4x5 Slide Scanner needed

[Larry Gaskill]

I currently scan medium format slides and would love to find a good quality large format (4x5) transparancy scanner.

I understand Nikon had the 4500 that would do 4x5 but now the new releases don't seem to provide for 4x5

Any recommendations would be appreciated (not flat bed scanners)

Thanks

Larry

[Martin VanMeter]

New scanner will be on the market in 2 months, look promising at the "market price" Canon D2400uf with carrier for transparencies up to 4x5

http://consumer.usa.canon.com/scanners/csd2400uf/index.html

[Jim Billlups]

Larry,

You're looking for a dedicated film scanner, not a flat bed, like the Canon correct?

[Richard S. Ross]

I am lucky enough to have a friend with a Polaroid SprintScan 45, which looks outwardly alot like the Nikon you refer to. This is a fabulous scanner with the exception of the 4x5 carrier which only allows for a scanning area of roughly 3.6 x 4.6 inches and makes it difficult to scan the edges of a sheet of film because of the design.

It produces extremely rich and accurate scans with absolutely no loss of shadow detail. It is also very fast. The specs from polaroids website say : 2500x2500dpi single pass, Dmax=3.8, 5 minutes at maximum resolution.

He paid something in the neighborhood of $8k many years ago for it. There is a newer model which has higher resolution and costs in the mid $3k range I believe. I wonder if there is a better holder available though.

[dangal]

Hello guys I have for sale the polaroid 45 sprintscan, an x-demo, definitely not a used scanner! for AUS$5,500 + shipping costs (its best if you have a UPS/Fedex account number). With the cheap aussie dollar it is a good buy for US buyers out there!

[Douglas P. Theall]

Larry, Don't waste your money on all those High end scanners. Check out he Epson 1200U Photo scanner. For a few hundred (not thousands) it will scan up to a 4x5 negative or slide. It also does regular flatbed scanning as well so you can digitize prints when the negatives can't be found. You can go up to the 1600U if you really want the top of the line but the 1200U does fine. Make sure you get the Photo model which comes with the lid with the neg/slide scanner attachment. Check it out at the epson site and then check prices on ebay. Good Luck. Doug

[Bruce M. Herman]

Larry,

You didn't mention what you planned to do with the scans of your transparencies. That is a key question when deciding which scanner to purchase.

Transparency scanners have received a great deal of discussion in the PDN Pro Forum. Go to www.pdnonline.com. In the center column in the lower half of the opening page is the link to the forum. You can post your question there after you register, or you can search for past discussions concerning transparency scanners in the Tech Talk forum.

Regards Bruce

[Pete Andrews]

I had an Epson 1200 'perfection' for precisely two days. The lens was so bad that it couldn't resolve anything near the claimed 1200dpi. I tested it with a high resolution glass plate, and it acheived about 13 lppm, or just over 600dpi. The same plate in a proper 35mm film scanner was resolved at over 60lppm.I then spent hours trying to get a better focus with the darn thing, and came to the conclusion that the lens was just a pile of crap.I don't know if the 1640 is any better, but most of the reviews I've seen don't rate it very highly for sharpness.If anyone has any objective measurements of the 1640, I'd be very interested. Comments like 'tack sharp' won't be accepted as evidence.

[Paul Schilliger]

What Pete says is often the problem with "affordable" scanner. They claim a cert ain resolution, but when you compare them with high-end scanners at same resolution, it's a totally different evaluation system. Just like looking at something through the bottom of a bottle or through a perfect optic.

[Larry Gaskill]

Thanks for your contributions.

I currently scan my medium format slides with a Minolta Dimage Multi

I use for archival purposes, sending slides through email to friends and others. I usually print an 8x10 or 10x10 and put better prints in show book. I also produce a cd slide show to show off my work.

I still would prefer the best quality possible if I am going to go through the effort etc.

Thanks