Film scanner for $200 or under?

[xypex982]

I hate to ask this because I know it has been asked MANY times, but I have been scouring the internet looking all around at film scanners, but a lot of reviews tend to be of older ones. I also am trying to find older dedicated film scanners, that can also do 120 film (I need them to do 120mm & 35mm) and compare it to an epson v500 and the epson 4490 but I am so lost. Everyone has a very subjective review, I mean im not expecting gold with my budget but some people look down on flatbed scanners so much with their nikon d3x I cant get an honest review. I also cant get a fair look at these scanners because when I see results they vary SOOOO much, and I dont know if they have been photoshopped, or if the mediocre and bad ones were that way because of film/camera/lens ect.... or the actual scanner.


So my questions are,

1. What do you recommend for a scanner dedicated or flatbed that can scan 35mm and 120mm for 200 or less?

2. I am interested in both the 4490 and the v500, other than optical resolution is there any huge diffrence in scan quality of 35 or 120? Is it worth the price drffrence?

3. I shoot good black and white film, and meh 200 kodak gold for color, (both mainly on my AE-1) and all I have ever seen is 4x6 prints of my pictures that were processed from 1hr labs , would I see signaficant quality loss if I scan the negatives onto my computer with something along the lines of a 4490 or a v500.

Sorry for all the questions guys, its just im 16 and I am no rokafeller and am going halves with this scanner (and future hybrid darkroom, I hope) with a friend and we want the best for our money, and we both after hours of research are still pretty clueless.

 

[djacobox372]

Those D3X owners can only dream of the quality of the photos that come from the 4x5 film scanned on my V700 flatbed!

A rule of thumb is that 120 and bigger film will be MUCH more forgiving of scan quality.

There's nothing wrong with flatbed scanners as long as you keep it clean, and calibrate the height of the film carrier to be perfectly in focus. You also have to make sure your film is as flat as possible--I typically let my film sit under a heavy book for a couple days before I scan it. If you take all those precautions you will be as good or better then any 1hr lab I can think of.

Also IMO 3200dpi is the highest you'll EVER need to scan film on a home scanner... to get any detail out of resolutions higher then that you would have to wet mount your film and have it in impossibly perfect focus.

 

[Rem]

I have a V 500 and I'm impressed. Got it off ebay at $125 inc shipping...new..in the box..complete. Seller seemed to have more. You want the "digital ice" that can "dust" film. For 120......whoa...do I wish. I believe the V700 does do wet mount,the point of which is to get very flat. That....and 120, you'd be looking at the equiv of 20+ megapixels...easy.

 

[xypex982]

So go for the 4490 and have some cash left over for getting some darkroom supplies, or just go for the v500? I am probably going to shoot more 35mm than 120.

*update* Went on a splurge today and got the 4490, a splitzer for my Diana, and a 35mm back for the Diana. I will most likely be posting back here for troubleshooting and such. I think I will be happy with it, and in the rare occasion I do print something out it would be no larger than a 5x7, anything bigger I will most likley just go to a photo place with the negative and have them enlarge it for me professionally.

 

[xypex982]

So I got it and am happy with the results, but I know I can do better, any tips? I just want the sharpest image color I can fix in photoshop. I know to flatten the negative, but thats about it, any other tips to help me out either with the software or messing with the negative itself?