This helps make up for the slow USB 1.1 interface, as you can press the Scan button and go do something else while you wait. The Scan Dual II supports batch scanning - it can scan an entire negative, or four mounted slides, in one go. I leave VueScan’s sharpening setting off, and use Unsharp Mask as my last step in Photoshop for fine sharpening control.VueScan never perfectly frames the images I always have to tweak the framing after previewing but before scanning.To gain a little speed, I preview at 1,410 DPI but scan at the full 2,820 DPI.VueScan offers a few film profiles, but I found that Generic Color Negative looks best - and I scan black-and-white films primarily.That slippage leads to blurry multi-pass scans. My negative holders allow for a little slippage of the negative, probably from wear over the years. It took me considerable trial and error to set up VueScan to yield scans that pleased me. They come apart so you can lay in your negative or slides, and snap back together for scanning. When new, an extra-cost APS holder was available. The Scan Dual II comes with holders for 35mm negatives and slides. It makes the Scan Dual II, and virtually any other old scanner, plug and play on any modern computer. All is not lost: buy VueScan by Hamrick Software. The Scan Dual II came with scanning software, but it won’t run on the latest versions of Windows and MacOS. KEH had refurbished mine, and offered a 180-day warranty. That’s enough for an 8×10-inch print.īuying any old scanner used is risky because they can be used up and worn out. (See this article, which demystifies DPI in scanning.) 2,820 DPI is good for a scan of about 3800×2600 pixels, just under 10 megapixels. And it scans at a maximum of 2,820 DPI, whereas modern dedicated 35mm scanners claim 7,200 DPI. It also lacks automatic dust and scratch removal, but do as I did: buy a squeeze-bulb air blaster and an anti-static brush to clean your negatives. You have to choose patience when scanning with the Scan Dual II, as it connects to the computer using old, slow USB 1.1. The state of the scanner art has improved slightly since then, but the Scan Dual II is still plenty useful. A reader not only suggested that I try a dedicated 35mm scanner, but also linked me to a used one at a good price at KEH.

It did passable work with medium-format negatives, but 35mm negatives always turned out muddy with poor shadow detail. I first tried my existing flatbed scanner. When I learned how to develop black-and-white film, I needed a way to make digital images of the negatives so I could share them with you on this site.

Vuescan review