MF flatbed scanners

Hi

 

I'd like to buy a flatbed medium format scanner. But I've been out of

circulation for some time, so I'm not sure what are the current options.

Are there finally any half-decent film flatbed scanners out there (in terms of

optics)?

Last time I bought such a device was when Canon 4200F was a brand new model, and

It was really bad in terms of resolution for 35mm film.

But I guess, even if the optics are the same, it would be so bad in MF. Though I

am kind of hoping that if I bought a 8600F or 8800F perhaps it would be slightly

better than 4200F in terms of optical resolution. I'm not impressed with the

4800dpi number, because I know that the actual resolution can't be much better

than, say, 2400dpi or worse. But if it was at least decent 2400 in reality, I'd

be satisfied for medium format.

I don't know that much about other manufacturers, but perhaps some of the new

Epson models are better than current Canon models.

 

Anyway, what would be the best current choice for flatbed MF scanning.

Is there anything performing remotely as sharp as, at least a dedicated 2400dpi

film scanner.

http://www.photo.net/search/?sitesearch=Photo.net&client=pub-1734703147688622&forid=1&ie=ISO-8859-1&oe=ISO-8859-1&safe=active&cof=GALT%3A%23008000%3BGL%3A1%3BDIV%3A%23CCCCCC%3BVLC%3A663399%3BAH%3Acenter%3BBGC%3AFFFFFF%3BLBGC%3ADDDDDD%3BALC%3A0000FF%3BLC%3A0000FF%3BT%3A000000%3BGFNT%3A0000FF%3BGIMP%3A0000FF%3BLH%3A45%3BLW%3A225%3BL%3Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fphoto.net%2Fv2graphics%2Flogo.gif%3BS%3Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.photo.net%2F%3BFORID%3A11&hl=en&q=MF+flatbed+scanners#1377

This site has lots of good reviews:

 

http://photo-i.co.uk/

 

It helped me decide which scanner to buy.

 

Good luck!

Edgar, the same sharpness of a film dedicated scanner will be diffult to reach wit a flatbed

one.

Some of the newer flatbed scanner can do a very good job, as in the review from the link

Michael suggested. MF scanning with flatbed gives, anyway quite good results. I am

currently using an epson 2450 for MF, I do not need large enlargment or professional

work so it is enough for me. Maybe I'll buy a variable height mount to achieve the best

sharpnes I can get with the 2450. Orten in order to get the best from a flatbed scanner

you need a special film holder, a dry or a wet one. take a look here,

 

www.betterscanning.com

 

http://www.scanscience.com/

 

take also a look here to see about dedicated scanner,

 

http://www.scanhancer.com/index.php?art=35&men=10

 

 

Antonio

Hi Edgar,</p>

<p>There are many good MF scanners on the market, at the top of the list is the Imacon/Hassablad scanners. Their quality can rival a drum scan but they cost an arm and a leg ($6,000 to $15,000) depending on model and wheather its new or used. The Nikon Coolscan 9000 and the Microtek MF scanners are your next option but in my opinion they are a large step down from the Imacon and will still hit you with a hefty price tag. Flatbed scanners are getting better and better with some of the newer models rivaling dedicated scanners. Epson's top of the line is the V750, its a quality scanner but has some focus problems which tends to lead to scans that aren't as sharp as they could be. This problem can be overcome be using an adjustable height film carrier, however it does limit you to scanning only one frame at a time and can add $50 to $100 to the total cost of the scanner. Microtek has just released the new M1 scanner, it is also a flatbed and has been released with some very high promises. In addition to an impressive dpi scan, the M1 offers glassless scans where the film is placed in a separate scanning compartment not on top of glass. This reduces any distortion to the image caused by the glass, which tends to get worse as the glass tends to haze over time. Secondly it also has an auto focus feature which allows the scannering element to move up or down to achive a perfect focus for each piece of film. The M1 was just released and hands on reviews are not yet out, I will be doing an indepth review of the scanner for <a href="http://www.whitespider.org">www.whitespider.org</a> as soon as my unit gets to me from the factory. But its very difficult to say when that will be. I hope I could shed some light on the subject.</p>

<p>Merry Christmas,</p>

<p>Ed Mendes</p>

History is interesting. One of our old Microteks flatbeds was about + grand a decade ago; folks said it rivialed a typical drums scan THEN. It often did since it was a 1200dpi flatbed; and the typical drum scans were 800 to 1000 for 4x5 and MF; with costs about 2 dollars per megabyte of file for the drum scan; with a 30 to 50 buck minimum. 3 grand was an arm and a decade ago too. The dynamic range of flatbeds is way better today than long ago; but specs are inflated; flatbeds are often today marketed to the non pro market; unless its the super expensive stuff. Shimming film holders for best focus is not new; many older pro units had shim under the glass. One placed a fine etched calibration ruler deal that touched the glass; and the other end was under a calibrated tool; one did a scan and checked if the focus point was at the best spot.