Digital BW, The Print

My old HP film scanner finally died so I am in the market for a new
one. The Nikon Coolscan V and the Minolta Scan Elite 5400 appear to be
the highest rated in the lower price level. I scan 35mm color slides
and XP2 negatives and print mainly black and white prints. Do people
have recommendations for a good scanner and is it worthwhile to add
the Silverfast software? I scan medium format negatives with my Epson
3200 using Silverfast and like it but probably don't scratch the
surface of its capabilities. Thanks for any help.
Chuck

My opinion only--based on my experience.

I have found Nikon software to be cumbersome.  I bought one of the earlier
Coolscans and had nothing but terrible responses from their tech support.

I eventually switched to Minolta and never looked back.

For software, whatever you choose, I recommend Vuescan at www.hamrick.com.
Inexpensive, very customizable, Ed is rsponsive and constantly updates.

Seth

==-----Original Message-----
==From: Charles Wilber [mailto:cwilber@...] 
==
==
==My old HP film scanner finally died so I am in the market for 
==a new one. The Nikon Coolscan V and the Minolta Scan Elite 
==5400 appear to be the highest rated in the lower price level. 
==I scan 35mm color slides and XP2 negatives and print mainly 
==black and white prints. Do people have recommendations for a 
==good scanner and is it worthwhile to add the Silverfast 
==software? I scan medium format negatives with my Epson 3200 
==using Silverfast and like it but probably don't scratch the 
==surface of its capabilities. Thanks for any help.
==Chuck
==

Just to add another opinion based only on my own experience-- I use a 
Nikon Coolscan 8000 (since i do MF work).  I believe the software is 
similar if not identical for the 35mm Nikon scanners.

I initially found the Nikon Scan software interface annoying, but 
updates from version 3.X to 4.X (free from Nikon) have improved it a 
bit.  The actual capabilities of the Nikon software are rather good, 
(exposure, gamma, density, curves, color correction, highlight and 
shadow management, etc.) especially if you don't use Photoshop which 
does pretty much all the same things with a more convenient user 
interface.

I tried Vuescan (versions 6.X), and find it more cumbersome and 
slower than the Nikon software, although also capable of very good 
results, and an incomparable bargain, well supported by it's author.  
I don't use it anymore, and went back to the Nikon software.  It may 
have improved since I tried it.  

I have not tried to use Nikon human tech support. 

ted

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Seth" 
<seth@m...> wrote:
>  My opinion only--based on my experience.
> 
> I have found Nikon software to be cumbersome.  I bought one of the 
earlier Coolscans and had nothing but terrible responses from their 
tech support.
> 
> I eventually switched to Minolta and never looked back.
> 
> For software, whatever you choose, I recommend Vuescan at 
www.hamrick.com.
> Inexpensive, very customizable, Ed is rsponsive and constantly 
updates.