Wet mounting 4x5 negatives on Epson V750

[Geraldine Powell]

I am a beginner in LF. I read great praise for the results from wet mounting, so I bought the Kami liquid and mylar from Aztec and have been trying it out.
I am so disappointed! The wet mount scans at 6400 dpi look worse, not better than scanning the negatives dry in the frames at 4800.
I do not know if I am doing something wrong or if the wet mount idea is all hype.
I pick the "film in frame" setting on the Epson scan panel on my laptop. I put the negative shiny side down and I follow all the steps as shown in the little video that Aztek has on their site.
My dry scanned images are pretty good but the wet mount ones are softer and have a very slight haze. I have tried Epson support. So far their "third level" technical support is "unavailable". I spent two hours on the phone this morning with them. Now, they tell me they have only have one expert in scanners and that he is unavailable. They said they can do a call back but said they could not arrange an appointment time for that. It could be any time.
To continue, I did get a call back and spoke to a really nice guy called Victor. He went to great length to explain the dual focus system and little adjustable legs on the tray.
He thought that scanning at 6400 may be the problem because it recruits the second lens.
I will try again at lower dpis and report back on results.
If anyone who has been through this learning curve can add a helpful comment, I'd love to hear.

[Marc B.]

Try scanning emulsion side down (dull side facing the scanner lenses).
Every scanner seems to have a slight variance as to the optimal height for the film above the bed glass. You will need to find your optimal height through trial & error. Also, don't use too much fluid. A little goes a long way.
Does changing between Epson Scan, or Silverfast make a difference in your results?

[D. Bryant]

I am a beginner in LF. I read great praise for the results from wet mounting, so I bought the Kami liquid and mylar from Aztec and have been trying it out.
I am so disappointed! The wet mount scans at 6400 dpi look worse, not better than scanning the negatives dry in the frames at 4800.
I do not know if I am doing something wrong or if the wet mount idea is all hype.
I pick the "film in frame" setting on the Epson scan panel on my laptop. I put the negative shiny side down and I follow all the steps as shown in the little video that Aztek has on their site.
My dry scanned images are pretty good but the wet mount ones are softer and have a very slight haze. I have tried Epson support. So far their "third level" technical support is "unavailable". I spent two hours on the phone this morning with them. Now, they tell me they have only have one expert in scanners and that he is unavailable. They said they can do a call back but said they could not arrange an appointment time for that. It could be any time.
To continue, I did get a call back and spoke to a really nice guy called Victor. He went to great length to explain the dual focus system and little adjustable legs on the tray.
He thought that scanning at 6400 may be the problem because it recruits the second lens.
I will try again at lower dpis and report back on results.
If anyone who has been through this learning curve can add a helpful comment, I'd love to hear.

Scan at 2000 spi. 4800 & 6400 are way over kill. Also search the LF Forum for discussions on this topic. There are a lot of threads already covering your question.

[Geraldine Powell]

Thank you. I realize that now.