Epson 4990 - WOOHOOO!

[adamc]

I just had to share with everyone, I scored an Epson 4990 today off Craigslist...

This couple had a 4990 and a printer, which eventually konked out so the replaced that with an all-in-one unit and stuck the 4990 in a closet. They are moving tomorrow and had to get rid of it asap. They listed it under the general 'for sale' section...long story short I got it for $20!!

It didn't come with the software and they threw out the film holders, she actually said to me "who scans film?", but it works beautifully. I'll be getting the Better Scan film holders. I've been waiting for an opportunity like this to come around, and I'm super excited...you'll be seeing more of my LF work around here in the coming months.

Adam


Here is my first LF scan:

[Frank Petronio]

Great score... You can set the film on the platen for rough work.

[rguinter]

What a bargain. I bought one used about 2-years ago for about $300 if I recall. I have made hundreds of scans with mine from 35-mm to 8x10-inch. But I find it doesn't do very well with the film directly on the glass so film holders will be needed. But that's to be expected.

I did have some trouble with the software though where I had to change some parameters in memory allocation. After that it works smooth. Regards. Bob G.

[bvstaples]

I bought my 4990 from CompUSA when they went out of business here in California. I bought the "demo" model, which is the one that sat on the showroom shelf for everyone to look at. It had never really been used. Paid $100 for it and thought I got a great deal.

As a demo it came with nothing other than the scanner itself. I ended up buying the film holders and accessories from Compass Micro (www.compassmicro.com) for really cheap.

Despite that some say you can do better with later models, or drum scanners, for the serious hobbyist or beginning LF shooter, with a little tweaking you can make this unit perform!


Brian

[adamc]

Thanks for the tips guys.
Brian - I hadn't heard of Compass Micro before, they have all the parts I've been looking for, (and they're cheap!) thanks for the link.

Adam

[jdimichele]

Congrats on your great deal! Considering you got the scanner for such a great price, you should consider purchasing VueScan Pro for $80. Well worth the money and it's a great scanning application. While the Epson scan does a good job as well, VueScan really allows you to make the 4990 sing.

Cheers,
Jay
www.jasondimichele.com

[Curt]

Jay, can you tell me what VueScan will do that the Epson program won't do? I have the 4990 scanner.

Thanks,
Curt