custom film holders for fl

To expand on what been said, getting a used scanner can often be the best way to go. Watch Craigslist, post a WTB notice on your local NextDoor, etc. You can also buy from the clearance center on the Epson website where they sell refurbished units with full warranty. Doug

cbuenov, as long as your 4990 is in decent working order and you have been opening it up regularly to clean the underside of the glass and optics, I don't think you would find the "upgrade" to a V7xx/v8xx to be a worthy investment IF your main objective is to obtain sharper scans. A 4990 with the film placed flat at the optimum film height for a particular scanner's optics is going to be very similar to the V7xx/v8xx in terms of sharpness. A 4990's lens may have more depth of field than the V7xx/v8xx since the 4990 has just one lens that had to cover both film in holders at approx 1 mm and 8x10 that was laid directly on the glass, where the V7xx/v8xx uses a two lens setup (fixed) to cover both of those scenarios. Don't expect any true optical resolution gain between a V7xx and a v8xx. Doug

If you search ebay for Nikon scanner repair, you will find some options. I haven't used any of them so I can't make a specific recommendation but I have read posts from people in other forums who have had decent results. Doug

>>Epson 4490 scanners are available for very low prices, and apparently can handle 4x5 negatives.<< For 4x5 you want a 4990, not a 4490. If you get a 4990 in good working condition and open it up to clean the built up outgassing fog, it often will perform very close to a V7xx/V8xx. Scanner technology just hasn't progressed that much since the 4990. Doug

Putting them in film sleeves before flattening them in between books in a stack of books for a few days often helps remove a lot of the curl. Be ready to scan them as soon as you remove them from the stack because they often will "bounce back" a bit fairly quickly. Lower humidity in the scanning room is better. Doug

If you turn off/uncheck thumbnail mode, that will allow you to manually draw a marquee around the image correctly. You can manually draw multiple marquees to create a batch scan. Doug

It is hard to advise you adequately because you haven't given us enough information. You first need to decide how much time and effort you are willing to dedicate to the task, the level of quality you want/require and then how much you want to spend. Once you have those things set in your mind and can tell us, then people can narrow the options down and advise. Choices will run from a lightbox and you hand holding a digital snapper camera, to a small scanner that requires stitching multiple frames, to a decent used or new flatbed scanner, to a high end digital camera repro setup, to a high end flatbed, to a drum scan. Doug

Two advantages with the Epson are a software package that most people find more user-friendly than the CanonScan software and a slightly higher film suspension height for Epson which lessens the chance of Newton Rings. Doug

It looks like your scanner is miscalibrating. This is most often due to the holder not being oriented correctly, something partially covering the calibration gap in the holder or the insert being left in the lid. Doug

>>PEK (I think that's what it was called) was a very good film cleaner in the day.<< "PEC" and "PEC Pads" are still around! Doug

My understanding is that Epson just produces them in batches. There isn't enough demand to keep a production line constantly producing them. We may be entering a gap when stock is low but they aren't yet at the scheduled time to produce another run. I know a number of people who have had great luck with the refurbs. Many of the units are returns that were barely used and didn't actually have problems. A few people have had problems but Epson was quick to ship out an exchange. Doug

I don't usually jump into these threads but just let people research for themselves, and this isn’t trying to start a flame war, but since you stated "aftermarket gimmicks" I am going to make a few comments... There are more advantages to my V550 holders in addition to a potential increase in sharpness. Ease of use and the ability to keep the film flat (either by just using the insert or resorting to the mounting method for really stiff or limp film). Flatness is important for a consistent scan across the entire plane of the image. I am very upfront about what my holders potentially can and can't do. This page link has been at the top of my website all the way back to when I started selling my variable height holder versions: Custom film holders for Agfa, Microtek and Epson film scanners. . A buyer has to decide for themselves if the potential improvement shown on the page is enough to justify the investment. Every increase in sharpness achieved means better potential results during post processing because you have a better base scan from which to start. People have to have reasonable expectations though, and as I state, you must realize the inherent limitations with a reasonably priced CCD-based Epson/Canon/Microtek scanner. With that said, you can see many stunning images all over the internet created using flatbeds. Two variables that are out of my control are the characteristics of the scanner as well as user skill/attention to detail/willingness to follow a valid workflow. Some scanners come out of the factory is perfect operating condition and thus won't show an increase in sharpness when varying film holder height. Others will show a significant improvement with a variable height holder. Some scanners come with optics so poorly made/installed that even with adjusting multiple millimeters you won't see a difference. That points to a bad scanner (that my holder can’t help!). I can't tell a buyer exactly what they can expect but that is why I promote the other benefits besides potential sharpness increase. A person who buys a top of the line Canon camera and lens, on average, isn’t going to produce images better than they would with an entry level Canon Rebel IF they don’t take time to learn and perfect using the advantages of the better camera (and have the aptitude to do it). The sample principle applies to my holders. They are a tool you have to learn to use. It is not difficult but I can’t tell you how many people don’t even read the instructions that are sent with every purchase, much less do a valid attempt at the calibration workflow. A final note I would like to make is about testing results posted on the internet. This is a general statement and NOT directed at Pablo or his test. Please realize that testing with the Epson holder is highly likely to be unreliable. Due to their holder design, most films are either arching or sagging to some extent the moment you snap that finicky frame shut. A piece of film might be sagging for one test scan. If a tester removes and inserts the same film again, it might be arching and thus produce a noticeably different scan. This is why I am very hesitant when I read people on the internet in multiple forums (again, this is not directed at Pablo) recommend people should be scanning off the glass in general. Based on a lot of feedback from users of my holders around the world, I am confident that the majority of Epson single lens, single strip flatbed scanners perform best in the 1.5-2 mm range. Yes, of the millions of scanners Epson has sold, there are a number of scanners out there that do have an optimal film suspension height less than 1 mm (and why I offer a .5 mm option) but I am convinced those are a relatively small minority. I am quite sure there are a number of people making claims who have not conducted well thought-out and consistently implemented tests.

When you press the power button, do you hear any whirring of the motor as the carriage moves during the startup calibration phase? Doug

I would go for the scanners thirteenthumbs recommended. If you are on a budget, a used V7xx is the best deal. You should be able to get more than 1000 ppi resolution from this scanner if your film has more resolution. Epson software does have a bug/limitation in file size though that can limit scanning resolution on larger pieces of film. Put a thin shime (dime in a pinch) at each corner of the negative to raise the plate up to help avoid Newton Rings. Doug

If you have the skills to create a quality scan out of a 9000 and then apply quality post processing to it, including sharpening, you should find the scans equal an Imacon. The Imacon does a lot of sharpening behind the scenes by default so you have to sharpen the 9000's scans to get more of an apples to apples comparison. You need to move up to a drum scanner to take the next step. Doug