David,
I am also into buying my first scanner for 4x5 and shortlisted the same devices as you. To my knowledge the i900 is not available yet and exists only as a press release for download from www.microtek.com.
What I found interesting is that the Microtek nearly doubles the Epson in weight (25.5lbs) and has no glas plate in the scanning path.
I guess we have to wait some more weeks before first hand opinions show up on the Internet.
Martin
I bought a 4870 early February, needed to scan 4x5 and 6x12 for web use. I was impressed with the results, for the price this scanner is a great value. Epson's scanner software is not great but usable.
I did notice that ICE increased scan times by a factor of 2-3 on my (not so fast) Windows laptop. Probably the CPU capacity was the bottleneck.
ICE increases time because the scanner has to do two passes, unlike a 35mm scanner which usually scans simultaneously in visible and IR.
The 4870 can be found at Costco.com for $399 (not the pro version). I don't think you have to be a memeber to buy, they have a liberal return policy, and you can return it to a local store. I bought one and have been very happy. I'm using it for 35mm-4x5. The Epson driver is not bad, very much like the Mira scan I used with an old Acer. I can make very nice 7x10.5 prints from 35mm. Of course the MF/LF stuff looks that much better but I currently don't have a wide format printer so I not really testing the output.
QT
you shoot 5x7 does the 4870 support this format or is the light the same width as the 3200?
The transparency scanning area of the 4870 is 6x9, so unlike the 3200 it scans 5x7. However, film holders are provided only up to 4x5, so you have to make your own.
I'm a little confused about some of the statements here about scanners. One is "true resolution", and another is the estimation another 10-20% increase in resolution from the epson 3200 to the 4870. If my math is correct a 20% increase only adds about 600 dpi, which is far short of the advertised 4800 dpi. Maybe the relatively low dmax compared to film scanners has a more pronouced effect on the appearance of the scan.
Check out this website from someone who compared the Epsons (3200 and 4870) with a flextight precision 2 scanner. He also did scans using a dedicated Nikon film scanner and compared them to the Epsons. Apparently you have to use a fair amount of unsharp mask to get good scans. http://www.photo-i.co.uk/Reviews/interactive/Epson%204870/page_7.htm
Of course there is the FLAAR group who thinks the only scanners (flatbed) worth having cost thousands of dollars. What's funny is that they never seem to even test scanners like Epsons before discounting them. In fairness to them they did mention an Epson 838xl or comparable as being recommended. And the article said a newer, better Epson will be out in 2004. Maybe they are talking about the 4870. This is their web address http://www.flatbed-scanner-review.org/Epson_perfection_professional/Epsonflatbedscanners.html.
Maybe some of you fine folks could encourage them to actually test these scanners instead of just making passing remarks.
Currently, I have photo restorations in the Microtek Gallery. I spoke with a reliable source at Microtek. They stated the i900 scanner is being tweaked right now before it's public release. Technical information is readily available with a google search.
Personally, I use the Microtek 6800 flatbed. It performs reliably and does a great job. If you are using using OS 10.3 you might want to look for drivers at the www.versiontracker.com website. I found an excellent Microtek driver for the 6800 on their UK website.
As far as Digital Ice is concerned I use it for 70% of my scans. Whatever damage it can't resolve, can be fixed in Photoshop CS.
I am also looking to get a new flatbed scanner. I have been using Microteks now for some 8 years, and I wanted to stay with them, however, my 6800 is causing me problems and I'm tired of trying to fix them, so I will be moving on to a different make. I expect a scanner to last more than 18 months, but my Microtek doesn't seem to want to cooperate (this is my second 6800....the first one did the same thing, so I sent it back under warranty and they sent me this one.) I originally started out with a ScanMaker III, but when I upgraded to a new computer and Win XP, it wouldn't run properly, so I bought the 6800.
I'm looking at the Epson 4870 and their E1680 Professional Firewire model. Does anyone know where I can get a review of these models? I don't need to scan slides or negatives, I have a dedicated slide scanner for those, I just want a good flatbed that does a really good job with photos.
I do have a question for those of you who are using the 4870......I scan mostly from magazines, and of course, moire is a big problem. The Microtek software (ScanWizard) allows you to set a custom descreen.....anywhere from 1 lpi to 266 lpi. I've noticed that some of Epson's software allows you to select a fixed descreen setting, like Magazine (133 lpi). Do either of these models have a custom descreen setting, or are you stuck with the fixed settings?
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