I think you have mixed up two Minolta Scanners. I don't fault you,
since Minolta is great at confusing the issue with their scanner names.
In the current Minolta film scanner line up are three models (that I am
aware of)
1: Minolta Dimage Dual Scan II
This is a 35mm and APS scanner (with optional adapter). It is 2820 dpi,
A/D 12 bit, no IR channel, no dICE, USB interface.
Retail about $400
2: Minolta Dimage Elite II
This is a 35mm and APS scanner (with optional adapter). It is 2820 dpi,
A/D 16 bit, IR channel, dICE cube, USB and firewire interface.
Retail about $725
3: Minolta DImage Multi
This is a 35mm and medium format scanner. It is 4800 dpi in 35mm mode
and 3200 dpi in medium format, A/D 16 bit, has IR channel, dICE cube,
Wide SCSI and firewire
Retail about $3000
SO, the unit you saw for about $400 is not the Elite (unless they are
giving a very good price, and I'd like to know where ;-)) but the Scan
Dual, which is a lesser unit. Not necessarily a bad unit, mind you, if
you get a good one, but not the Elite. The scanner looks almost
identical from external view. The case they put these in seems to be
identical.
Art
patton paul wrote:
> I'm a serious amateur photographer and have been thinking about purchasing
> a Nikon Coolscan IV. Its advantages include 2900 dpi resolution and ICE.
> However, at nearly $800.00, the price makes me hesitant. I recently learned
> that Minolta has marketed a filmscanner called the Dimage Scan Elite II,
> which has specifications that seem very similar to the Coolscan IV, but costs
> only $400.00. Could anyone please comment on the relative quality of these
> two scanners? The DSE II has 2,820 dpi resolution and ICE. Its dynamic
> range is 4.8, which is better than the Coolscan's 3.6. Could someone please
> explain whether this difference is significant? The light source in the
> DSE II is a cold cathode fluorescent tube, whereas that for the Coolscan is
> an LED. What are the relative advantages and disadvantages of these two
> light sources? Are the two machines roughly comparable, as their specs
> seem to suggest, or is the Nikon Coolscan really worth the extra money?
> __________________________________________________________________
> Dr. Paul Patton
> Beckman Institute Rm 3027 405 N. Mathews St.
> University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Urbana, Illinois 61801
> work phone: (217)-265-0795 fax: (217)-244-5180
> home phone: (217)-328-4064
> homepage:
>
> "The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the
> source of all true art and science."
> -Albert Einstein
> __________________________________________________________________
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