Best scanner quality vs price ?

[JPS]

Hi ! Not knowing absolutely nothing about scanners, (I have an Epson V30 that I use for copying A4 papers), what would be the best average price scanner I should get ?

Question: is the scanner required quality the same for 35mm as for 8x10" negative ?

TIA for your help,
J-P.

 

[Macpod]

epson V300 is really easy to use and results are more than fine for small prints and internet.

 

[Dwig]

...
Question: is the scanner required quality the same for 35mm as for 8x10" negative ?
...

The quality requirement is basically the same. There are a number of independent attributes that make up a scanner's "quality" so there is no simple answer to any question of scanner performance.

Specific to your question, the only attribute that isn't identical for scanning different formats is the maximum optical resolution. Smaller format films require higher scanning resolutions to capture all of the image detail. 8x10 negatives can be scanning at 1200-2400ppi and capture all of the image detail the lens recorded. 35mm fiilm requires as least 3200ppi and sometimes higher when the film and lens were good enough.

The biggest challenge for scanners is in tonal range (D-max), not scanning resolution. B&W images pose the biggest challenge. Color negs and slides have narrower ranges and can be successfully scanned with scanners whose D-max rating is as low as 3.2. Well exposed and carefully processed B&W, on the other hand, often requires a D-max of at least 4.0 when the final result will be a high quality print.

 

[agreenspan]

For the price, given the versatility to scan 35mm, 110, 120, 4x5, 8x10, or whatever, you can't go wrong with the epson V700. For larger formats, it rivals most dedicated film scanners, and for 35mm, it holds its own very well - and all for $492 on Amazon.com

 

[emraphoto]

i'm a big fan of the microtek M1 pro. bit of a bugger to use but for the money it is a great scanner. you can find one on the used market for about $500 and it scans bloody well everything (comes with the holders to boot).

 

[john_van_v]

My thought is that should get/make a small print, and possibly burn/dodge it in ways that are impossible w/ an editor (I use GIMP). Then scan that, and crop edit, parallax it, with much higher resolution.

IMHO, elmusion prints are the only true artistic representation, besides slides. When I compare prints I did when I was a kid with scan/digital prints of the same negatives, well..., there is no comparison.

I don't even think a wet print should be called a print, it's a photo of a photo.
Sort of like Arbus said, a "secret of a secret."

But I am in the market for a new scanner. My Epson 3170 has been fantastic up to 8 X 10 and in some cases 11 X 14, but I want to see the grain, and not little squares.

 

[emraphoto]

man, and i sooo wanted the badge that said i could choose what was art and what wasn't!