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I am currently scanning 4x5 film with the v700. I am thinking of potentially purchasing the betterscaning.com product
http://www.betterscanning.com/scanning/mstation.html
in order to 'improve' my scans. However I would like to hear your experiences and thoughts on the film holders and whether they truly offer an increase in scaning quality and by how much? (Image examples would be great).
The product is excellent and it's a great value but it won't turn your V700 into a drum scanner but it will help maximize it's capabilities. This product has been discussed sort of ad nauseum on the LFPF just do a search for discussion threads. Or Google for discussions on other forums.Quote:
Originally Posted by l2oBiN
Don Bryant
They are fine but it takes a lot of effort to scan a negative, compared to the epson holder. I did not appreciate mine untill I scanned a 5x7 neg, which I found much easier to tape to the glass. For 4x5 I prefer the epson holder, they are not as bad as people make out and I am happy with many of the scans made with one. I will sometimes wetmount a good 4x5 on the betterscanning holder, but dont produce many good ones, so if it wasnt for the 5x7 I would be better without the betterscanning holder. Personally, I would spend the money on film instead.
David
Quote:
Originally Posted by l2oBiN
Just the ability to fine tune the focus is worth the price. I'm getting sharper scans than ever with this device.
I only use my v700 to knock out web scans so I'm not at all concerned that the base scans -- even when focused -- can appear a little soft. A *wee* bit of USM tends to make them tolerable for the monitor at least. I wouldn't, though, use the 700 for anything but rough and ready proof prints. In my opinion, serious prints should always be made from decent drum scans. That said, if you're not happy with the v700's focus you could always try attaching Post-it notes to the feet, adding or removing them until you're happy ... But really, the v700 is not designed to be a high end scanner so why would one really bother? It might just be best to use it for what it was designed for, a cheap and convenient way of getting your work out there.Quote:
Originally Posted by mdm
Kind regards,
Richard
btw Richard, I really like the photograph on your home page. I wonder if those chimneys are still standing?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Richard Mahoney
I use it with the 4870 and it's absolutely essential. Works great.
Sure we can admit that, but most people don't have the resources for doing drum scans of everything. And at moderate print sizes the Epsons are capable of producing serious, more than acceptable work. I draw the line at wet-mounting with them but finding the optimal film holder height is a small positive effort so why rain on their parade?Quote:
But really, the v700 is not designed to be a high end scanner so why would one really bother?
Of course I just tried pennies under my holder, I am really cheap and lazy.
I think the epsons are a good balance of quality and price. They definitely take some futzing with, but at this point it's not the scanner that's the problem, it's my photography. Maybe if I had everything else dialed in, I'd start to feel crappy about the scanner, but I'm not even close. I'm not sure I ever will. I'm not sure about making huge prints, but that's not my goal. At 13x19 it's 100% awesome.
I'm sure a drum scan might look better if you had the two prints side by side, but guess what? You don't. My prints look great as they are.
http://www.kenleegallery.com/images/...ngNegative.jpg
6x9 Negative: Agfa Record II with 105mm Apotar (1950's Folding Camera), TMY, D-76
http://www.kenleegallery.com/images/...anningTest.jpg
Epson 4990 - Raw scan @2400 spi at 3 different heights, adjusted with the BetterScanning holder.
http://www.kenleegallery.com/images/...tSharpened.jpg
Same image with moderate sharpening.
Given that these Epson scanners have limited resolution (approx. 2300 spi for the v700 and 1600 for the 4990), it's best to get the full resolution out of them - especially when using Medium Format or 4x5 film.
A BetterScanning film holder costs another $100, or around 15% more money - and gets us around that much better resolution. To get more resolution, we need to spend a lot more money: a disproportionate amount, you might say.