Epson V700?

[jamie_wood]

Hi, I'm shooting 4x5 and getting sick of shelling out mega bucks for scans. The

reviews of the Epson V700 seem to be unanimously positive, and it's making me

think about buying one. Anyone here have any experience with this scanner? I

know the ultimate is drum scans, but people are saying the V700 is comparable.

Anyone have an opinion? I don't want to buy this thing and then regret it.

I need to scan 4x5 negatives for big prints ( up to 40 by 50 inches) and I need

them to be sharp as a tack.

 

Thanks in advance for any replies.

[rafael_macia]

Jamie,

Last year I bought an Epson V700 from the Epson site. My motivation was the same as

yours. (I also shoot 4x5 chromes)

Big let down when the scanner arrived.

Clunky to use; with SUPER slow hi res scans, I ended returning the scanner to Epson.

I had been getting Hi Res Imacon scans @ $12 Each which is not quite a drum scan in

quality, but for all practical purposes (I shoot stock), absolutely fine.

You may be Ok with the V700 if you don't mind the scan times. The 700 seems to be

designed to do it's own quality level scans. If you need to set specific file sizes, the 700

may not be for you. I would call Epson and talk to them in the Epson store. The prices

are good, and you can return it, (like I did ... thank god!).

Scanning prices are dropping, as scanners are running out of scans to do. People are

turning to digital and not shooting film. Scanning, and scanners are at the beginning of

"their end". It's a buyers market for getting scans done. Shop around!

rafael

[jamie_wood]

Thanks Rafael,

The scanning time isn't a factor for me. I tend to work on a single image at a time, no bulk jobs or big runs.

I live in Vancouver B.C. and spend around $150 for a big drum scan. Any recomendations on a good place to get scans done for cheaper? I'm afraid that because the market is drying up, like you said, that the scans are actually going to become MORE expensive, as it becomes a 'speciality' service.

[spodzone]

I do like mine, but doubt it would be tack-sharp at 10* enlargement, assuming you mean 300ppi when printing. Maybe 7*, though, and maybe better if you did wet-mounting with the v750 instead.

 

Check for reviews where they compare scanning at 6400dpi and rescaling down versus scanning at 3200dpi in the first place.

[bill_stice1]

Jamie, you might want to check the reviews of this scanner on the Large Format Photography web site http://www.largeformatphotography.info/. I have one and have used it extensively and it is not even close to a drum scan. It does fine for enlargements up to about 24 X 30 but it doesn't match a drum scan for fine detail. I have also owned the Epson 4990 and with both there is an optimum pixel per inch resolution that produces the best image and beyond that you don't gain much by scanning at higher resolutions. I typically scan my 4 X 5 stuff at 2400 ppi for enlarging up to 16 X 20. Anything much larger than that I usually get a drum scan.

[perry_arnett1]

Bill,

 

Tell us, if you will, the procedure you used to find the "optimum pixel per inch resolution that produces the best image"; and does that differ by the negative size or not? What scanning resolution (on the 4990) do you find works best for 35mm, 6x7, and 4x5?

 

Thanks,

 

Perry

[kelly_flanigan1]

Perry; you just start with a reference negative thats very sharp and detailed. Then you scan it say at 1200, 1600, 1800, 2000, 2400, 2800, 3200, dot dot dot until you are just making big files without any increase in details pulled out of the scan. What matters is what your flatbed works well at; not somebody elses unit.

[john_shriver]

I have a V750. Haven't scanned anything very large yet. But I think it has less resolution than my Nikon Coolscan IV, which is a 2900 dpi scanner. If you really need read 4800 dpi resolution, you may well not be able to get it out of the Epson.

 

I just got the focusable film holder from:

 

http://www.betterscanning.com

 

I think this is a must if you don't want to try fluid mounting. It can be adjusted for the focus point of your scanner -- each one is a bit different.

[harley]

You will never get drum scan quality out of a lower end flatbed scanner. You will probably be happy with prints up to 4 or 5 x enlargements, but if you put them side by side with prints from a drum scan you will see a difference. I used a 4990 until it died recently and I am happy with my 16x20 prints, so I would consider it money well spent. But it isn't drum scan quality, especially if you have an image with tough shadows or highlights.

[bill_stice1]

Perry, sorry for the late reply. I haven't been out here for several days. Kelly is exactly right. I have tried my 4990 at several resolutions up to its maximum and the same for the V700. I look at the detail both on the monitor and in different size prints.