The new Epson Scanner V700 looks very promising.

[Rob_6274]

Photo-i has started his review of the epson V700. It's very very close to Nikon 4000 performance, http://www.photo-i.co.uk/Reviews/interactive/Epson%20V700/page_8.htm

I imagine the V750M with better optical coating would be stellar Finally I can get a scanner that will scan my 35mm, 645, 6x6, 6x7, 6x9, 6x12, 4x5, 5x7 and 8x10 film, and yes, I shoot them all, except the 8x10 which will arrive next week.

[Kirk Gittings]

Taking the word of a rep is very risky business. Lets wait for some real tests by real photographers.

[Ted Harris]

I expect to have either a V 700 or a 750 to review and evaluate by the end of this month. I have my fingers crossed that it will be a 750 but it is veryy iffy that it will be available then. Assuming I get one of them by the end of the month the results will be included in the round-up of scanners for the May-June issue of "View Camera." We have already tested the Microtek i800, 1800f and 1000XL for this round up and I have my fingers crossed we will be able to include real results from the new Epson's as well.

[Brian Ellis]

I don't think scanners can be evaluated properly by viewing images on a computer monitor. I think you have to see the prints. I also think you have to know what to look for. When I attended Ted and Mike's scanning workshop a print would look pretty good to me, then Ted or Mike would point out this problem here and that problem there, none of which I had noticed because the problems were subtle. But once you saw them they were glaring. So I wouldn't draw any conclusions from on-screen comparisons of the 700 and 750 with each other or with earlier models, I'd wait to see what people who are objective (i.e. who don't have an economic interest in selling them) and whose knowledge I respect (e.g. Ted and Kirk here) have tested them and see what they have to say about them.

[Mike Chini]

What I see so far is not really impressing me all that much. I can clearly see horizontal lines in all of Vincent's scans. While this may be due to increased resolution revealing cheaper manufacturing attributes (stepping motor?), it is not very reassuring. It's as if they improved the lens and sensor but left the mechanics of the 4990 in. If the 750 is no better in this regard, I will be pretty disappointed. Also, it is clear once again that Epson is inflating their specs and that an average film scanner is still much superior to a flatbed. I'm hoping the next sections in the review prove me wrong though!

[Rob_6274]

Vincent showed that the height of the film makes a big difference in sharpness. At 3.5mm setting, it outperforms the nikon 4000 and flextight. I wonder whether somebody would produce a film holder with a continuously variable heigh adjuster. I really can't wait to get this scanner

[Kirk Gittings]

There is know doubt that the Nikon is a great scanner, unfortunately on this forum most of us need a good scanner which will scan something larger tha 6x9. If Nikon had made a dedicated 4x5 film scanner many of us would have bought it allong time ago. I know I would have. I currently own and use a Nikon 8000, a MTK 1800f and two Epson 4990's and I borrow an Imacon on occasion. I would love to get rid of them for a one good scanner that would do up to 4x5 without having to buy my own Imacon.

[Ed Richards]

I am with Kirk - if there was a successor to the ancient poloroid 4x5 scanner I would bought it. I do not need nearly the resolution you get from 35mm film scanners, which Vince is concerned about. A real 2400 DPI with reasonable noise would be great. Even noise is not as much of an issue for those of us scanning black and white negatives.

[Don Miller]

For 4x5 and greater the issue is dmax, as far as I'm concerned. At this point it appears the V700 produces higher resolution at a smaller file size compared to the older Epson scanners. That's a sign of quality, as it is when comparing digital cameras. Perhaps with the fluid mount version we get a better factory adjustment for focal point. It seems the variance Vincent found with film height is individual to each unit.

[sergio monai]

The problem of height adjustment is simply a problem of focus. The Epson 1680 has the great possibility to tune the focus position,
is for that reason that it costs a lot more than these scanners? really professional scanners (creo, fuji, ancient agfa) were expensive because the mechanical enginnering is expensive. Said that, it's clear that the improvement is great from just few years ago. I don't expect a much better performance with the v750 because the money difference is due mainly to the software.