Recommend a Good Flatbed Scanner?

[Ari]

Ladies and Gents,

I use an Epson v750 and I think it's an excellent scanner for the price.
Paired with the Epson wet-mount kit and one of Doug BetterScanning holders, it is a great set-up for scanning 4x5 and 8x10 film.
But it's a fussy system that requires a lot of constant calibrating (adjusting height of BS holders, for one).

So, given roughly $1000 budget, could you please recommend a capable, less-gadgety set-up for quality film scanning?

I have looked at the Microtek ArtixScan F2 (for Mac) and I like the idea of slipping film into a drawer and not going through a whole megillah to perfectly align this or level that, if you know what I mean.

I know scanning properly is work, but is there an easier method out there that will yield results that are just as good?

Thanks in advance.

[Ken Lee]

For your stated budget you won't find anything better: I'd be pleasantly surprised, let's put it that way. If you do, please let us know.

(I had a Microtek Artixscan 2500f and while it got a little better resolution, the Epson has better dynamic range and overall tonality. The holders which work below the glass were nice, but they cropped the negative a bit and light bounced off onto the edges of the film. The Epson is also cheaper, lighter, quieter and faster. I gave the Microtek away when it started producing large linear artifacts on 16-bit scans and I couldn't get support.)

I've never used wet-mounting and have never found a need or seen an example which was compelling enough to prompt an investment in the time and effort required. Whatever we get, with Large Format we're going to be doing a bit of fussing anyhow.

[Ari]

I appreciate that, Ken, but the v750 was introduced in 2006; I have to wonder if anything, even if a marginal improvement, has come out since then.

I'll modify my initial budget and say anything under $2K.

[IanG]

I've never used wet-mounting and have never found a need or seen an example which was compelling enough to prompt an investment in the time and effort required. Whatever we get, with Large Format we're going to be doing a bit of fussing anyhow.

It may well be the case that the major advantages of wet mounting is with smaller formats or with very high res LF scans. The technique is actually quite old I have an article in a 1927 BJPA (actually published late 1926) about wet mounting 35mm negatives to reduce the grain in prints.. Wet mounting overcomes artifacts on the surface of the glelatin of the emulsion (usually the supercoat) which cause increased graininess in prints and particularly scans. This was a huge problem with Kodak colour films and the first digital minilabs.

Ctein wet mounted negatives for optical printing.

Ian

[Light Guru]

Ladies and Gents,

I use an Epson v750 and I think it's an excellent scanner for the price.
Paired with the Epson wet-mount kit and one of Doug BetterScanning holders, it is a great set-up for scanning 4x5 and 8x10 film.
But it's a fussy system that requires a lot of constant calibrating (adjusting height of BS holders, for one).

So, given roughly $1000 budget, could you please recommend a capable, less-gadgety set-up for quality film scanning?

I have looked at the Microtek ArtixScan F2 (for Mac) and I like the idea of slipping film into a drawer and not going through a whole megillah to perfectly align this or level that, if you know what I mean.

I know scanning properly is work, but is there an easier method out there that will yield results that are just as good?

Thanks in advance.

You are NOT going to find a better scanning solution on your budget. You already have the best scanner in your prince range.

There is however alternatives to scanning.

http://petapixel.com/2012/12/23/why-...-of-a-scanner/
http://petapixel.com/2012/12/24/how-...nd-macro-lens/

[vinny]

My drum scanner was made in 1994 and I paid $100 for it a few years ago. It blows the v700/750 out of the water but does take a lot longer to make a scan. Sorry, I know this doesn't really help.

[jcoldslabs]

I currently use a Microtek i900 and I share Ken's assessment. I would get the v750 if I could, but right now I have no compelling reason to upgrade since my scans are only viewed online and not used for printing. Anything I wanted to print large I would pay for a decent scan.

Jonathan

[Tin Can]

How about all the ways we do use Epson 7xx? I just lay my 5x7 and 8x10 negs on top of a piece of 8x10 AN and I like what I get. 4x5 go in the holder. I use 4490 for lesser formats. And Vue Scan +1.

I know nobody does it that way, but what the heck. I'm happy...

[Lenny Eiger]

You are NOT going to find a better scanning solution on your budget. You already have the best scanner in your prince range.

There is however alternatives to scanning.

http://petapixel.com/2012/12/23/why-...-of-a-scanner/
http://petapixel.com/2012/12/24/how-...nd-macro-lens/

No offense to you Zak, but I wouldn't trust this info as far as I could throw it. Not anymore than info on Luminous or Gigapixel. It's all slanted and not very competent. (I'm being polite.)

If you increase from 1K to 2K you can pick up a nice Howtek 4500. You can wet mount and have a blast.... It does wonders with a med format, 4x5 or 8x10 piece of film... nice and sharp....

[Ari]

@Zak, I realize that quality and budget go hand in hand, much of the time; I'd be interested in seeing what, if any, improvements have been made since 2006, and what it would cost.
@Vinny, no, that helps, scouring the internet for a used drum scanner is part of my daily routine now, so thanks for giving me a little hope.
@Jonathan, my friend gets great scans from his Microtek i900, and he always gets gear that has the lowest possible fuss-factor, so I found myself asking if I could obtain similar results as from the v750 but without the constant tweaking and "foreplay".
@Lenny, thank you, I will have a look at the Howtek; I know very little about scanners outside of the v750's range, so thanks for the tip. My budget isn't fixed, so if something good comes along, I'd find the extra do-re-mi somehow.