Scanner for 5x7?

[Bill_1856]

Do any of the current under $1000 flatbed scanners take 5x7 negatives? TIA.

[Ted Harris]

The Microtek i900 and 1800 for sure. Some of thge offerings from UMAX may also be under 1000 but I dont think they will come up to the standards of the Microteks.

[Michael Kadillak]

I like my Epson 4970 Pro at $560 with 5x7, but I am not an expert on these matters by any stretch of the imagination. It does not come with a 5x7 negative template although I have heard that they can be had on the after market, so I can just center the negative on the bed and go for it.

I would post some images I scanned with it here, bit I do not know how. I would be happy to send you a sample Bill if you want to take a look.

Cheers!

[Spencer Cliss]

Another one that will do 5"x7" (13x18) is the Epson Perfection 4870. There's no film holder for that size, you just put the sheet on the glass.



The 4870 returns about half of the resolving power of my transparencies. A 70 lp/mm slide gets maybe 30-35 lp/mm in the scan, no matter what the selected dpi in the scanner software. These scanners scan through their less than sharp optics at fantastically high dpi.

For the money though, you won't get much better as far as I know.

Regards
Frank

[Spencer Cliss]

example Epson 4870

[Bill_1856]

Are the 4870 and 4970 the same/different units? B&H only has the 4870.

[Michael Kadillak]

I made a mistake. It is the Espon 4870. Sorry.

Cheers!

[Spencer Cliss]

Caution, some sources on the web say that the Microtek i900 does not offer Digital ICE dust and scratch removal for film, only for flat art. If true, that sucks.


http://groups.google.ch/groups?q=microtek+i900+digital+ice&hl=de&lr=&client=firefox-a&selm=32d568f3.0410131543.52beb806%40posting.google.com&rnum=6

[Bill_1856]

Thanks for the samples, Michael. The 4870 certainly ought to do the trick. I've always loved 5x7 format, but avoided it because it's too small to contact print and I didn't want a 5x7 enlarger. Being able to scan the negatives and print them like an ordinary digitl file certainly changes everything. How large are typical files (the ones you sent indicated they were only 2+ MB, but they certainly tied my computer up for a long while.)

[Michael Kadillak]

Although one's first impression like your is that 5x7 is to small to contact, I must say that I have seen some marvelous 5x7 contact prints (Azo) and have been satisfied with several I have done. Mounted on an 8x10 or even a larger matt, they really do look great.

Cheers!