did Kelly Flannigan get a 4870 Epson

Kelly, a while back you mentioned the possibility that you would get

one of the Epson 4870 scanners...did you get it and if so how does

it perform especially MF negs b/w, if you didn't get it, any

particular reason why not? Tks for ur input..bob hollifield

Hi Bob; I have been "eyeing" them; and looking at other folks reports/threads here on photo.net . I will propbably get one later this year; hopefully for "a little" more resolution from 120 format negatives. Currently I have been messing with a large format printer; some computer upgrades; and larger scanner problems. We got real busy the last 3 weeks; I feel like a dog chasing his tail. Regards Kelly. PS When I get a new 48XX series Epson scanner; I will go some comparison scans to post here.

I've a 4870 and am very happy with it. I use VueScan and Photoshop CS on a dual 867 PowerMac G4. <a href="http://www.photo.net/photo/2181555">Here's a sample of its output</a>

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Roger

Kelly, thank you for the response. It sounds like you are still going forward with that idea, and that was what I was interested in. Thank you for answering my query.....

 

Roger,that is a beautiful image and you are right, you have to be in the right place at the right time and then have the skill level to pull off the shot...and you did. I wouldn't mind having that for my computer wallpaper... Thanks for your response. bob

Thanks for the compliments, Bob. You're certainly welcome to use it for wallpaper. I was so taken with the quality of the output from that and other MF negatives I've scanned with it that I went out and bought a Mamiya 645SE. I'd sold my old MF stuff to help finance the transition to digital. The 4870 has made good old medium format film attractive to me again.

 

Roger

Roger, i love the photo. how did you manage to capture both soft mist and sharp detail?

 

btw, your post isn't quite clear to me. i understand that you bought an Epson 4870 and then got a Mamiya 645SE to use in conjunction with the it. is it your Nikon D100 that you plan to sell, or do you plan on continuing to use that as well?

Gaetano,

 

Thanks for the compliments on my photograph.

 

>> how did you manage to capture both soft mist and sharp detail?

 

Good timing (aka dumb luck..). The fog was lifting so it was not having much of a diffusion effect on nearby objects. I shot it on Agfa APX 25 rated at EI 12 and developed in Rodinal @ 1:100 dilution. It's a thinish negative but everything's there. I think the digital prints I've made from that negative as scanned by the 4870 are superior to my wet process prints. But then I never was a great printer.

 

>> btw, your post isn't quite clear to me. i understand that you bought an Epson 4870 and then got a Mamiya 645SE to use in conjunction with the it. is it your Nikon D100 that you plan to sell, or do you plan on continuing to use that as well?

 

I bought the 645E (SE was a typo) because of the 4870. I did not intend to get back into film after having gone digital. I bought the 4870 because I've a fair number of MF negatives that I wanted to be able to print from even though I've sold my darkroom. I was so taken by the quality of the scans the 4870 delivers that I had to get back into MF photography. The 645E is something of a bargain--I bought the one with the rapid winder. At 800 bucks it'll do just fine until the cost of digital backs come out of the stratosphere. I can shoot lots of tri-X for the cost of a 16mp back.

 

I'm keeping my D100. It has its place. It output is quite good and I love the ability to go out and make one photograph, come in and work on it. It's almost like a view camera in that respect.

 

Roger

Roger, I did put it on wallpaper and it sure is nice to look at. I bought a Pentax 645 off a photog out in Calif who was going digital (ebay) and have enjoyed it, although I am now trying to learn what makes a photo sharp, and worrying about tones and contrast. B/W is a lot harder than color. I've been an F3 slide shooter all my life and this is a huge change, but b/w has such an impact on you. Once I get my scanner I may email you and quiz you abt settings and the type printer you are using. Well good shooting this weekend and tks again..bob

Bob,

 

I'm happy to share what I know--which isn't much--I'm still learning this stuff as well. There are a couple of books you might want to check out if you're using Photoshop: <I>Elements of Transition</I> by the late <a href="http://www.barrythornton.com">Barry Thornton</a> and <a href="http://www.newriders.com/books/product.asp?st={73BBC1E0-8583-4ABE-81B1-2F48A4C963AA}&session_id={06BE84B6-27F3-4284-8128-66841E285C0E}&product_id={388A60C8-5A4F-4333-A97B-FC85FB60AC93}"><I>The PhotoShop CS book for digital photographers</I></a> by Scott Kelby. Barry's book is currently unavailable while matters of his estate are worked out; the website says the on-line store will re-open around Easter. A very useful website for scanner info is <a href="http://www.scantips.com">www.scantips.com</a>.

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Roger

Roger thanks for the info. I found that scantips site, it's pretty good. Regards..bob

Have a look @ http://epson4870.x1.ru/

A lot of fresh examples.