Epson V700 How much control over exposure and contrast?

<p>Hi!<br>

I´ve read alot of threads about the Epson V700, but couldnt find any clear and simple information on how much control you have over the exposure, contrast and sharpness when scanning negatives..<br>

Wich software is the best? The epson software or the silver<br>

Im used to using Flexcolor software on a Flextight-scanner but dont have access to that scanner anymore..<br>

How much control will I have? For exampel, will the V700 blow the highlights easily? Blocked shadows??<br>

How hard is to find the "sweet"-spot for sharpness with the hight-adjusters for the holders? Will the sweet-spot for sharpness be different every time I scan a new negative or can I use same hight on all scans after I´ve found the "sweet-spot"??<br>

I´m thinking about buying a V700 and would be grateful if anyone could help me with these questions and maybee give me some tips on how to get the most out of the scanner..<br>

Thankyou!</p>

<p>When you're scanning, you have brightness/contrast/sharpness controls provided by the program (epson scan, silver fast, vuescan, ...) Also, the v700 is supported by silver fast's multi-exposure feature, where they take multiple scans at different exposures and combines them together for a higher dynamic range image with details in highlights and shadows. Even with the epson scan software, though, I've found that the dynamic range is pretty good, and if the detail is in my negs, it's generally in the scan. On one roll it even saved me from a broken lens - shutter was stuck open, so each frame was exposed ~2 seconds (time it takes me to take the photo and reset mirror on my rb67)... negatives were completely black and seemed a lost cause, but I actually got some good images out of them. As far as software, epson scan is generally good and is very convenient to use, but silver fast offers more control. For focus, once you set it the first time you'll never have to change it. You can either use the provided negative holders that have a few different length legs, or purchase a better scanning holder that is infinitely adjustable via screws.</p>

<p>Hi Daniel. The easiest solution is to have a profile for your scanner. A friend of mine created one for my Epson V750, and recently for my Imacon Precision III. This means that everything on the scanner is 'off' for the scan, then once you open up the photo in PS, you assign that profile. My profile ensures that colours are spot on, and there are no clipped highlights or shadow detail. It cuts out so much time in the overall scanning process.<br>

If you're interested, my friend's website is <a href="http://www.ianscovell.com">www.ianscovell.com</a></p>