Next step up from Epson scanners

[Pere Casals]

My Microtek Scanmake i900 scans circles around the Epsons.

Jim, a Microtek Scanmake i900 can be found for $70 (and offer under that would be welcomed)



This is not by chance... because it's a poor performer compared to a V700, regarding density alone the i900 is clearly well under 3.0D, with no SNR at 3.0D:



While the V700 clearly performs way beyond the i900 is able:
(Note that vertical scale is different than in the i900 case)


The i900 also has a 6 rows sensor, but having half the pixels than the EPSON.

Sorry, but I see no improvement in the i900...

[Steven Ruttenberg]

+1


Anyway the weakest point of the V850 is 35mm film, so complementing it with a Plustek 8xxx (or 120) series ends in a powerful combo for a multi-format shooter.

And deep shadows as I am finding out.

[Pere Casals]

And deep shadows as I am finding out.

Try with silverfast Multi-Exposure, you'll find a big improvement, still if you need to recover depest velvia shadows you may want a drum or an x5 scan.

[Steven Ruttenberg]

I hate silverfast! Vuescan has the multiexposure function and it doesn't help. Not fond of Epson Scan software either. I tried silverfast and I pretty much tossed my cookies with it.

[Pere Casals]

I hate silverfast! Vuescan has the multiexposure function and it doesn't help. Not fond of Epson Scan software either. I tried silverfast and I pretty much tossed my cookies with it.

I use it when I need multi-exposure, just test it for that.

[Alan Klein]

I hate silverfast! Vuescan has the multiexposure function and it doesn't help. Not fond of Epson Scan software either. I tried silverfast and I pretty much tossed my cookies with it.

Steve, You can't get blood from a turnip. The scanner's mechanical properties limits the end results. The different scanner softwares are just post processing programs that add complexity, aggravation and time to the scan process. I've learned to KISS- keep it simple. I use the furnished Epsonscan with my V600. I scan flat except for black and white point adjustments. I turn everything else off. With that, the scanner covers the full range of the picture in one shot.. I then process with Lightroom. Or ELements. This way, I don;t have to learn a complicated scanner software that';s just duplicating my post processing program. Why bother with Silverfast or VUescan? I only have to scan once. Screwing around with editing during the scan opens you up to having to keep scanning the same picture until you get the results you want. Scan flat, you scan once. Then do all the editing in post processing.

[Alan Klein]

I use it when I need multi-exposure, just test it for that.

Pere, I haven't seen a multi-exposure picture from anyone that couldn't get the same results with one scan and using the shadow slider in your post processing software on a single scanned shot. The scanner's dMax limits the most you can get out of the shadow areas. You can't get blood from a turnip.

[Pere Casals]

Why bother with Silverfast or ...?

There is a reason, Multi-Exposure feature is in Silverfast SE Plus but not in Epson Scan, not also in the SE not "Plus" version.

IMHO Multi-Exposure mkes a very good job with slides with very dense shadows, I use it only for that.

Pere, I haven't seen a multi-exposure picture from anyone that couldn't get the same results with one scan and using the shadow slider in your post processing software on a single scanned shot. The scanner's dMax limits the most you can get out of the shadow areas. You can't get blood from a turnip.

Alan, in my experience I find multi-exposure benefit consistent with what the say: https://www.silverfast.com/highlight...posure/en.html

My guess is that some pro level scanners make the multi-exposure before moving the sensor to next row, while the Epson does it in two passes. Using ME improves the V850 capability, at least when used with silverfast in particular. Of cpurse not all jobs (by far) require ME.

[Pere Casals]

And deep shadows as I am finding out.

Steven, it looks you have bot tried Silverfast's ME in the V850, try it...

[Steven Ruttenberg]

I just dont like silverfast. If I want to be able to save 48bit files as linear raw tiffs I have to spend lots of dollars to get an upgrade. But the interface is annoying too. The scanner can only do so much and Vuescan does that. I do zero adjusting or conversion at scan stage. So silverfast isn't al that for me. It also wouldn't let me choose my dpi setting at one point. It kept telling me what it wantd for a setting.

Now the epson or at least Vuescan when scanning and ouputting to raw does not seem to allow an increase in or decrease in exposure. I have played with the rgb brightness on the input tab and I get the same output raw file.

At any rate still working on it.

Now if the full version of silverfast allowed for an adjusted raw file I might consider trying it, but adjusting exposure is the only function I really need beyond saving as a linear raw tiff file.