Epson 4490 scanner - very first impression

[JoeFriday]

I've had my 4490 sitting around for over a week now, so I figured it was time to pull it out of the box and see what it can do

installation on the Mac was painless.. but I wanted to see if Vuescan would find the scanner without any actual installation, so I hooked up the scanner and turned it on.. then fired up Vuescan.. no dice.. but no biggie.. so I turned it off, dug out the installation cd and the very simple instructions

the instructions were only necessary to confirm the installation/startup order.. some scanners require that you install the software before connecting the hardware, or you'll run into problems.. the manual alludes to this, so I made sure to disconnect the scanner and then installed the supplied scanning software.. then I attached the USB cable again

after booting up the supplied scanning software, everything connected.. I even tried Vuescan afterward, and that could now find the 4490 and had the proper settings

I didn't want to bother pulling out the film holders just yet, so I put a postcard on the glass and hit the preview button in the Epson scanning software.. it kicked into gear and started the prescan

unfortunately, as the scanning element moved to the far end of the glass, a very disconcerting ratching/clicking noise emanated from the unit and the scanner 'finished' the preview a bit prematurely.. so I have a problem with the unit

but I did a scan anyway, and that worked fine.. in fact, it worked extremely well.. very quiet and fast

I'm not intending this to be a preview of the film scanning capabilities or quality.. we've all read about that.. I expect it to be very nice, altho not as nice as my Coolscan V.. but I'll be able to scan medium format film

unfortunately, I'm fairly sure this unit will have to be returned.. that ratcheting noise is definitely a problem.. the internal element seems to be hitting something, and the belt-drive is trying to push it farther, resulting in the noise.. I can't see what the issue is, but since it has made this noise from the very first scan, I'm not going to keep a defective unit

overall, the build quality is definitely 'light' compared to my Coolscan, which is built like a brick.. the Epson is light and somewhat flimsy.. definitely designed to be economical.. the scan quality seems to be very good to excellent.. so I'll be happy to trade it in for a unit that works properly

 

[rumbliegeos]

I am sure you did this, but thought it was worth bringing up: did you unlock the scanner before doing the first scan? I would think the lock would prevent the scanning head from moving completely, and that there would be a built-in error message for forgetting to unlock it, but it is just a thought.

 

[Pherdinand]

this reminds me of my former girlfriend who once bought a washing machine; the guys from the shop brought it home for her and "installed it", which did ot include taking the locking screws out.

The main fuse went out two times leaving the house in darkness, until the poor beast really gave it up.

 

[kbg32]

I am sure you did this, but thought it was worth bringing up: did you unlock the scanner before doing the first scan? I would think the lock would prevent the scanning head from moving completely, and that there would be a built-in error message for forgetting to unlock it, but it is just a thought.

Ah, I was going to suggest this also.

 

[JeffGreene]

Sorry to hear about your problem!

Sorry to hear about your problem!

Brett:

Sorry to hear about your problem. I have a 4990 as well. It's a relatively recent acquisition, and I am just starting to learn my way around it. Mine came bundled with SilverFast. I have been struggling with the SilverFast software since its arrival. Everything I have read says that SilverFast has advantages. User-friendliness is certainly not one of them!

I noticed that you mentioned using Vuescan with your scanner. I assume it was preexisting software from earlier scanner experience. As a relative digital hybrid newbie I am certainly no expert! Is there any reason you prefer Vuescan over SilverFast? My question comes from my increasing dissatisfaction with SilverFast which may be a function of my age. I grew up in the fifties and all this digital photography darkroom stuff is relatively new to me. Is Vuescan superior, or are you just used to using it. I have read alot of positive stuff about Vuescan, and am considering possibly getting it. What has your experience been?

 

[x-ray]

JoeFriday;

I thought I got the dud last year. I purchased a 4990 and made one scan when it totally failed. It was completely dead. I deceided that the machine was a little light duty for my needs and wound upreturning it. I got a great deal from Fuji on a demo Finescan 5000 and am very happy with it but these deals are gone now plus the machine is massive and weighs a hundred and fifty pounds. I would be tempted to return the 4990 and check out the new studio models that epson has introduced. The addition of 2 lenses and better glass makes a huge difference in scan qyality. These new machines should be very rugged too.