If you could find a Leafscan 45 in good working condition, and only wanted to scan medium format B&W film, it will still do a better scan than anything on the new or used market outside of a drum scanner. I have owned one for a bunch of years and scan MF up to 6X12 cm in two passes at 5080 spi and stitch in Photoshop. It takes 20 minutes per pass for a 6X9 cm negative, about 35 minutes for a 6X12 cm. The result is much better than the LS-9000 at 4000 spi or the Imacon at 3200 spi or any of the other scanners mentioned in this thread, and yes I have made the comparisons with the LS-9000 and an Imacon Flextight Precision III. I have made prints up to 40" X 60" from Leafscan 45 scans of 6X7 cm Mamiya 7II negatives and the sharpness is just stunning. I was on the verge of buying an 8000 spi drum scanner last year but after looking at the 40" X 60" print I asked myself, what would be the point?

BTW, I use a fluid mount system with the Leafscan 45 that was not widely available even back in the day, and would probably be very hard to find today. But it improves scan quality very significantly.

For 4X5 I don't believe the Leafscan 45 is worth the trouble. One pass resolution is only 1200 spi. You could always scan ate 2400 spi in two passes and stitch, but even at that resolution the Epson V700 is almost as good.

For scanning LF film I use a Creo Eversmart Pro, and while resolution is limited to 3175 spi the results are oustanding. And frankly, there is rarely any need to scan anything 4X5 and larger at more than 2400 spi.

Both of these scanners have very big footprints, and may also require vintage MAC computers and software so one needs to have the space and be prepared to deal with the vintage computer issues. But believe me, there is no comparison in scan quality between a 4X5 done on an Epson V700 and one done on an Eversmart Pro or Supreme. Yes, the V700 is good enough for a lot of work, and I have one myself that is used primarily for editing and early contact proofing.

Sandy King