Epson, opinon on 4870 & 4990

[kevs-2323668]

Anyone know how these are compared to the newer 700 and 750? thanks!

[John Flavell]

I'm doing the same research. Search those together and you get a ton of info.

[kevs-2323668]

thanks John, yeah good threads there. seems the 4990 is spot on, not sure about the 4870. too bad, refurbished Epson is discontinued.

[kevs-2323668]

I do see it on ebay, but I would be wary of a used scanner no? so much moving parts...
Anyone know about the 4870, and also, the V500 what's difference between that and 750?

[Bill McMannis]

I purchased my 4870 new in late 2004 and still use it today. I have made 16x20 prints from my 4x5 transparencies and negatives. I used SilverFast AI Studio for my scanning. The 4870 runs like a tank and gets such good results I never saw a need to replace it. If you can find a low mileage one on the used market it would certainly be an economical way to get a 4x5 scanner.

[kevs-2323668]

thanks Bill, cool, I don't think that can be found with quick search.

[neil poulsen]

I purchased my 4870 new in late 2004 and still use it today. I have made 16x20 prints from my 4x5 transparencies and negatives. I used SilverFast AI Studio for my scanning. The 4870 runs like a tank and gets such good results I never saw a need to replace it. If you can find a low mileage one on the used market it would certainly be an economical way to get a 4x5 scanner.

All ditto for me.

Consider the following review comparing the 4780 with the 4990. I really don't see much difference in quality in the two film scan examples. The 4990 is faster, and it can do 8x10's.

http://www.photo-i.co.uk/Reviews/int...0/Page%201.htm

The two following reviews compare the 700 with the 4990 and the 750 with the 700 respectively. In fact, the first has one comparison between the 700 and the 4870. At 3200, the 4870 looks a trifle better. But, there are a lot of variables, not to mention the particular scanners used in the comparison.

http://www.photo-i.co.uk/Reviews/int...700/page_1.htm

http://www.photo-i.co.uk/Reviews/int...750/page_1.htm\

All three reviews are from www.photo-i.co.uk. I've found this site's reviews to be thorough and useful.

[Zaitz]

I think the 4990 can be a terrific value. Does a good job on 4x5 and 8x10 for me. I don't see any reason, for myself, to ever upgrade to a V700. I just don't think that very tiny bit of margin is going to be worth it especially if the photo would be drum scanned if I were happy with it anyway.

Have you seen this? You can see the differences:
http://www.largeformatphotography.info/scan-comparison/

[kevs-2323668]

Like I said, I'm sold! But let me know if you find a clean one for me!

[Ari]

I saw a noticeable improvement when going from the 4870 to the 4990.
The gain was less apparent when I got a 750, but I bought it only because it was at $300 (yes, I lucked out).
What may be more important than which scanner, though, is using a height-adjustable film holder, like the Betterscanning holder.