Frank Petronio
Well-known
Given they go for about the same price, how comparable are they? Real world experience please, I can read the manufacturer's BS specs just fine!
V
varjag
Guest
From what I had scanned on both, they are very much on par. Plustek, however, has the benefit of still being supported by manufacturer, e.g. 64-bit drivers for Windows7.
mdruziak
Established
I'm the marketing guy for Plustek, but...
I'm the marketing guy for Plustek, but...
Ok true story... Yeah I am the marketing guy for Plustek, but I purchased (and still own) a Minolta ScanDual IV before I started working for Plustek.
I have not compared images side by side I was always happy with the images I got out of the Minolta using the program that came with the scanner with the exception of dust and scratch removal. Most of the images that I scanned with the Minolta were only for on-line viewing so take that into consideration.
One thing that might seem nice about the Minolta is the autofeed. I understand that the autofeed mechanism is a common failure point on these scanners. I was aware of this before I purchased the Minolta. If the autofeed dies, you may be out of business. I believe that we have manual feed instead of autofeed to increase the long term reliability of the scanner.
I find that it is easier for me to get better images with SilverFast and the Plustek OpticFilm scanners than the Minolta. I always had a problem with color shifts when I used Silverfast with the Minolta.
Image quality with the the OpticFilm scanners is pretty well documented on the internet so you don't have to believe my BS! What it comes down to is how you are going to use your images and what kind of risk you want to take buying unsupported used equipment. If you are only scanning for web use, either scanner will work fine.
Sales Pitch --> There are some pretty nice deals going on right now for the OpticFilm scanners. These won't last forever.
All this said, I have the choice of using a the Scan Dual and a Plustek 7600i Ai. I haven't used the Scan Dual in quite some time if that means anything.
PM me if you have any other questions.
Mark
I'm the marketing guy for Plustek, but...
Ok true story... Yeah I am the marketing guy for Plustek, but I purchased (and still own) a Minolta ScanDual IV before I started working for Plustek.
I have not compared images side by side I was always happy with the images I got out of the Minolta using the program that came with the scanner with the exception of dust and scratch removal. Most of the images that I scanned with the Minolta were only for on-line viewing so take that into consideration.
One thing that might seem nice about the Minolta is the autofeed. I understand that the autofeed mechanism is a common failure point on these scanners. I was aware of this before I purchased the Minolta. If the autofeed dies, you may be out of business. I believe that we have manual feed instead of autofeed to increase the long term reliability of the scanner.
I find that it is easier for me to get better images with SilverFast and the Plustek OpticFilm scanners than the Minolta. I always had a problem with color shifts when I used Silverfast with the Minolta.
Image quality with the the OpticFilm scanners is pretty well documented on the internet so you don't have to believe my BS! What it comes down to is how you are going to use your images and what kind of risk you want to take buying unsupported used equipment. If you are only scanning for web use, either scanner will work fine.
Sales Pitch --> There are some pretty nice deals going on right now for the OpticFilm scanners. These won't last forever.
All this said, I have the choice of using a the Scan Dual and a Plustek 7600i Ai. I haven't used the Scan Dual in quite some time if that means anything.
PM me if you have any other questions.
Mark
mdruziak
Established
I just noticed that you are looking at the 7200i. Just so you know that scanner has been discontinued. The most comparable current scanner is the 7600i SE. "i" for IR Dust and Scratch removal "SE" for SilverFast SE. Our lower cost 7400 is the same scanner as the 7600i but it doesn't have IR dust and scratch removal.
Also noticed you are in Roch. Me too!
daninjc
Well-known
I have some mixed experience with the Minolta dual IV. The auto-feed is a very nice feature. The images I used to get are good. Except that lately it developed a banding problem that makes some of the images unprintable. It shows up in uniform parts of the images, for example the sky. Very hard to correct in post-processing as well. I have noticed this problem in some scans i did a couple months ago, but I haven't scanned anything afterwards - so I'm not sure to what extent it's a pervasive problem.
That, and the fact that the scan was borrowed, is why I'm considering moving to a plustek 7400 (I only shoot B&W).
That, and the fact that the scan was borrowed, is why I'm considering moving to a plustek 7400 (I only shoot B&W).