on 9/11/04 6:43 AM, Arthur Entlich at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > I can only answer half your question, but I have some idea of the > changes that Minolta made between the two. > > In it's time, the Minolta SD2 was considered good value, however, it was > not without its flaws. They had a problem with quality control which > led to what I coined "lazy sensors" which meant streaks or several one > pixel lines would show up on scans, these lines showing up in different > places on different colors (RGB). I was never able to determine if the > problem with software calibration of the sensors in question, dirt on > the sensor, defective sensors, or what. The other problems were a > somewhat noisy blue sensor, and a light source which tended to emphasize > dust and grain. > > By SD3 improvements were made in most of these areas. The A/D converter > provided was bumped up, the software was improved upon, calibration was > better, the lazy sensor problem seemed to disappear and they offered a > more diffused lighting option, and some extra tools in software to deal > with dust and grain. In the SD IV, They increased the resolution to > 3200 dpi from 2820 dpi, the A/D converter is now 16 bit, the software > allows for multiple-sample scans, and they lowered the price to > something ridiculous, and they claim to have better optics as well, it > is also now USB 2.0 making it faster. > > The unit is now distributed by Konica-Minolta after Minolta required a > bail out financially. This is probably a good thing. With the current > price of a bit over $250 US, it is probably the best film scanner value > once again, and it is considerably improved from the version 2. > > Art > > > Berry Ives wrote: > >> Okay, does anyone have experience on both the Minolta SD2 and SD4? >> >> If so, please share that with me. I've read the specs already. >> >> Thanks, >> >> Berry >> >> Art,
Thanks very much for that information. And at that price, I can't go wrong. Although I am very tempted by the DSLR alternative, I guess my fear of it is mostly based on the fact that I am very comfortable shooting with my Contax Aria, using manual focus. I love my 60mm macro lens, and use it 95% of the time, as a normal lens as well as for macro shots. I fear the loss of this comfort factor. And, I get the nice 4x6 prints from a high quality local shop, which are easy to take along to share with others. These are great for selecting what to print. Under optimal conditions, I can pull off 12x18", but I'm thinking that the SD-IV will do a better job of that. Still, I find the Olympus E1 quite tempting. Berry ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe by mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED], with 'unsubscribe filmscanners' or 'unsubscribe filmscanners_digest' (as appropriate) in the message title or body