Need a scanner

[davidwrogers]

The Epson V750 seems to have alot of buzz around it. There are detractors and naysayers and enthusiasts and sycophants. The ultimate question: is there a better flatbed scanner in the $800 price range?

This will quickly devolve into subjective interpretations of the word "better". Optics. Focus. Speed. Resolution. Color accuracy. Software bundling. I don't give a damn about this stuff. I want a scanner that produces the best digital copy of my 4x5's. Is the epson v750 the best in its price range? if not, what is? thank you.

[akimota]

The V750 is a great scanner. For any truly great images you can always send them off for a drum scan if you plan to print and hang the images in a gallery.

Are you planning to scan wet-plate photos? If not, you should consider purchasing the V700 instead (that's the scanner I use). I also recommend grabbing a copy of Vuescan; its ability to save the file in DNG, along with a suite of options for finely-tuning the scan, is worth the price.

[tbeaman]

Unless you're really lucky enough to chance upon a used high-end scanner at a bargain price without any ensuing headaches acquiring, setting up, and using it, I think the Epson really is the best value, in that price range or possibly even out of it.

The likelihood that you'll need something of higher spec for the majority of your images is unlikely, and as mentioned, high-end services exist at decent prices for the ones that do earn it.

That said, it does depend on the person. For some, knowing you're not getting everything possible out of your film, whether you plan to make use of it or not, can fester.

[Brian Ellis]

If you want a new flatbed scanner for photographic purposes for about $800 you don't have a lot of choices. It's not so much whether there are any better, it's more a question of whether there are any period. I don't offhand know of any. The market for film scanners isn't exactly growing by leaps and bounds. I'd suggest grabbing the 700/750 while you can unless you're interested in delving into the world of used high-end scanners and dealing with all that's involved in getting them set up and running.

[Marc B.]

Epson V 700 vs V 750. Most say the machines are close to identical, mechanically.

The V 750 is said to have improved coatings on the high-resolution lens.
The useful advantage of this feature over the V 700 has been debated ad nauseam.

What the V 750 does have over the V 700, is a much better suite of pre-packaged software.
With either machine, and especially for 4 X 5, get the wet mount holders from Better Scanning.com.

The specs of scanners from Microtek look appealing, but service for these scanners in N. America is sketchy.
In Europe or other parts of the world, could be a slight resolution/performance advantage over the Epsons.

As mentioned above, for your excellent "keepers," use a drum scanning service. Also, if you want higher
resolution in-house, used Imacons are another option for 4 X 5...at triple(?) the cost.

The V 7XX's, and using the Better Scanning holders, wet or dry mounted,
are just about the best value/option for affordable 4 X 5 available today.

[Corran]

I use the Agfa T2500 pre-press scanner and get awesome results when the negative is correctly exposed. My only gripe is issues with thin negatives and occasional dark strips on negatives possibly from dust on the sensor (which again only shows up on underexposed negatives usually).

In my usage of a V750 I felt it was significantly softer (with stock film holders), and I have read even with nice film holders still doesn't hold up in resolution to the Agfa.

Right now on ebay there are a couple T2500 and 1200 models. The 2500 model has higher resolution. It's only $240 with no film holders but there's an auction with film holders for $100. So for less than $350 you could have a complete system.

I got lucky and got one for $100 complete, so if you wait you might get a better deal.

I know others have had their issues with the Agfa so your mileage may vary.