Questions for any Epson scanner owners...

Don Simon

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Well if anyone's read my recent post about my Canon scanner, you may have guessed that I won't be rushing back to Canon for the replacement. Frankly I'm starting to wonder if they make anything these days, short of a 1Ds or L glass, that's designed to last more than a few months. Planned obsolescence is one thing, planned falling-apart quite another.

So to Epson I go. I'm looking for something which will handle 35mm negatives strips - colour and black & white - 35mm mounted slides, and 6x6 neg and slide film. And will do a good job with all, even the black and white. In other words I want to have my cake and eat it, and a coffee too. I seem to remember some of you mentioning having Epson scanners - Usayit and MaxBloom perhaps? - and was wondering if you could give me a few pointers here? I'm currently looking at the 4990 and the V700, and since the price difference between them is not that great I'm curious to know how much I would gain by going for the V700. Or is it even necessary to go for one of these newer models? I should point out that optical resolution is not as important to me as the quality of the scans (I plan to make prints but not enormous ones), it needs to cover 35mm and 6x6 (possibly wider 120 formats later) but not large format, the holders need to actually hold the film flat, and I'm really looking for something that will handle black and white film fairly well (since most scanners don't). Any thoughts would be appreciated, thanks!
 
I have an older model, the 2450. When I eventually upgrade I'll stick with Epson. Ease of use and nice variety of film holders. My only gripe is that it doesn't read IR negatives very well, but I don't know if any of them would. ;) The flat bed gets prints, color & B&W, beautifully too.

Sorry I can't help with info on the newer models.
 
I bought the plustek from china and have been happy with it so far. It is a pretty good low cost scanner for evaluation and making prints from larger format negs. It does up to 5x7 negs. It also does the 35mm negs and slides.

The thirty five for prints I bought a dedicated scanner.
 
The v700 is way better. The resolution is higher for sure and focusing looks like it should be better. The v700 is specifically built as a flatbed for scanning film. The 4990 is a flatbed that is capable of scanning film.
 
Thanks for the replies so far. Ideally I want to make decent prints from 35mm and medium format, so it looks like I'll be going for a V700; even though I'll have to sell off a fair bit of equipment first... really starting to wish I hadn't bought that new tripod now ;)
 
I have the 4490 and, for the most part, love it. It's fast, it's easy, and it was fairly cheap ($129 on sale). Resolution is pretty high, though I've got to say that I'm a tad dissapointed with how it scans slide film--everything comes out a little bit fuzzy. The negative holders leave a bit to be desired, too, especially if you've got 35mm that's curly and doesnt' want to lay flat.

Overall, I give it :thumbup:
 
I have a 4990 epson scanner that works fine for 21/4x21/4 and 4x5
negatives but use a Nikon Coolscan V for 35mm. I believe you will have
better results with a dedicated 35mm scanner for slides and 35mm film.
Paul
 
I too have the 4990 and I only scan the 4x5 size with it. Very happy with the results. I have a dedicated film scanner for 35mm, also happy with it.
 
I too have the 4990 and I only scan the 4x5 size with it. Very happy with the results. I have a dedicated film scanner for 35mm, also happy with it.

Oh! 4990! Now I understand why my 4490 doesnt' have the 4x5 like i thought it was supposed to! Grrr.
 
Woops... I forgot my reply to this post got wiped...

I bought the V700. So far I've only used it to scan 35mm negatives but am already very impressed. The results from 35mm look at least as good as what the Canon was getting from 120. Only minor complaints: Scan quality is best when film holder's height is adjusted, just as another review noted (why don't Epson just set it at that height to begin with? :confused: ) ... also film holders a bit flimsy and fiddly - but they do hold the film a lot tighter than the Canon. Considered ordering a spare set of holders to save time scanning, then found out how much Epson want for some small plastic frames :stun: ... having said that, the scanner itself is IMO worth the extra money over a cheaper model.

Just one final word: Dust. It gets everywhere, or at least it does in my room. Granted I should probably break out the vac once in a while, but still... IMO there should be some kind of sealing on every flatbed so the glass doesn't gather dust all the time. Are you listening Epson? :wink:
 
Hey ZaphodB, sorry I'm a late commer to this thread. I was the one who originally posted about the V700. I'm still happy with it although the issues you bring up are the same as i encountered. Flimsy holders, docs not mentioning the height adjustment.. The scans are wonderful. You should see what it can do with MF negatives...

As for dust... i treat it just like I do with my enlarger in the wet darkroom. I cover it with plastic when not in use. The main culprit for all the dust is us humans... so it is unavoidable but you can keep it under control. I use plastic table cloths purchased from the $1 store.

I also handle the negatives and prepare them much like you would in a dark room. I use gloves, anti-static cloth, and compressed air.

Enjoy your V700 it is a wonderful flatbed scanner that thinks it is a dedicated negative scanner.

Just as a pointer for those who find this thread looking for information on the V700
http://thephotoforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=62119
 

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