Scanning 5x4 with an Epson 4490?

[jimbobuk]

I brought an epson 4490 a few months back, to scan my 35mm and medium format negatives that I could either home develop (b&w) or get developed externally (c41 and e6).

It was a lot cheaper than the 4990 which on paper at least looks a similar spec, i'm sure there are differences.. for sure one is that the 4990 can scan 5x4" film properly (can it even scan larger sizes?)

The 4490 however only has a height of the lightbox in the lid sufficient for medium format 120/220 film... not tall enough for 5x4", it is thankfully wide enough though, although the film holder for medium format stops at 12cm wide.

I plan to try and scan the large format negs i get with this scanner.. i have no film holder for that size so sadly i fear it wont be very sharp as i believe the scanner is focused at a mm or so off of the glass. I plan to scan it in two steps, or more and then use some stitching software to stitch it together.. has anyone tried this kind of thing before?

Long term i will plan to get a new scanner.. 4990, or V700 i guess are possibles, i would love to get a better one if there are ones out there, available in the UK.. with a budget that isn't astronomical.. i'll keep looking at the scanner comparison but a lot of the names of manufacturers on there are new to me.

Anyways thought i'd ask before i end up struggling with the negs and the scanner.. is it even going to be possible?

Cheers

[Brian Ellis]

"for sure one is that the 4990 can scan 5x4" film properly (can it even scan larger sizes?)"

The 4990 can scan 8x10 film.

[jimbobuk]

Guys, i'm trying to scan my first set of negs and hitting the problems.. the biggest one seems to be that i HAVE to use a film holder for it to even understand what its seeing.. luckily the medium format one can be used not closed, i'll see if its damaged the neg but it shouldn't have too much pressure on it. I'll be trying to join it afterwards..

I'm assuming that its the coded patterns on the holder that i perhaps need if i wish to just place the film on the platter without being in the holder.. i'll look into it, anyone else come across this kind of issue with epson scanners?

[John Berry]

You will get the sharpest scans in a holder emulsion up. That said, many of us scan our 8x10 negs flat on the glass emulsion side down. Did you not get a full set of holders with the unit?

[jimbobuk]

John, the 4490 only supports medium format natively.. lucky enough its wide enough for my 6x12cm negs, and that is about wide enough for 5x4" ...

The first scan has come out ok..

http://flickr.com/photos/jimbobuk/22...7594253992034/

scanned twice and then stitched together..

I will get a better scanner eventually though, its too much hassle.. whether the quality is any better for a V700 compared to the 4490, i dont know.. especially for large format..

Anyways this will do for now just to let it be known it IS possible for anyone wanting to have a play on a budget.

[John Berry]

Sorry, it just now registered 4490 not 4990. Doh!!!

[Doug Fisher]

>>I'm assuming that its the coded patterns on the holder that i perhaps need if i wish to just place the film on the platter without being in the holder.. i'll look into it, anyone else come across this kind of issue with epson scanners?<<

You can make your own black mask out of 1 mm thick material and tape your film to it. Placing this down onto the scanner bed should allow the scanner to calibrate correctly. Just use a current holder to trace the outline and make sure you include the calibration gap/notch found at the top of the holder. Never let film or anything cover any part of the calibration gap. In Epsonscan, you will need to switch to Professional mode and then to the manual cropping mode. Auto cropping often doesn't work when you are using it with normal holders, so it definitely isn't going to work with your own mask. If you need specific directions on how to manually crop in Epsonscan, I put some tips up here:

http://www.betterscanning.com/scanni...hscanning.html

Doug
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www.BetterScanning.com

[jimbobuk]

Thanks for the info Doug.. any more you can elaborate on that would be appreciated.. do you have a picture of something similar that you've made up before?

Is it important that the neg is surrounded by black, or is it more crucial that the black and white tabs are located where the scanner expects, surrounded by black..

It'd be great to have some diagrams on this as i'm sure some would be interested in using the scanners beyond their initial capabilities.

[jimbobuk]

Doug, didn't realise you were responsible for the alternative film holders.. i was very interested in considering this at one point.. and may do in the future.. right now i'll need to be looking for a scanner that will scan the large format negs I can now produce..

You're clearly well practised in working with these scanners though.. i did wonder how the aftermarket holders worked.. following these problems its become clear to me how important the coded sections are for the scanner to actually do the job.

[Doug Fisher]

>>Is it important that the neg is surrounded by black, or is it more crucial that the black and white tabs are located where the scanner expects, surrounded by black.<<

For the initial calibration, the shape of the top of the holder is most important. If the scanner does not calibrate, you can get odd color shifts and even banding sometimes.

Masking around the negative itself is a good idea although it doesn't seem to be as important with the newer Epson scanners that have the single small light tube that moves inside the light lid. With them, you don't have as much scattered light like you get with the older style light lid that lights up the whole transparency adapter area at once.

Doug
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www.BetterScanning.com