Which Scanner

[bus man]

Help Please

I have a huge amount of colour negatives dating back to 1979 which I want to scan so they are digital I bought a Epsom 4490 round 2 years ago and it was OK but I didn't use it a lot towards the end of last year I started to scan a lot and it developed a fault where it slipped . That was replaced on Christmas day (thank you Santa) that lasted around 24 hours ( about 500 photos ) before it developed the same fault .

It was replaced like for like, the current scanner is starting to develop the same fault , can any one recommend a scanner that will scan negs, photos and documents and is able to withstand usage in all around possibly 100,000 prints from negs.
Example of bad scan

Same negative when the scanner is behaving

Your help would be appreciated as I am about to climb up the wall !

 

[Peter Mugridge]

I use an HP G2410 which has never given me problems, but I only scan prints - I've never tried negative scanning although the software I use ( Photoplus 9.0 ) does have a reversal function.

 

[bus man]

Thank You I forgot to say the current scanner is a Epson V330

 

[MCR247]

Anything that isn't Epson

 

[Matt Taylor]

I've been using a Nikon Coolscan IV for a number of years and the results are pretty good despite some poor quality negatives:

http://matthew-taylor.fotopic.net/p67060280.html

 

[kevsmiththai]

I've been using a 35mm Prime Film 3600, which I got from Jessops about 2 years ago, and it works very well. Black and white negs come out a bit flat but this is easliy sorted out in Photoshop.
At the high resolutions I am scanning in at, 3600 dpi the thing runs a bit slow but it copes quite well.This gives me a typical file size of 48mb
The only area where it falls down is the limited film types in the software, for instance there is no Kodachrome setting and the 'generic' film settings arn't much cop and it does not like really thick or thin negs but Photoshop sorts most things out O.k
I am thinking about getting an Epson V700 next to scan in my 6x7 B&W negs, anybody had any experience of them?
KEV

 

[Bill EWS]

I have been using the Epson Perfection 3490 for some time now and it gives excellent results with both prints. negative and transparencies. It certainly lives up to it's name.

I had a 35mm scanner prior to this and that was just rubbish compared to what the 3490produces.

 

[Sports Desk]

Just after Christmas, after much research and discussion with colleagues, I opted for an Epson V700.

Yes it's a flatbed, but dont let that put you off, as it can deliver the quality, and will scan 35mm, 6x4.5 or 6x6 and larger. Needs some trial and error, as the feet under the scanning frame have 3 settings, but once sorted, it's very good. Costs £399 but very good value, and you wont get a Coolscan 5 for under £900 off ebay now.

Dont bother scanning with Digital ICE as it messes up the photo, treating handrails as dust etc. Better to start with a clean slide and then tidy in Photoshop.

Samples at:
http://www.pbase.com/chrismdigital99/epson_v700_scans


Any questions, ask in open forum or PM me.

 

[Sun Chariot]

I agree. The V700 and V750 flatbed scanners are getting very good reviews indeed. Last month's "Black & White Photography" mag showed some cracking good results from the V700.
Until I found these Epsons, I was hunting a NIKON Coolscan 5000 film scanner - until I realised it's too old a machine to guarantee compatibility with Windows 7.

 

[Oliver]

I agree. The V700 and V750 flatbed scanners are getting very good reviews indeed. Last month's "Black & White Photography" mag showed some cracking good results from the V700.
Until I found these Epsons, I was hunting a NIKON Coolscan 5000 film scanner - until I realised it's too old a machine to guarantee compatibility with Windows 7.

I have a Dimage Dual Scan IV which I was quite happy with until I discovered it wouldn't run under Windows 7. (In fact I think it did at first, but now it won't). I have a Canon flat bed scanner but that's inconvenient for film and slides. Can anyone suggest a good film-only scanner?

 

[The Box Photter]

I've been using a Plustek OpticFilm 7300 bought from Jessops a couple of years ago for the princely sum of £110. It scans negs and slides with the bundled Silverfast software.

It offers a range of film types plus some basic manual inputs. In my opinion it does a pretty good job for a budget scanner. I have an Epson Stylus RX520 that can handle prints, negs & slides but I find it often makes the slides "pop" rendering the centre of the image unsharp.

I have a really good Epson FilmScan 200 for slides, negs and APS, but there are no XP or Vista drivers and it uses SCSI connection rather than USB, so its gathering dust in the loft!

Jessops offer the latest version of the Plustek for about £150. If you have the cash, it delivers good results that can easily be tweaked in Photoshop.