Epson 4990

[kjsphotography]

I am looking for a scanner to scan my contact prints and maybe a 8x10 negative here or there. I was told by a friend that the 4990 is a nice unit, the only problem is I cant find one for same? Do they no longer make these? If not what is the comparable unit? And no, I am not going to be making making digital negs lol ;)



Thanks,

Kevin

[Deane Johnson]

There is a refurbished one on the Epson site for something like $269.

Everyone else seems to have pulled it. Epson must be coming with a new model.

[Jon Shiu]

The newer version is the Epson V700 or V750.

Jon

[sanking]

I am looking for a scanner to scan my contact prints and maybe a 8x10 negative here or there. I was told by a friend that the 4990 is a nice unit, the only problem is I cant find one for same? Do they no longer make these? If not what is the comparable unit? And no, I am not going to be making making digital negs lol ;)



Thanks,

Kevin

Try the Epson web site. They may still have the refurbished 4990 for less than $300.

The 4990 has been replaced by V700 and V750, with some modest improvement in resolution and scan speed. But the improvement is small and incremental rather than dramatic, and for your needs, i.e. scanning contact prints and 8X10 negatives the 4990 would be just as good in my opinion, and much less expensive.

Sandy King

[gr82bart]

The Epson Perfection 4490 Photo is actually the one you may want. Around $180 new.

Regards, Art.

[Daniel_Buck]

The Epson Perfection 4490 Photo is actually the one you may want. Around $180 new.
for film, the 4490 will only scan up to about 6x12cm, it will not handle 4x5 or 8x10 film like the 4990 :) It will do prints though.

[kjsphotography]

How good will the 4490 do prints as that is what I will be mainly scanning.

How well does it do picking up shadow and highlight detail?

Thanks,

Kevin

[Ted Harris]

Kevin, the 4490 should do an excellent job on prints but it won't do as good a job on film and, IIRC, it will not handle film larger than 4x5.

[Steven Barall]

Go to the Epson website and go to the Epson Store and then the Clearance and look at the selection of scanners. They have a V700 for $415 and it is a very good scanner. Also there is the Microtek i800 which is under $300. Good luck.

[gr82bart]

Kevin,

With the 4490 there are two models - one is the PHOTO model and the other is the OFFICE model. Don't get the OFFICE model unless you plan to sheet feed your photos! :eek:

From my understanding of what you need from the scanner, I think the 4490 is fine for you. Go to the Epson website, as others suggested, when you get a chance, there's lots of info there.

Regards, Art.

[Daniel_Buck]

4490 and 4990 (photo models) seem to be about the same thing, accept for the fact that the 4990 can handle film up to 8x10. Their regular reflectance scanning (prints) seems to be the same, at least I didn't notice any difference. I had the 4490 but then sold it and got the 4990 to scan sheet film. Honestly, if I were you I would get the 4990 (or one of the V700s). If you ever want to scan a 4x5 or 8x10, you won't be able to do it with the 4490. (well, you might be able to with some stitching...)

[Kuzano]

The Dmax on the 4490 is 3.4, while the 4990 and V700 is 4.0 (highest rating I believe).
So, you do have to look at how the Dmax relates to the work you want to do. If budget is an issue... 4490's don't do 4X5 and 8X10 transparencies, but do prints to that size. They are available at around $130 - $150. The 4990's will only be available after a short time as refurbished, which means that someone either couldn't learn how to handle it or had a problem. The V700 appears to be a bit underrated in comments on this thread. Extensive reviews and what I have seen from v700 users lead me to opt for the V700, certainly at $400. The V750 has some sort of wet masking system for transparencies, but now you are up to $650-700. I'm for the V700 which sells new from various vendors on eBay, where you can see feedback, between $450-500. I might consider Epson if the price is $400 and the scanner is not refurbed. Chances are refurb is as good as new, considering the attention paid to the refurb process, vs any testing of "new in the box".
But, somehow, the fact that a refurb unit has a history doesn't seem worth saving $50 - 60. Gosh I can't even take a date out for dinner and a show for that amount???

[Kuzano]

Ok. slight correction on my post... Price I see on the Epson site for the V700. There is a seller on eBay selling them new for $499. His feedback is over 3000 sales and 99.7 positive feedback. Other sellers have them from $510 up.

The refurb 4990 on the Epson site is $279 and for the 4490 refurb... $109. I have a local craigslist seller just today posted a slightly used $4490 Like New in the box with all original documentation and software for $175.

Shop.. Shop..Shop. But first, before buying a cheap 4490, find out if the lesser Dmax affects you.

[Kuzano]

Sorry... Price on Epson site for V700... $549. I gotta get some sleep.

[Sylvester Graham]

Nope, 4990's all gone. Check the red letters under the picture that say "out of stock"