Epson V800 - Epson Scan Vs Silverfast

[alanmcd]

Can anyone shed some light on some scanner queries? I am scanning 4x5" B&W negatives in the supplied holder.
My objective is to come up with a workflow to produce scans capable of 20x30" prints, and I would like, in the first instance, to provide my own scan - a drum scan by the service might be the final result if I'm happy with my own work.

1: The height adjustment on the holder appears to do absolutely squat to the final image quality. In fact, the documentation doesn't even talk about these little height adjusters at all. Correct?

2: I've been testing Epson Scan Vs Silverfast SE which comes with my Perfection V800
Epson Scan uses ICE as per hardware name. I think Silverfast uses the same hardware feature but calls it iSRD. It’s an additional infrared scan which maps dust and scratch marks then processing the original scan to remove the mapped marks. Correct?

3: (Observation) Epson Scan is faster than Silverfast - not sure why. The processing of iSRD in Silverfast takes forever.

4: Scanning at 3200 ppi on Epson Scan gives me black blobs/squares in lots of places where it appears to be below some kind of a threshold. 4800 delivers an acceptable image. Is this by design?
Silverfast 3200 does not give me the black blobs - not sure why Epson Scan has this threshold issue. Or is it a setting I need to discover?

5: The 4800 Silverfast scan creates a 1Gb TIF file for 4x5 area.
With Silverfast you can set Ilford HP5Plus 400 ISO - not sure what this would make the scan do - Epson Scan doesn’t offer such a selection. But Silverfast then defaults to CCR (Color Cast Removal) Why? for B&W?

6: Lightroom imports this file OK but you have to be patient during develop processes, but I am working with a printing service/lab and they are asking for an 8bit 254dpi file output which is only 95Mb in size. I'm seeing what it finally produces. The first guy I spoke to said he needed a 200Mb file but upon further reading of their spec, this is only created for 16bit. 8bit produces 95Mb. So I'm sending the 95Mb file to see what it produces.

7: I suppose I'd like to get scanner output which is close to the final output required. 1Gb files in Lightroom produce a real lag when you are doing spot removal and that sort of thing. If there’s no benefit in acquiring this file size in the first place, then there’s a good reason to avoid it. But my gut is telling me that you need all this information in the file to produce the final downsized output at its best. Is this a common observation?

8: When I export from Lightroom to Flickr, the largest size (Original) is 11414 x 14518 which implies 38x48" at 300dpi, but this is a JPG... Is this any different to TIF in terms of printability?

9: The service says it can print 20x30 from 5Mb JPGs - is this possible?
Here's the example I'm working with:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/metadi...7664271821431/

Obviously I'm just the same as all permanently confused people WRT resolutions for printing and screen output.
But some pointers from an expert here would be greatly appreciated.
In the first instance I'd like to see a 20x30 to see how my post processing is going. Even if I get a drum scan done, I probably want to post process myself a little.

Using the Silverfast help file is one thing, but every Youtube video I watch, the experts(?) always recommend not using any settings in the scanner software, instead recommending you use Photoshop etc for any adjustments.
It would be nice to read an authoritative masterclass on this subject.

regards
Alan

[tjvitale]

I don't use the devices supplied. I take a mechanics 6" steel ruler (1/2" wide in 1/100" and mm). Turn in upside down and raise the 6"-end 6mm off the platen using a 6mm stack of PostIts. One mm is equal to 1 inch on the ruler.

Make the scans you want to test. Note where the image is sharpest, or rather the range of sharpness. Mine was at about 0.5 to 1.5 mm; this takes some experience and time to see definitively. I use a 1/32" or 0.03" (0.9mm) polycarbonate sheet to raise the negative off the platen with my solvent of choice for a wet mount. Using solvent at the three interface locations you have access to. The underside of the platen is still a air-glass interface, but nothing can be done between it and the 'mirror(s) & lens' component. I don't know if the underside of platen has any sort of [coating] treatment. The top gets indiscriminate cleaning, so I have assumed it does not ay sort of coating.

This works for me.

Tim
510-594-8277

[alanmcd]

Wow - all that sophisticated hardware an we still need to resort to posit notes as shims? I don't get it.

[mrred]

Wow - all that sophisticated hardware an we still need to resort to posit notes as shims? I don't get it.

The scanner has electronic control over focus. Vuescan allows you to overside (adjust) this. I'm not sure why Epson Scan does not. I have no regard for Silverfast so I am not surprised.

[mijosc]

The scanner has electronic control over focus. Vuescan allows you to overside (adjust) this.

Really?! My V750 has no electronic focus control. I didn't think the V800/850 was that different.

[mrred]

Really?! My V750 has no electronic focus control. I didn't think the V800/850 was that different.

It does. You will see it with Vuescan pro in pro mode.

[alen]

It does. You will see it with Vuescan pro in pro mode.

I think this is worth a thread on its own and im sure many here would love to know more.

[RHITMrB]

I think this is worth a thread on its own and im sure many here would love to know more.

Again, he's referring to the dual lens system, which is mentioned explicitly in plenty of places in the manual and marketing literature. One lens is focused directly on the upper surface of the platen and the other is some distance (1.5mm or so?) above the glass, for use with the film holders.

edit to illustrate:

[Kirk Gittings]

It does. You will see it with Vuescan pro in pro mode.

It doesn't. There is no mechanism for focus control. As there is no hardware for it there is nothing for the software to control. There are two fixed focus lenses to switch between that's all. Focus is controlled by manually raising or lowering the film holder. I'm fairly sure Epson would put electronic focus control in the promotional literature if it had it as would Silverfast. All of us that had 700/750s were hoping for it but the new ones didn't and that was a big disappointment. http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/j...sku=B11B223201

[vuescan]

Hi - just to give you some information about VueScan... VueScan assumes that the film is off the glass when it’s being scanned – this is true of all the Epson film holders so VueScan sets the focus position to “off the glass”.

On the glass scanning causes Newton rings – it’s not a good idea.

We could easily modify VueScan to let people set the focus position manually, but we don't think it would be very useful. But we are always open to any ideas and suggestions from our customers... :-)

Thank you :-)
Beverley.

Director of Marketing - VueScan
www.hamrick.com