any new scanners coming out

If you mean dedicated film scanners, none I know of beyond the Nikon LS-9000. It's hard to imagine the manufacturers would consider their potential sales robust enough to justify the production costs.
 
I'm about to buy a Epson V700 and my reseach still suggests this is the best of the bunch. If anyone has a better suggestion I'm all ears.
 
The Microtek M1 came out less than a year ago. That's kinda new.

Epson scanners work so much better with Betterscanning film holders. In fact, Epson should sell their scanners with the Betterscanning holders. GOOGLE can find them.
 
"Specs" of desktop scanners have never meant anything and HP's never made good scanners. Canon's best is OK, almost as good as the last several generations of Epson scanners. Epsons improve a lot with adjustable-focus carriers: www.betterscanning.com

Assuming you can't find a Nikon V, the only 35mm bargain out there is Nikon IV (better than Epson 750 with 35mm). If you don't get Ice you don't get real 35mm-quality dust control, but the dust/scratch filter in Photoshop does relatively OK (doesn't soften excessively) with bad negs if you stick to the lowest settings. The good old Minoltas are risky becaise they're wearing out and the company's gone... the newest (5400II) was terrible from the beginning.
 
There are better solutions, but it depends on the price range of the "bunch" you are considering.

price for me ideally since i expect it to eventually become obsoleted by a better model sometime, say $550. the Microtek ArtixScan f1 does look like its worth a try (same price as the v750). a dedicated film scanner in that price range, thats fairly current?
 
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Artixscan M1 = USA model
Artixscan F1 = Euro model, maybe other parts of the world too. Not a USA model.

As I recall, the price of the F1 is like 2-3 times the price of the M1. Bummer.
 
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ICE is overrated. Don't decide on that basis. I have it on one scanner and won't use it.

Betterscanning does make ANR glass for Epson 35mm holders, which fixes a few problems.
 
are there any good comprehensive reviews of the Microtek Artixscan M1? Pop Photo has an advertorial one, but that doesn't count. imaging-resource.com started one in the spring, but it's still incomplete.
 
I haven't seen any reviews of the M1/F1 either. However, there is a lot of user feedback at the Large Format Photography Forum. The quick & dirty synopsis: The M1 and the V700/V750 near twins are very close in performance.

In the USA the M1 comes in two packaging versions: the basic M1 model and the M1 "Pro" model. The Pro model upgrades the Silverfast software and includes two sets of negative carriers. The prices in US dollars are less than the price of the F1 in Euros. Go figure. Amazon.com sells the base model. B & H sells both models. Oh, and there may be an issue with electrical supply for the USA model vs. the Everywhere Else model.

I really need a scanner for film up to 4x5. Becasue the Microtek M1 and Epson V-750 are so close I'm kinda frozen into indecision.
 
Flatbed will never (or at least doesn't now) beat a dedicated film scanner. AFAIK Nikon has ran out of Coolscan V's at the factory, so get one soon if you're planning to buy it new.

I agree about ICE - it is overrated. It also makes you lose some grain and detail with the dust. I wouldnt use it for my own work.

Looks bad on the better manufacturers... Minolta surely wont make scanners and seems like Nikon is quitting. So far I don't know about other good scanners affordable for a hobbyist or amateur. I use a Konica-Minolta Scan Dual IV - it is great and nicely priced (used, ebay).
 
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