software based, and generally fixed by using a third-party solution.

One user reported that it worked like a champ for 3 weeks, then the computer refused to acknowledge it's existance. Removing and reinstalling the scanner and it's associated software did not fix the problem.

The scanner itself has been discontinued. Searching for support on Google came up with few offers of support, and many complaints.

A search for "Minolta Scan Elite II" on KonicaMinoltas website returned no results.

IMO, with the scanner's quirkiness, discontinued status, and general lack of support, you might be better off paying the extra $300.00.

-Joe U.

[photophorous]

Thanks for the comments, Joe.

It's a little over $200, with a 90 day warranty. I know it will be good at first, but if it breaks after 90 days it probably won't be worth fixing. OTOH, the Nikon would cost almost $600, which means I'll have to wait to save up the money. That's probably the most sensible thing, but considering that I just want to scan B&W film, most of the fancy features these scanners have are not important to me.

Maybe I should look at used Nikon scanners, like the Coolscan IV. They would still be supported by Nikon, I assume.

If I just had space for a dark room, this wouldn't be an issue.

Paul