Epson v700

<p>I've just bought an Epson v700 and would like some advice on how to get the best results from my Fuji GW690III (and a Pentax 67 soon) negs & slides, I've never scanned negs or slides before so any help or advice would be very much appreciated, the more detailed for a MF newbie the better, thanks in advance as usual.</p>

<p>John.</p>

<p>I have the V750 Pro and bought the better scan tool for it with 2 anti Newton glass work and since then my scanning of the Fuji G617 and other medium format like the hasselblad been much improved, I also bought the anti Newton glass for the 35MM films and those also given better result.<br>

The Better Scan do make a great different with the Epson flat scanners.</p>

<p>The V700 is an excellent flatbed for 120 film. I use mine with both the Epson scanning software and the included SilverFast under OSX. I've been satisfied with the Epson film holders, but it's probably a good idea to get the BetterScanning ones, especially for your 6x9 film. Most of my scanning is for publication or 8.5x11" prints, so to keep file size down I seldom scan larger than 12 inches at 300 ppi. I'll let others comment about pushing the V700 to its limit.</p>

<p>Y ou need the film to be evenly flat during the scanning to obtain sharpness, thats what BetterScanning would provide and I use mine up to 2400ppi, it takes a longer time but it give a superb result.</p>

Just got a V700, but the Epson software wouldn't run under Mac OS X Lion. I already had VueScan, so I used that to scan to raw. Then I used the ColorPerfect plugin for Photoshop. I don't do much else in Photoshop, but then switch to Lightroom for final tune up.

 

Terrific results. Much, much easier than fooling around with all those zillion VueScan options.

 

Google around... the VueScan/raw/ColorPerfect method is documented in a few articles on the web, which is where I found them.

 

(VueScan's list of film types is ancient, whereas ColorPerfect's is up-to-date.)

<p>Try scanning first with what you have, rather than starting off with one step backwards, with a sense of predetermined dissatisfaction because you feel you <em>need</em> all the 3rd party attachments suggested. You don't. I have done a lot with my V700, including scans for 20x30 inch prints (delivered files to a lab) and I have been satisfied with most of it. All quality short comings so far I put down to my lack of experience before I blame the kit.<br>

The MF film holders that come with the scanner look a bit flimsy to start with, and yes the film needs to be flat. With this in mind, I have taken care with freshly processed films to keep an eye on them, and put them away as soon as they have settled 'flat' ie .. dry to touch, and hanging without curl. Most issues have been with 35mm strips, which I have then pressed in books, or clean paper without texture, for a day or two.<br>

If there are repeating sharpness issues, and the film is flat, you may need to adjust the height of the holders, which I have never needed to do, but for which there is plenty of good advice online.<br>

Another option for special images is also 'wet scanning', for which additional bits are needed. However, keep in mind, you have one of the best value scanners on the market, so just use it as is.Take your time, and forgive yourself for the failures. They cost nothing and are all part of climbing the learning curve.<br>

My scanner, purchased new, came with both the Epson and the Silverfast programs (together with a free Photoshop Elements 3 - ancient but does everything I need except correct curvature (barrel and pin cushion distortion, the need for which, however, is averted by lenses appropriate to the task.)<br>

I never use the 'unsharp mask'. Hate it. .. and loath ICE even more.<br>

Learn what you can with what you have. No. 1 priority: Enjoy ;-)<br /> <br /> Cheers, Kevin</p>

<p>As a newbie, the first thing you should do is to work through the free tutorials at Wayne Fulton's Scantips.com website. Until you understand these basics, you will just be guessing and/or getting lucky!</p>

<p>I use an Epson V750 PRO. I think that the 750 PRO designation may only refer to the number of accessory gizmos that come with the machine.<br>

It became apparent early on that the included Epson film holders for 120 and 4x5 were inadequate. To that end, I bought the aftermarket Better Scanning holders. This is an absolute must if you want decent negative flatness and there is a glass option for them that can improve things, too. In addition, the better scanning holders are adjustable so you can match them to your machine, if you want.<br>

I finally gave up and went to liquid scanning for the best of all of the options. It is an involved process, but produces superior results. The V750 comes with a fluid mounting accessory and that accessory is available separately and should fit your scanner. One does not necessarily need to fluid scan every negative/transparency as the Better Scanning options will do for most.</p>

<p>I've been using the V750 for a few years now. It's great for 35mm and medium format. I use wet mounting periodically when the negatives are important to me. The wet mount accessory that comes with the unit will have its plastic degrade within a couple years of usage. In fact I had to buy a new one because the entire frame literally fell apart.<br>

My suggestion to the OP is to just scan and scan a lot. That's the best way of learning. I use Silverscan the majority of the time. I purchased a couple upgrades from them and I feel they've been worth the money. I found that the V750 is very weak when it comes to green color on slides. I don't know how to compensate for this just yet. I'm still learning even after numerous years.<br>

OH, before I forget, you MUST do an initial sharpening because the scans do look soft. Then do an additional scan before printing. I've printed to 30x30 so the scanner is capable of great work.</p>

<p>Oops, I meant do an additional sharpening before printing. I know this is against what people usually tell you with the ADDITIONAL sharpening (they usually say only sharpen before printing and no other time), but it's really needed.</p>

<p>V700; Betterscanning holder; Vuescan.</p>

<p>Holder. For really flat film, need ANR glass. I bought from a local framing shop two pieces of "anti-reflection" glass cut to the right size. 2.2€ for the lot. That is actually glass that is very slightly dimpled on one or both sides. No Newton rings, no print-through of the glass pattern. Fine. For best flatness, I tape the ends of the film (well stretched out) to the glass,and deposit the glass in the holder channel with the film underneath. Use mirror option depending which way you chose to put the film. Determined optimum height by repeatedly scanning the exact same portion of film, adding one turn to all screws at each time. Store a jpeg each time. Biggest file size = optimum focus. In case of a tie, choose position halfway.</p>

<p>Scanning. Use vuescan "advanced procedure", with lock exposure and lock film base color (see user manual). Scan a photo of a gray card, make a right click on that (better yet watch the histogram), and stay in manual color mode for all the film (or films of same type, developed together). Auto colors or auto WB just don't work for me. I thought I woud do an unsharp mask in post-processing, but the "sharpen" of vuescan it (to me) just right, at least enough that I would not try to tweak the sharpening.</p>

<p>That's it. Hope this helps.</p>

<p>If I visit a glass ware shop how can I know the anti Newton type of glass, please ? I am interested to buy the same.<br>

Thank you and wishing you all of the best.</p>