Film scanner recommendations

The Epson Perfection 4990 Photo looks good. It is also capable of doing 8x10 which means I could bring my old 8x10 out of moth balls. :)

Anybody have any experience with this scanner??
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I have this scanner. I actually also have an Epson 2450. It isn't really fair to compare the two, but if you did then there IS no comparison. The 4990 (especially for medium format) doesn't really leave anything to be desired. It isn't as hot for 35mm, I ended up buying a supercoolscan 5000 to use for that and kept my 4990 for medium and large format.

I bought the 2450 years ago and first tried its trans scanning capabilities on some 6 x 6 chromes that I needed scanned for a project. They ended up being usable for comps but I didn't feel like the quality was there for me to even consider using the scans for the final files. (and this was for a 5 x 7 CMYK postcard.)

It depends on the level of quality you expect compared to what your budget is like.
 
Again, does anyone know if any current scanner has the capability to de-screen prints? Please send PM if you do.
Johne
 
colyn said:
I am looking to buy a good film scanner that is capable of scanning 6x6, 6x9, and possibly 4x5.
I have a 35mm film scanner but if the above will also include 35 I could sell this one and apply the funds to the new one.
Any recommendations?? :D
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Hi colyn,
What 35 mm film scanner do you have?
And, if you were to sell it, how much?
The replies about Epson sound good; the pros use them.
Ciao,
mike
 
Johne,

Most serious flatbeds can do descreening today, as far as i know. The recent Epsons certainly do. That's one feature that is well-explained in the sloppy manual coming with the Epson V700.

COlyn, that mostly depends on your budget. A multiformat dedicated film scanner would be the best option of course, but I could not pay $2000+ for such an accessory, so i went for the Epson V700. I find it an excellent piece of hardware. The sofrware, well, that needs some serious struggle until you begin to know what you (or the scanner) is doing.

But really, I scanned some 35mm slides and the results are as good as it gets.

The medium format film holders of Epson are rather bad, though. An aftermarket holder will probably be my next investment.

EDIT: here's a 35mm scan at 2400 dpi downsized, and a crop from it.
 

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Pherdinand,

I am using an Epson V750 at the photo art school (so it is shared equipment which does not always get goot treatment).
The Epson scan software seems to crop a bit off the negatives. Do you know how I can scan the whole negatives (which are in the holder) including a bit of the 'black border'? Do I need to use other software?

Thanks in advace!

Dries
 
I've got an Epson 4990 that I'm very happy with. It's good for medium format and the 35mm holder means you can scan 24 images in one go which is good for producing proofs of your images before you edit
 
>>Do you know how I can scan the whole negatives (which are in the holder) including a bit of the 'black border'? Do I need to use other software?<<

This is a common problem and usually due to relying on auto cropping. You just need to go into manual cropping mode. In Professional mode, click on the little arrow to the right of the Preview button, click Normal, re-preview, now draw your own marquee.

Doug
---
www.BetterScanning.com
 
I need to purchase a new film scanner for my college photo society and I've narrowed it down to two affordable Epson flatbeds, the 4490 and 3590.

Just to check: the 3590 is only able to scan 35mm film, while the 4490 can scan medium format. Is this correct? Would I have to purchase third party adapters in order to scan medium format, or would they be included with the scanners?

Thank you.

Clarence
 
clarence said:
Just to check: the 3590 is only able to scan 35mm film, while the 4490 can scan medium format. Is this correct? Would I have to purchase third party adapters in order to scan medium format, or would they be included with the scanners?
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Hi Clarence, I just purchased the 4490, refurbed, from Epson. They have a $50 rebate, so my total cost will come to $130 or so (tax included here -- I'm not sure if they have a rebate there in UK?). It does scan MF, I don't know about the 3590. But I'm very happy in my first three days of playing with this 4490. I don't have much of a problem with the holder that comes with it, but many a users here and elsewhere on the internet have highly recommended the one from Doug Fischer, indicating the quality is superior to the ones with the epson scanners. His holders are relativley inexpensive, so I'll be considering ordering one later this week just for laughs *shrug* One benefit I see is that I'll be able to scan three 6x6 frames instead of two...
 
Dries, as DOug said (and he knows what he's talking about when it's scanning matter:) )... I always draw myself the marquee and it works ok.
 
jano said:
Hi Clarence, I just purchased the 4490, refurbed, from Epson. They have a $50 rebate, so my total cost will come to $130 or so (tax included here -- I'm not sure if they have a rebate there in UK?).
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Thank you for replying, Jano. I just got approval for a 300GBP budget. A new Epson 4490 sells for under 200GBP, so this shouldn't be a problem.

Clarence
 
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