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Thread: Epson 2450 vs v700

  1. #1

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    Epson 2450 vs v700

    I currently do all my neg scanning on an old epson 2450, but am not sufficiently happy with the the results. I am aware that scanning requires some practice and playing around with the softwares to get it right, but I was wondering what are the advantages (if any) of the v700 over the 2450?

    I scan 120 as well as 4x5 ( color as well as BW). Most of my negs are for viewing on the computer, but I do tend to make 8x10 or 11x14 prints of shots I really like.

    I can spend the money on the v700, but if there are no obvious benefits, I'd rather save the money.

    I would appreciate your wisdom.

    Thanks.

    Avi
    Scientist by day and night, photographer in between.

  2. #2
    Jon Shiu's Avatar
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    Re: Epson 2450 vs v700

    Can you say what the reason is that you are unhappy with your scans? That would be a good starting point.

    Jon
    my black and white photos of the Mendocino Coast: jonshiu.zenfolio.com

  3. #3

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    Re: Epson 2450 vs v700

    Jon,

    Sorry...I should have mentioned that. It appears to me that the pictures lack sharpness and clarity. It could well be that the negatives are unsharp themselves (I am not trained enough at this point to examine the negatives well), but I also want to understand if the scanner could be responsible for any loss of sharpness.

    All my scans are at 2400 dpi.

    I shoot primarily with a 135mm optar or a 5" Benjamin French Petzval on a 4x5 speed graphic. I typically shoot using hp5+ 400 or foma 100.

    I should mention that I have been in film LF photography for only a few months now, so I should apologize in advance if i sound naive in my operation.

    Thanks.

    Avi
    Scientist by day and night, photographer in between.

  4. #4

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    Re: Epson 2450 vs v700

    An Optar, while a reasonably good lens, IMHO, doesn't look like it can compete with a modern multi-coated lens: http://www.hevanet.com/cperez/testing.html
    A Petzval is a portrait lens, with sharpness in the center and increasing softness towards the edges.
    Perhaps you're looking for sharpness where it doesn't exist?
    To rule out any problems with focusing or alignment, you might want to do a test with an inclined ruler. A good way to test the scanner is to make some scratches on a blank piece of film and see if they are sharp. Or look at the film edges and see if the markings are sharp.

    Hope this helps.
    Kumar

  5. #5

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    Re: Epson 2450 vs v700

    Kumar....you might be dead on. It was my suspicion too, but I wanted to ask you experienced folks since this should be common.

    I think I will do the scan test you have suggested. That should be easy enough...I will upload pictures of that test.

    Avi
    Scientist by day and night, photographer in between.

  6. #6
    Jim Jones's Avatar
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    Re: Epson 2450 vs v700

    I recently replaced an Epson 2450 with a V700. Film scans seem sharper even without fine tuning the height of the film holder as should be done.

  7. #7
    Jon Shiu's Avatar
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    Re: Epson 2450 vs v700

    I suggest you have a scan done on a V700 of a film you have already scanned. Then compare them. You might not see much of a difference, especially when you down-sample to screen or print resolution. In my experience Epson scans will look slightly soft when scanned at 2400dpi and can take a lot of unsharp mask in Photoshop, and multiple sharpening passes.

    Jon
    my black and white photos of the Mendocino Coast: jonshiu.zenfolio.com

  8. #8
    jp's Avatar
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    Re: Epson 2450 vs v700

    Scan some grainy film on both (like the cheap iso 400's or cheap 100s developed in caffenol-c). Then you'll be looking at the grain instead of the image for sharpness. Should be a little more objective that way.

    2400 dpi would be more than enough for a 8x10 or 11x14. Probably 1200-1600 dpi would do in some cases.

  9. #9

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    Re: Epson 2450 vs v700

    Maybe I can mail one of you with a V700 a 4x5 and 120 neg that I have already scanned on my 2450?
    Scientist by day and night, photographer in between.

  10. #10

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    Re: Epson 2450 vs v700

    Looks like I am getting some encouraging results from my Epson 2450. I scanned some 120 color film from my Pentax 645N. I paid specific attention to the film data that is automatically imprinted at the edge of the Fuji Velvia shots....it looks sharp to me....will upload a example tonight.

    Regarding the color, I up'd the contrast and it looks like that might have been the reason the colors looked a bit dull right off the scanner. The colors look much more lively after increasing the contrast in PS.

    So far I am happy with the results with post-processing and I am going to hold my purse strings real tight. A heads up for people in the market for a new scanner. The epson store clearance center has a 750 Pro for sale for ~$540.....

    So someone needs to get that before my finger itching gets worse.

    Avi
    Scientist by day and night, photographer in between.

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