Repair Scan Dual IV, or buy Coolscan 4 or 4000 instead?

[Rob-F]

I have this Konica/Minolta Scan Dual IV that quit working. I can get it fixed for about $106; or I can put that money towards a used Nikon Coolscan. My Epson flatbed 2450 seems ok for MF, but I need a 35mm scanner. Should I put money into the Scan Dual IV, or would a coolscan be an upgrade? The only thing I have against the Scan Dual, aside from the fact it doesn't work, is that it doesn't quite cover the full width of a slide. It covers maybe 31mm or so of the 34.5mm width of a mounted slide. But perhaps I might see an upgrade in IQ with the Coolscan.

How's the reliability of the Coolscan models? Better than the Konica/Minolta, I hope. It no longer will intialize.

 

[Rob-F]

I'm not getting any responses, so it must not be a clear question. OK. Let's try it this way. Is there a better, higher-quality scanner I could get, perhaps a Nikon (or not) for, I don't know, maybe $500 or under, or would I be just as well off to get the Scan Dual IV repaired? I'd like it to cover more of the slide/negative area than the Scan Dual IV does. The 12 or 13MP file the Scan Dual IV delivers is probably enough; but pixel count is not everything. Maybe another scanner will excel in some other way, like dynamic range, color, or, ???

Opinions?

 

[Mudman]

Witth a Nikon, you'll get digital ICE for your color shots. That's kind of worth it right there not having to sit and clean crap up with a healing tool.

 

[Rob-F]

I sent the Scan Dual IV out for repair. It didn't make sense to throw it away. As for the Coolscan IV, I'm not sure how much of an upgrade it would be. It scans at 2700dpi, while the Scan Dual IV already scans at 3200. I realize that one statistic isn't everything, but if I'm upgrading, I think it should be a more solid upgrade. I'm thinking of the Coolscan 4000 now, if I decide to make a switch. It scans at 4000dpi.

 

[Rob-F]

Well, this is getting to be kind of a one-man thread, but for the record:

I sent my Scan Dual IV to Precision Camera Repair, in Enfield, CT. The good news is, they turned it around fairly promptly. The bad news:

"We apologize, we are returning your equipment unrepaired as the
parts required . . . are not available from the manufacturer or any
other known source. You may want to contact the manufacturer
directly . . ."

Isn't there a law requiring companies to maintain spares for at least 10 years after a product is discontinued?

 

[Beemermark]

I have a number of scanners and really like the Dual IV. For $100 I think you did the right thing. My will scan the whole slide so maybe after it gets fixed yours will be OK. Where did you send it for repair and do they have any film holders? My folm holders were falling apart so I bought the earlier model just to get the film holders.

 

[Bob Michaels]

<snip> Isn't there a law requiring companies to maintain spares for at least 10 years after a product is discontinued?

Not in the US. I do not think this is the case in other countries either but I cannot say positively. This seems to be an urban legend that comes up from time to time.

 

[t.s.k.]

It's my understanding that Nikon can't guarantee parts availability for the CS4000 or earlier.
The 5000ED and 9000ED are still "repairable" with the former reputed to be next on the chopping block in terms of service.