Epson V850 vertical line

[Vince Lupo]

Hello RFF friends - I have a bit of an issue with my Epson V850 scanner and I just noticed it today. I scanned a frame from a roll of Ilford Delta 100 (120) and I noticed a thin vertical line about 1/3 of the of the way in from the right edge of the frame. I first thought that it was a scratch on the neg, so I tried another frame. Same thing. I then tried another frame and got another thin vertical line but this time on the left side (BTW these are 645 frames). Finally I tried a 6x6 frame from a roll taken with one of my Hasselblads and got the same vertical line on the right side in the same spot as the first scans from the 645 negs. I always make sure the glass is clean in the scanner though I’ve never ventured to go under the glass etc. I’m using the regular plastic film holder that came with the 850. Any possible ideas on what might be going on and if there’s anything I can do at my end to fix the problem? I tried quitting an re-launching Silverfast, turning the scanner off and on but nothing has changed. BTW this is a new development though I haven’t used the scanner in about a month.

Many thanks in advance for your thoughts and suggestions.

 

[Vince Lupo]

Follow-up: I think I figured out what’s going on.

 

[DownUnder]

Follow-up: I think I figured out what’s going on.

Please keep us informed.

I've had the same problem with my V600. Mine is 11 years old and nowadays gets only now and then use - tho' when I use it I do a lot of scanning, so it's not in as new condition.

The banding started after 18 months. Going on advice I found online I (very carefully and cautiously) dismantled the scanner top and thoroughly cleaned the glass on both sides, then (again super carefully) removed as much dust as I could with a small vacuum cleaner. Which did the trick for 12 months, then the banding started again.

In my case the band was near the top so it usually showed in sky area which I could then post process out. Effective but annoying - and time-consuming.

Eventually it went away by itself and it has yet to return. Cynic I am, so I await the next band...

I use the plastic holders that came with the V600. My negatives are put into archival files and then pressed under a pile of books for a few days so film flatness is not an issue.

I used to scan at 3200 dpi until I decided my life was too short for this. So I reduced my scans to 1200 dpi. A lot of what I had to work overtime to post process out of the scans seemed to disappear.

All this is not really scientific (more anecdotal) but it may be useful.

At my time in my life scanning is a millstone around my neck. A necessary evil, but needs must.

So yes, please keep us informed. Such information will be useful to many.

 

[Vince Lupo]

I'm pretty sure that a line was the result of a speck on the sensor as it has to travel with the sensor to produce a line rather than a dot. Upon closer inspection of the lid I noticed a speck of something (dust?) pretty much in the exact spot as the line. I think the opening and closing of the lid caused the speck to fall off and the line disappeared. I might just leave it for now but if it happens again I'll look into taking that lid apart (or at least removing the glass) to give it a good cleaning.

 

[DownUnder]

I'm pretty sure that a line was the result of a speck on the sensor as it has to travel with the sensor to produce a line rather than a dot. Upon closer inspection of the lid I noticed a speck of something (dust?) pretty much in the exact spot as the line. I think the opening and closing of the lid caused the speck to fall off and the line disappeared. I might just leave it for now but if it happens again I'll look into taking that lid apart (or at least removing the glass) to give it a good cleaning.

I hadn't thought of this. Many thanks to you for posting it.

Off I go now to find my cleaning kit and set of small screwdrivers. My V600 will soon be dismantled and recleaned.

 

[Dralowid]

I wonder what the difference was between V500 / V600 / V850 etc etc?

I simply bought the one that was available at the time (V500). It still works.

 

[p.giannakis]

In the past, I started getting horizontal lines on my scans and I figured out that my laptop downloaded and installed the latest driver for the scanner and Scangear. Once I reverted to previous version, it all disappeared.

 

[DownUnder]

I wonder what the difference was between V500 / V600 / V850 etc etc?

I simply bought the one that was available at the time (V500). It still works.

Someone I know who has owned all the Epson, told me the basic difference was mostly the price range.

Not sure about the V500 but my V600 scans 35mm and 120. A film holder for formats smaller than 35mm (110 etc) used to be sold on Ebay. I had no need for one and didn't bother to buy it.

I reckon dynamic range is probably the clincher here. V850s resolve more fine details than V500s. V600s are (or were) in the mid range. I bought my V600 as it was a demo model in the shop, at a discount price I could afford.

The V600 scans MF (120) better than 35mm. 6x6 negatives at 1200 dpi print well to reasonable sizes - my favourite is 5x5 printed square on a 5x8 sheet (half 8x10) or half A4 as this size suits my needs, but I've done as big as A4 (aka 8x11") with it. Larger prints when I need them, I get done at a print shop I use often in Indonesia.

The so-called 'miniature' (35mm) formats scan reasonably well with Epson if you pay close attention to the small settings and aim for the best mid range tones. My V600 is not good with overexposed negatives, but underexposed ones come out well if on the dark side. I have a Plustek 7600i for my 35s so the Epson is seldom used for this format, tho' I can scan 12 color negatives in a double holder which saves me tons of time. Quality is nothing to heat the blood but again, for my contact sheets it's okay. Better quality results or images I've sold I redo with the Plustek or at a pro lab.

 

[FotohuisR]

I have the V500 since 2007. Apart from a broken adapter (Epson S.M.P.S. they will always break after approx. 15 years) it is still OK. You can scan 35mm, slides and medium format roll film. For the last I have ordered many years ago the BetterScan.com holder. 1200dpi is more then OK for this.

 

[Joao]

I have the V500 since 2007. Apart from a broken adapter (Epson S.M.P.S. they will always break after approx. 15 years) it is still OK. You can scan 35mm, slides and medium format roll film. For the last I have ordered many years ago the BetterScan.com holder. 1200dpi is more then OK for this.

Same here. I bought mine (used ) about 15 years ago. For MF film I use a betterscanning holder with a piece of anti-newtonian glass over the film. No complaints so far.
Joao

 

[Vince Lupo]

Unfortunately it seems that you can no longer get the Betterscan holder. I contacted them a while back and got no response. I just checked for their website and it seems that it’s gone.

 

[DownUnder]

I also thought of investing in the Betterscan holders but typically for me I left it too late.

The glass insert they made and sold for the holders would have been a good buy as well.

Now and then I see them used on Ebay. Next time a set turns up, I intend to grab it while the grabbing is good...