$50 rebate on Epson 4490 scanner

[JoeFriday]

HERE'S THE REBATE FORM

for all Epson 4490 Scanners purchased by March 31, 2006... this offer is probably only good in the U.S. .. current prices on the 4490 are approximately $250 (some sources as low as $220.. which puts the scanner well under $200)

4800 x 9600 dpi
35mm and Medium Format Transparency Adapter
Digital ICE

 

[aad]

I will put in a plug for this unit. I spent some time learning it, and I'm very happy with the results, even with slides.

 

[Stephanie Brim]

For most of us, though, it's black and white that matters. How is it with B&W negatives?

 

[JoeFriday]

if you're only planning to scan 35mm, you're better off with a dedicated film scanner.. the Dual Scan IV is in the same price range.. but if you want the ability to scan medium format, this is a very good scanner for the money

it doesn't make much of a difference if you're scanning color or b&w

 

[RayPA]

Thats a pretty good deal. I got my Epson 4180 on a rebate deal, and I really like the job it does. The 4490 gets a DMAX of 3.4; I don't remember the DMAX of my 4180. Epson's pro model (4990 Pro) gets up to 4.0 DMAX. What it all means, I don't know, but I'm a fan of Epson scanners, and use mine allmost exclusively for scanning b&w film.


🙂

 

[JoeFriday]

the Dmax is the measure of the darkest shadow that can be scanned by a scanner that will still show visible detail. The higher the Dmax of a particular scanner, the wider the range of tones the scanner can capture, and the higher that scanner's dynamic range is. Sort of like film latitude

the Dmax was the one thing about the 4490 that makes me pause.. 3.4 isn't bad, but 4.0 is certainly better.. and my Coolscan V has a Dmax of 4.2, so maybe I need to look at the 4990 again.. I've also been considering the Canoscan 9950F, but no ICE and Canon doesn't even give a Dmax for their products

 

[RayPA]

Great job explaining it, Brett. I knew but didin't dare make an attempt at it.

I'm always fondling the 4990 at my local CompUSA. I keep your visiting places like CompUSA and Office Depot. I've gotten some deep discounts off the clearance table (recently, both an Epson 2200 and an HP LaserJet).

 

[Stephanie Brim]

I've fondled it a couple times myself. With my recent interest in medium format and (gasp) even large format (4x5 is the largest you'd ever see me do), a flatbed would be better suited to my photo workflow.

 

[kaiyen]

(4x5 is the largest you'd ever see me do)

famous last words 🙂

 

[plexi]

famous last words 🙂

True, I said that too, now I`m lugging an 8x10 around.... 🙂



The 4990 is good for 35mm, no flatbed is.
I have a three year old Minolta Scan Dual III that outperform the Epson by a large margin, and that scanner you could probably find used for less than $100...

 

[Kat]

I've been eyeing this scanner, and was thinking of taking the plunge after the rebate came out. But I read some reviews, and got confused about the photo quality, compared to, say, the earlier model 3490, which is supposeld to have better quality, and the Canoscan 8400F. What do you think, guys, assuming bottomline price is equal? The most important factor for me is good scan results without going to dedicated scanners and with minimal need for tweaking.

 

[kaiyen]

I don't think there was a 3490...3200, 4180, 4870, 4490, 4990. I think that's the progression.

The general consensus is that the 4490 is a great scanner, and the dmax difference with the 4990 is not a big deal _IF_ you calibrate your process accordingly. For instance, you need to calibrate your B&W exposure and development to get thinner negs such that you can scan through them with the slightly lower dmax.

I will be getting one sometime before the 3/31 deadline. I would prefer the 4990 since I'm shooting 5x7 now as well, but I can't justify the extra cost.

allan

 

[aad]

If you shoot only black and white, the 4490 is excellent. I say this on the basis of both screen and print output vs. a Frontier.

There's something about slide film that makes it tough to get good results-I get perfect color match, but the edge definition is odd, though completely recoverable through post processing.

 

[aad]

Not my best scan, but I haven't got anything else nearby. It's not to "print" spec.
It's a quick job from Ektachrome, Olympus Stlus Zoom 80 set to panorama- a pocket Xpan, eh?

 

[Kat]

Nice! I guess this is the better deal...