Older prepress flatbed scanners. Better scans then Epson?

I returned an Epson 4870 after 1 month for 3 reasons: I needed to

free up cash for a DSLR, I did not think it was that much better

than the $100 scanner I used to own, and I wanted an 8x10

transparency adaptor.

 

I need a scanner for MF and LF and for proofing backlogged 35mm

slides and for web use. I've been interested in the high quality

scanners from UMAX (powelook), Agfa (Duoscan), and the Heidilbergs.

I've read reviews claiming that these scanners give you sharper

scans than the Epson/Canon/HP flatbeds even though they usually have

lower scanning DPI (600-1200 vs 2400 and up for the E/C/HP).

 

I've found nice refurbished scanners for around $200 with a 1 year

warrenty. Does anyone have any thoughts on this issue?

 

thanks,

<i>"I did not think it was that much better than the $100 scanner I used to own</i><p>

in what aspect? scanning MF,35mm,or prints?<br>

as someone who was considering getting this scanner i'm wondering what were you scanning with it while you had it?? are you refering to the MF scans you've made?

"and I wanted an 8x10 transparency adaptor"

 

Why did you buy the Epson scanner in t he first place, knowing that it did not have an 8x10" transparency adaptor ?

All of the above. DMAX was better but other than that, there wasn't a great improvement in sharpness. Maybe I was expecting to much, but I did not think it was worth the $400. Not that is was a bad scanner, just not what I had hoped for.

At the time of purchase the lack 8x10 was not a deal breaker (maybe in hindsight, I shoudl have paid more attention to that). However, the thought of proofing full pages of slides is hard to let go of.

Jeff:

 

Sorry to see you put on the defensive about this. I've owned two Heidelberg scanners (and ones from Epson, Nikon and Microtek too) and find that they beat everything else out there in output quality per dollar.

 

However, keep in mind that their software is tough to understand and they require a scsi connection. They are also slower than you might hope; a 1,000 dpi 16 bit scan of an 8x10 piece of film might take ten minutes or longer.

 

For large format shooters on a budget, they're in a class by themselves. Remember though, that there are big differences between the individual models and spending a few hundred extra dollars could buy you a huge increase in quality.