So far I've been scanning my 4x5 film on a freinds Epson 4870, but he is away on holiday. I've an option to borrow a neglected Microtek 8700 for a few weeks, it has a claimed dmax of 3.4 and uses a carrier in a draw under the scanners glass. I'll mainly be scanning B&W FP4+ and just a few Velvia 50, currently printing no larger than A3+. Does anyone use this scanner, is it effective?
Steve, no direct experience with that particular model but I can tell you that it is an older Microtek model that has been discontinued for 2-4 years. Its maximum 'real' resolution is going to be in the neighborhood of 800-1000 ppi at best and 'real' Dmax will be a good bit less than the specified 3.4, expect something more like 2.4-2.5 at best. That said, the resolution will not come near that of the Epson but the Dmax may be close although not likely as good. I would recommend another choice. If money is an object look at auction for used Microtek 2500's or the same rebranded as Agfa Duoscan 2500, they can often be had in the range of $200 and will easily outperform the Epson 4870 and other similar scanners. I especially recommend looking for one of these other solutions if you are printing larger than A3 as even A3 is poushing the outer limits of the 4870.
Thanks for the comments. I now have the Microtek 8700 at home and it's awful. On the 3 Velvia sheets I've scanned, there's very noticeable digital noise in the shadows. Whether that's normal or a fault it makes it unuseable. I'll try some B&W FP4 before taking it back, it may tolerate that better.
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