Epson V800 Scanner Fluid Mount Fixed Height

[IanBarber]

I bought my Epson V800 just after it was released and it came with the Epson Fluid Mount as part of a promotion.
Having done various tests with Medium Format and 4x5 black and white negatives, I have gotten better results by using the Epson Fluid Mount as a dry mount holder.

I lay the negative emulsion side down and then place a piece of anti-reflective glass on top. I was reading some blurb the other day about the Better Scanning holder which has all these fine height adjustments. Even the standard holders which came with the V800 has about 3 possible adjustments to change the height.

I wonder why the Epson Fluid Mount is of a fixed height ?

[Pere Casals]

I wonder why the Epson Fluid Mount is of a fixed height ?

As the wet mounted film is flat then the holder can be designed for the precise height.

For dry holders, film can be somewhat curled, so it can be interesting to vary height to compensate for that. It's a common situation that what is in focus (in the scene) is in the center of the image (portraits, objects), in those cases it would be better to adjust the height for that.

I guess it's because of that, as it looks that optics are well focused at the specified height. When you scan on bed with the area guide you don't need to vary anything because the low res lens is just focused on the bed glass surface, but smaller negatives (4x5") can be separated from the bed to avoid newton rings, so the high res lens is focused at the holders' reference height, then you have an adjustment for the case that the sheet is not resting flat...

I guess it's because of that...

[Steven Ruttenberg]

I bought my Epson V800 just after it was released and it came with the Epson Fluid Mount as part of a promotion.
Having done various tests with Medium Format and 4x5 black and white negatives, I have gotten better results by using the Epson Fluid Mount as a dry mount holder.

I lay the negative emulsion side down and then place a piece of anti-reflective glass on top. I was reading some blurb the other day about the Better Scanning holder which has all these fine height adjustments. Even the standard holders which came with the V800 has about 3 possible adjustments to change the height.

I wonder why the Epson Fluid Mount is of a fixed height ?

I have been using the Betterscanning adjustable fluid mount with ANR and optical mylar with Kami mounting fluid. I mount the negative/slide so that the emulsion down (the image is seen correctly, ie, I can read the film type in the rebate) on the shiny side of the ANR by first applying fluid, then negative/slide then more fluid, then optical mylar. I then cover with either a microfiber cloth or anti-static cloth (the glass is also sitting on one of those) and then using light to medium pressure I use a brayer roller to flatten out image/mylar and squeeze out excess fluid. I then flip the glass/negative/slide sandwhich over and put in the mounting frame and use a black mask around film to block stray light and cut down on reflections.

So now, the negative should be facing the scanner glass with the ANR side facing the light in the scanner lid.

As for adjusting, I used a target, and the adjusted the height until I got the best possible focus (target is wet mounted). I then used a dial gauge and stand to ensure all of the holding tabs for the glass were at the exact same height. Finally, I used some white fingernail polish as a torque stripe between the adjusting fastener and the holder to lock it in place which prevents me from accidentally moving it and as an indicator that it has moved. This also gives me a quick way to reposition the adjusters if moved without having to whip out the dial gauge.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFbHt0y6R_Q

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fu25rYYWiRU (process is identical to using ANR glass and better scanning holder)

Be sure not to rub/clean mylar with anti-static cloth or microfiber cloth it will scratch it. Also, use an air blower to clean off dust and if you use an anti-static brush be sure to use very light pressure.

And as you know, clean and re-clean before mounting film. The better at that, the less work in PS.

Here is a post with a picture of how mount my film for use in better scanning holder. You are looking at the side that faces the scanner glass (towards bottom of scanner) On the backside of the blue tape is black gaffers tape. I do not show the mask that I cut out from the material supplied by Better Scanning. You can see the optical mylar. This also allows me to mount any negative in exactly the same spot and get it squared away each time for a minimal amount of work needed for straightening out the image.

https://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?145817-Masking-off-ANR-Glass-for-Better-Scanning-Setup