Digital BW, The Print

> I've done lots of homework in recent weeks researching what is the
> best scanner for b&w negs as well as  chrome and color neg., with the
> emphasis on B&W.  I would appreciate some feedback from those who
> have direct experience with Nikon IV ED/4000 , Minolta dual elite II,
> Canon 4000 and Microtek 4000tx,& also the Epson 3200, or equivalent
> scanner.

Hi Mike,

It depends on what you mean by "best".  I believe the Leafscan is the best
scanner, as far as image quality, for B&W because it scans B&W using a
single ND filter, instead of three color filters and then simply converting
the RGB to a single channel using some canned mix.

As to the scanners you mention, people can get vastly different results
simply by scanning B&W as RGB, and doing the conversion in PhotoShop, or if
the scanner driver has the option of specifying your own mix.  "Better" may
have a lot more to do with the workflow than the scanner in the case of the
scanners that scan B&W as RGB.  So, in your quest, you may want to ask what
the workflow is when people give their opinion, as well as ask which one
gives better scans right out of the box, as you may not want to do the PS
tweaking.

Regards,

Austin