Product Review: BetterScanning.com Variable Height Mounting Station

[sanking]

It's obvious if you hunt for focus that there is an area of perhaps a mm or so where focus changes little. I have tried to nail the center of that so negatives not glass mounted (with the inevitable slight curve) are largely in focus. I'm not sure glass mounting is better given the slight bit of depth of field available.

The "super high resolution lens" that is used when one chooses film holder has a larger aperture and less depth of field than the "high resolution" lens that is used when one selects film area guide. In my own testing of the V700 I found that with the super high resolution lens one could definitely see a difference in resolution between plane of best focus and 0.3 mm on each side of the plane. However, to see the difference you need a really high resolution negative with a lot of contrast. I did the testing with the Betterscanning holder, fluid mounting the target on the underside of the glass.

Sandy King

[bvstaples]

I'll probably buy one of these soon. I was kind of holding out to see if BS would come out with a holder for 8x10s, but I don't think they will, at least not until I take the plunge and buy one; then a week later they'll announce the 8x10 holder.

Brian

[Paul T]

Michael,
Thank you for the excellent review. I love the sample photos.
Paul

[Pfeiffer Duckett]

Send him an email and ask about one: I asked something similar and I think he's unsure if there is a market for it.

I'll probably buy one of these soon. I was kind of holding out to see if BS would come out with a holder for 8x10s, but I don't think they will, at least not until I take the plunge and buy one; then a week later they'll announce the 8x10 holder.

Brian

[sanking]

Send him an email and ask about one: I asked something similar and I think he's unsure if there is a market for it.

To scan 8X10" negatives you might consider the method suggested by Jeremy Moore. See http://www.largeformatphotography.in...ad.php?t=55588

Basically you just have a piece of anti-glare glass cut to the size of the scanning bed and then adjust height over the glass for focus with small washers placed under the glass. You can then tape the negative to the bottom of the glass for dry mounting, or fluid mount it, as you choose. You can mark the top of the glass (or tape it) to the opening size of the film area guide to assure accurate placement of the negative. For 8X10 negatives you will need to select film area guide, not film holde.

Sandy King

[emo supremo]

I posted this next to the kindred spirit looking for a means to scan 5x7 on this V7xx type system so pardon the redunduncy but it is confusing and important.

This holder from BS you folks rave about, is it a wet, a dry or a wet OR dry type of holder? I'm finding it an important question to ask i.e., what the part number and item description of this holder is you folks obtained from from BS is? There seems to be two holders featured for by BS for the V7xx scanners. When I ordered one on their website it said "Holder for V750" but (in addition) there was a separate hyperlink for a combination holder/ANR glass package, so I clicked that. Just before sending my cashier's check I enquired to make sure and, sure enough, that holder/glass combination will NOT permit wetmounts. I had to cancel the order and am kind of in limbo here. If you want to wet mount DO NOT order the combo for the V7xx. Doug at BS says it is dry only.

So help us out and be explicit about exactly what holder you are using for the V750. And if the V700 has a different holder make note of that for us too. None of us need another holder (however improved) that doesn't meet expectations.

P.S. Down at the camera shop they told me to use Mineral Oil instead of Kami fluid. Comments anyone?
Is Kami fluid substitutable with some other liquid readily available from the chemist (at vastly reduced prices)?
Teflon and plastic washers are available at hardware stores.

[D. Bryant]

P.S. Down at the camera shop they told me to use Mineral Oil instead of Kami fluid. Comments anyone?

Don't use mineral oil.

Don Bryant

[Wade Guisbert]

OK, assuming the BS dry mount is better than the Epson dry mount holder. How much better (if at all) is the wet mount method over the dry mount method in the BS system?

And to put confusion to rest, the dry/wet BS option does both dry and wet?

I'm interested mainly because my V700 has no wet scan capabilities out of the box. The BS system does. So, if wet is better than dry, then why not just do wet? Of course I am strictly a hobbyist, and I have no production concerns.

I guess I'd be less of a skeptic if the Better Scanninng method didn't have the initials: B.S.!

[Doug Fisher]

For clarification, and as I posted to the other thread, the mounting station can do fluid scanning, or optionally, fluid + dry scanning (the latter incorporates the expensive AN glass).

When it comes to flatbed scanners (versus, say, drum scanners), the level of benefit from fluid mounting varies from situation to situation. Some people notice a significant improvement and thus they will become devoted to fluid mounting. Other people try fluid mounting and can't see an appreciable difference compared dry mounting so they wonder why others bother with fluid mounting. I am up front about this when people ask. Unfortunately, fluid mounting isn't always the holy grail that other sellers imply. A lot depends on technique/implementation and the particular type of film being scanned. I do feel it is a good "tool" to have and in the "scanning toolbox" because when it does work well you will see improvements in micro contrast and often imperfections like film scratches are less visible. Unfortunately, it is hard to make a blanket statement about fluid scanning that applies to everyone so a person just has to try it with their scanner and particular film type(s) to see.

My $.02,

Doug
---
www.BetterScanning.com

[Bjorn Nilsson]

OK, assuming the BS dry mount is better than the Epson dry mount holder. How much better (if at all) is the wet mount method over the dry mount method in the BS system?

And to put confusion to rest, the dry/wet BS option does both dry and wet?

I'm interested mainly because my V700 has no wet scan capabilities out of the box. The BS system does. So, if wet is better than dry, then why not just do wet? Of course I am strictly a hobbyist, and I have no production concerns.

I guess I'd be less of a skeptic if the Better Scanninng method didn't have the initials: B.S.!

The reason for the BetterScanning mounting station (and the other BS holders) being "better" is that they are sturdier and that you can adjust the height of the holder (above the glass surface) in a very precise way. Second, all BS holders are designed to hold the film flatter than the Epson OEM holders.
With wet mounting you get the film perfectly flat, which of course is good. But I've also noticed that there is a bit less of dust and scratches when I wet-mount.

Personally I only wet-mount a negative when it has something "extra" which I want to print big. Wetmounting is messier and more time consuming, but it does give me that little extra bit of quality in the end. For starters I usually go with the Epson OEM holders when I make a first scan to sort out the "bad seeds".

//Björn