Epson v700 opinions?

gavinlg

gavinlg

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Well, I'm currently looking at buying an epson v700/750 for scanning both 35mm and 120, as my minolta scan dual IV doesn't do the 120 option.
Are there any v700 users out there that can give me some opinions on it? any example scans of any sort would be excellent!

thanks,
Gavin
 
Hi Gavin,

I've just got a V700 and first impressions are favourable (I was using an Epson 3200 before). Resolution at 6400dpi is good - it clearly shows the grain in 100 ASA transparencies. Colour depth is better than the 3200 too.

The only problem I have at the moment is that it always scans with a little Unsharp Mask applied, even when I tell it I don't want any. That's using a Mac and EpsonScan (which is quite poor software really) - I need to install and try SilverFast, which I will probably do when I have some time at the weekend.

I'll try to find some way of getting a couple of sample scans somewhere on the web for you (they're quite big files) - I'll get back to you when they're done.
 
Hello Gavin,

i own a v700 and use it for Tri-X scans. Please have a look at my private website:

http://www.zeitkonserven.de

The street pics are all scaned with the v700. I did about 1000 scans with it and i am absolutely satisfied with it. I would buy the V700 again, no regrets...

Cheers,

Guido
 
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I like mine fine and everything in my gallery has been scanned 24bit 1200dpi for color and either 8 or 16 bit 1200dpi for black and white. The only things I don't like are: 1. The auto framing can be fooled by negatives that have large areas of darkness and then you have to scan every frame one by one, and 2. It is not the scanner's fault but the dust is really really hard to control. That said, I paid less than 400 bucks for it and I don't think there is any other scanner that offers that kind of cost/performance ratio.
 
Hi. I'm thinking about getting this scanner too. I have now a Epson Perfection 3170, borrowed from a friend for a couple of days, and I'm not satisfied with it. The scans seem to be out of focus. Not so crispy as some scans I've seen. It's probably caused by the film holder that is totally warped, and the negatives aren't flat when I look at them when placed in the scanner. Your scans are very good though, Guido.
Which kind of film holder are you using, Guido?. How are the V700 film holders?.

Thanks,
Javier.
 
The actual optical resolution of this scanner when using the 6400 dpi mode is abour 2200dpi, so calculate your blow up potential accordingly. Also, if you want any appreciable sharpness, you should test the holder height/get Duog Fisher's MF variable height holder with glass. Look up the Nikon 9000 CS against Epson V75o thread that I posted some time ago.
 
Curving of the film in the MF holders is a problem if you need high resolution/sharpness.
Example, i can see the grain of the film, even of the FP4+, in the corners but not in the middle of the frame, or the other way around, depending where i set the sharpness to be optimal with the little height adjusters.
But this only for the highest magnification.
In general, the sharpness of my scanned images are limited by the film and my technique i think, not the scanner. I have 40x40 cm prints of some BW frames i exposed with my 70 y old Rolleiflex Tessar and they look great and are sharp more than enough.

The 35mm film holders keep the film flat enough for me, and also the slide holders.

The MF frame recognition is worthless. I must prescan the whole thing and draw the frames manually. But for 35mm strips or slides it works fine 99% of the cases.

The dynamic range is good, though for dark areas i wish it would have a bit more power to see through film. I had some kodachrome slides that were gorgeous under a strong background light but the scanner could not extract the details from the darkest regions. Realistically, one should not expect this to be too good, though. It's a flatbed after all.

I like the scanner overall, and it is reasonably fast even at the highest resolution. I never use ICE, though. I tried once just to see, and it takes alot of time. I keep my film quite clean so it's not really needed.

Software: I use epsonscan many times when the scans are relatively simple and when i need batch scanning. The biggest bugger of the epsonscan is it is completely f.. up w respect to colour management. It has options to choose what colour space you use but in practice they don't work. I had to figure out myself what happens with the colour space of the scan and assign it later in PS. Yes i did get the software update, and still the sane dumb problem.

The bundled silverfast has no batch scan that is very annoying but i guess they want to get their $ on the upgrade. But it handles colour negs a bit better, so if it's a critical frame, or difficult light on it, i use silverfast instead.

I tried the demo version of vuescan, but it was too complicated or too stupid. No way between. I did not have time yet to fumble with it and figure out how it works.

So i'd say go for it. Especially if you need it only for MF< it's excellent. Maybe the Doug Fisher holders worth an investment if you need highest resolution.
 
PS: all my recent scans (most of my scans uploaded here,actually) were done on the v700 and from film.
 
I agree with the comment about the auto framing ... even when it senses the negatives correctly it trims too much off them for my liking. Width quite often ends up at 22mm or less so I manually create frame lines when I scan. I also removed the mounting feet from the holders which seems to have sharpened it up a bit.

Very good scanner for the price and does an excellent job of MF and reasonable for 35mm if you're careful with negative curl etc.

Silverfast sucks though and I don't bother with it at all ... the Epson software works better for me! :)
 

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v700 or Microtek M1?

v700 or Microtek M1?

Gavin,

I am also considering the v700. Actually I would have bought one several months ago if I hadn't come across information on the Microtek Artixscan M1 which at the time was due out in June or July. It's now been postponed until October. I am hoping that Vincent at www.photo-i.co.uk does a review of it. He has a very comprehensive review of the v700 (and a separate one of the v750) so it would be great to compare.

BTW, the Epson website often offers refurbished v700s for $415 with free delivery.
 
Hi Pherdinand

Software: I use epsonscan many times when the scans are relatively simple and when i need batch scanning. The biggest bugger of the epsonscan is it is completely f.. up w respect to colour management. It has options to choose what colour space you use but in practice they don't work. I had to figure out myself what happens with the colour space of the scan and assign it later in PS. Yes i did get the software update, and still the sane dumb problem
Click to expand...
Interesting. I guess that rules out Silverfast for me - I need to be able to batch scan transparencies and negs.

Have you ever noticed the unsharp mask problem that I have - when scanning transparencies at 6400dpi, even when I have unsharp mask disabled, examination of the scan clearly shows it is there? What actually happens is that I do a preview scan, and as soon as that is complete it switches unsharp mask on, so I switch it off again and do my scan - but I get unsharp mask anyway. (I guess it might just be a bug in the Mac version of the s/w).
 
Thankyou all for your responses - another question:

How does it compare to an affordable film dedicated scanner - for instance my dual scan IV in quality?
 
The only thing that prevented me from pulling the trigger is the price.
I could get a 4490 from Epson for $98 free shipping in the US. And I couldn't get a definite answer on how 'bad' the 4490 is compared to the V700.

The Dmax is a definite difference, the 4490 has 3.4, the V700 has 4.0, but without having any of them, I couldn't decide if I can live with 3.4 or I had to have 4.0. :(
 
fdigital said:
Thankyou all for your responses - another question:

How does it compare to an affordable film dedicated scanner - for instance my dual scan IV in quality?
Click to expand...

Gavin, the dedicated film scanner has an advantage of being single-purposed, so I would venture that the film-flatness and thus focusing would be better.

I think I'll always use my Coolscan V ED for 35mm scanning, the V700 would be only for MF.
 
To put it quite bluntly: Epson for up to 6x enlargement, dedicated scanner, like CS5000/9000 up to 12 times enlargement, plus you get better shadow detail with transparencies.
 
mfogiel said:
To put it quite bluntly: Epson for up to 6x enlargement, dedicated scanner, like CS5000/9000 up to 12 times enlargement, plus you get better shadow detail with transparencies.
Click to expand...

Fair, very fair. So for the 6x enlargment - thats really still quite a decent print isn't it.... What about this 4490 you speak of will? how do you find it? Thats a mighty good price....
 
Hi Gavin, I now produce all my digitally printed work from V700 scans, the last piece was printed 800x1300, cropped to that format from a square negative! and the results are very very good.

Remember that just like cameras scanners are not equal in all hands :)


There is a good review of the V700 here, with great tips on how to maximise your scans. http://www.photo-i.co.uk/Reviews/interactive/Epson V700/page_1.htm
 
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