Hi, this is my first post so i may as well start with a question! I have the Epson 3490 for scanning b&w film, either XP2 Super or Tri X. i use it at 3200dpi and after tweaking and sharpening print out on a HP7960 using the grey inkset on Permajet Ultra Matt paper, images at 9"x6" on an A4 sheet. The results aren't bad at all, but I have a yen for improved sharpness and the ability to have larger prints made from scans of the films. Will the Dimage Scan Elite 2 offer any advantages? I can't afford a Nikon Coolscan so no point mentioning it! I have a budget of about £150, £200 tops. BTW, I shoot on a Nikon F3 with mainly a Nikon 28mm lens so initial quality shouldn't be too much of a problem.

Thanks in advance, Lol

A dedicated film scanner will always produce better results when compared to flat-bed scanners.

Minolta via Sony does not appear to be supporting the newer operating systems since they have discontinued their camera/scanner business.
I recently upgraded to Vista and after contacting Sony support was told that drivers for my scan elite 5400 would not be available. I bought the pro version of Vuescan which is working fine tho.
Be prepared to buy third party software to run your Minolta on anything newer than XP Pro on Wintel beasts, can't speak to Apple OS

Hi, thanks for replying. Yeah I've decided to go for the Minolta. i read a comparative review of it against a Epson 4990 (on 35mm only, obviously) and it stamped all over the Epson. So, seeing as the 4990 is better than my 3490, it makes sense the Minolta will be better than my 3490 WRT software, I run XP pro but use Vuescan anyway so it's no biggie.

Thanks, Lol

If you can get a Minolta Dimage 5400 Scan Elite 2 for £200, buy it. I suspect that if you can find one, the price is currently running at least twice that ($700-$1200 in the US). And yes, it's worth it -- better IQ than the Nikon's (I have both) and much better than any Epson flatbed.