After playing with this new scanner (9950f) and comparing it to my 4870, I decided that a big issue related to sharpness on all flatbeds is the noticeable sag in a horizontal 4x5 negative, which plays havok with the level film plane.
So I simply scaned a negative with the scanner on its side. Yes-holding the scanner on its side for ten minutes so there would be no sag and low and behold I have a significantly sharper scan. All I did to fascilitate this was to put a couple of small furniture bumpers on the film holder so the the lid when lowered would pin it in place. Next time I think I will get a long piece of Velcro double sided strap to wrap arould the whole thing to hold the lid securely, so I don't have to hold it.
Would someone else try this and tell me if I am crazy or not. This seems too simple of a solution to a big problem.
This probably puts some odd stress on some gears or tracks and it may be better to tilt it to one edge vs. another and the scanner will probably wear out faster but what the hell. If it works better with a shorter life.
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