The Minolta Scan Dual II is a relatively old scanner, originally released in September 1999. I bought this unit in 2013 as a backup to my Sony UY-S90 which was capable of automated scanning full rolls of film. Less than a year later I decided to remove the Sony scanner in favour of the Minolta Scan Dual II.
Software:
As with many old scanners the official software is quite poor, producing very slow scans, regularly crashing and will not work on any modern operating system. The resolution to this is Hamrick VueScan which allows you to use this, and many other scanners with modern operating systems. Using VueScan my 15 year old Minolta Scan Dual II works flawlessly with xUbuntu 14.04 AMD64, scan times are even improved along with the final image quality using VueScans built in filters. VueScan also allows you to use many old and new scanners on Linux 32-Bit/64-Bit, Windows 7/8 and MacOSX and in my opinion it is an essential purchase for anybody who regularly uses scanners.
Look and Feel:
As much as I love this scanner, it is obvious that it is from the budget end of the scale. The unit is very light and uses a lot of plastic. The stepping motors are loud along with a scanner door that is stiff (I may have to remove the door to clean and oil it!).
On the other hand the film and slide adapters, although plastic, feel strong enough. I have dropped the 35mm film adapter a number of times, my children have got hold of them in the belief that they are food and our cat likes to sit on them, but needless to say they are still unmarked and work perfectly.
Scan Quality:
I am personally very happy with the quality of scans produced using the Minolta Scan Dual II coupled with Hamrick VueScan. This 15 year old scanner produces fairly sharp scans at 2820dpi giving a final image just below 10 megapixels allowing for true 300dpi prints up to 12×8″.
Scanning a full roll of 36 negatives takes around 45 minutes without preview but including changeover time, so allowing 10 minutes for changing film strips over a 2820dpi scan takes around 1 minute per 35mm negative.
In JPEG format scans are around 3MB per image, or around 25MB in TIFF format.
Full size JPEG scan (Minolta Scan Dual II with Hamrick VueScan)
Verdict:
For an ageing scanner that can now be purchased at a reasonable price (around £75 including shipping on ebay), you will not be disappointed with the results produced if you use the correct software (VueScan currently charged at $39.95 for the standard edition, or $79.95 for the professional edition).
In short I will not be replacing my Minolta Scan Dual II unless I win the lottery or it breaks.
January 9, 2018 at 3:00 am
i AN RETIRED AND IN THE BUSINESS OF FAMILY PHOTO ALBUM TO DIGITAL SLIDE SHOW BUSINESS. iN SHORT, i OWN 3 FLATBED SCANNERS AND THIS MINOLTA DIAMAGE 35 MM SLIDE SCANNER. i HAVE PRETTY WELL GONE INTO AND THRU MY FATHER-IN-LAW’S PICTURES AND WANTED TO DO HIS SLIDES TO DIGITIZE THEM FOR ARCHIVE PURPOSES. iF SUCCESSFUL, i CONSIDER GOING INTO A FULL ALBUM DIGITALIZTION BUSINESS ??
WHAT I WOULD LLIKE TO DO IS ACTUALLY MAKE SOME USE OUT OF THIS SLIDE SCANNER BUT i BELIEVE I HAVE LOST ALL THE DIRECTIONS AND MANUALS, IF THERE EVER WERE SOME TO LOSE. i HAVE THE SLIDE TO DIGITAL CONVERTER BUT DON’T HAVE ANY IDEA HOW TO MAKE IT WORK. wHEN i FIRST BOUGHT IT IT CAN WITH (2) 4-(35 MM) SLIDE HOLDERS. iT HAS BEEN A LONG TIME AGO THAT i GOT ANY MOOVEMENT FOR THE SCANNER AND WISH i COULD FIND SOME OPERATIONG INSTRUCTIONS.
April 19, 2020 at 10:20 am
I sincerely apologise for the delay in my reply. For some reason your comment was marked as spam automatically, but it is clearly not.
Although you have likely found the instruction manual by now I will add a link to it in case others require it too.
Instruction manual
November 17, 2018 at 9:58 pm
Hi
I agree with you, this scanner works fine.
I need to copy APS films and it requires the adaptor AD-10 or AD-100.
Do you know were I can purchase one?
Thank You
November 18, 2018 at 12:19 am
Hello,
The APS scanners are fairly rare, they do come up on ebay from time to time. Your best bet would be to set up an ebay search notification so that when one is listed you get an email with the details.
Although I’ve thought about buying one in the past I never did as I used to work in a photo lab so would borrow their equipment when I needed to scan an APS cartridge.
Hope this helps
Jim
April 19, 2020 at 10:01 am
Still using a Dual scan ii in 2020 however the door needed repair, the position of it is detected by a springy part of the door plastic moulding and it broke. As parts are not available I bonded the broken bit back reinforced by some very very thin springy shim stainless steel, just epoxy didn’t work as when it tried to bend it simply broke again.
Probably worth taking the door to bits and using a tiny bit of silicon grease where it slides before it breaks. Mine started being just stiff and then it broke.
Using it today to scan my APS cassettes from 2001.
April 19, 2020 at 10:10 am
I too am still using this scanner, as far as I am concerned the quality of scans hold up quite well today (unless of course you want to spend a considerable amount on a film scanner).
I will be taking your advice on lubricating the door rails as the door on mine has been stiff for quite a while now. I’d be devistated if the scanner broke.
The APS adapter is a rarety for these scanners, I occasionally look out for one, not because I have APS cartridges to scan, but to complete the Scan Dual II kit.