raytoei@gmail.com
Veteran
Hi,
I sold off my 3 month old Canon 8800f and got an Epson V600 scanner. I have scanned about 6 rolls (5 in 135 format and 1 in 120 format).
The following are my observations:
* The 8800f is everywhere while I hunted high and low for the V600 scanner. I finally found an export version which sold for $450 sgd + GST. Registration was an issue as the export version was not recognised (or authorised) to be sold in Singapore. Nevertheless I received an email from Epson which informed me that it would honour the paperless warranty.
* I found the 8800f to be of better quality than the V600. Specifically, the cover, the overall build felt and looked more sturdy on the 8800f. Note that this is my perception only.
* For 135mm film, I definitely prefer the 8800f film holder to the V600. For the 8800f, I knew where the latch was, what to press to open the holder. For the V600, I was clumsy and I could not avoid dropping the holder parts for the first few rolls.
* For the 120mm film, V600 is much better in holding the film in place. In all fairness, I used the Shanghai GP3 and it didn't curl as much.
* Scan speeds. The V600 is a hand-down winner for the 2400 dpi and 3200 dpi. My monochrome 3200 dpi was faster on the V600 than the 2400 dpi on the 8800f. The file sizes generated were around 12mb versus 11+ mb (v8800f @3200dpi). 2400 dpi files were around 6+ mb each.
* Supplied software. Unlike the 8800f software, I did not experience any crashes on the default supplied software. I also did not use Vuescan.
* Quality of scans.
On my 8800f at default unsharp mask etc, my XP-2 scans would be smooth and grainless while my Legacy Pro 400 scans had acceptable grains.
On the V600 at the default unsharp mask ("MED"), my XP-2 scans would be grainy and my Legacy Pro 400 scans would have unacceptable grains.
While it was inconvenient at first, i found it necessary to turn to "LOW" level for the unsharp mask whenever Portrait photos was used. I sort of experimented with No unsharp mask, Low and Medium.
For non-portrait scans, I love the V600's sharpness.
* Contrast.
This is not fully explored but I had a feeling that the default settings result in a low-contrast scan. This could after all be my lens. (Further testing is needed)
Please share your experience of the V600, especially the settings that you found useful.
thanks !
raytoei
(Default Unsharp Mask at "Med")
I sold off my 3 month old Canon 8800f and got an Epson V600 scanner. I have scanned about 6 rolls (5 in 135 format and 1 in 120 format).
The following are my observations:
* The 8800f is everywhere while I hunted high and low for the V600 scanner. I finally found an export version which sold for $450 sgd + GST. Registration was an issue as the export version was not recognised (or authorised) to be sold in Singapore. Nevertheless I received an email from Epson which informed me that it would honour the paperless warranty.
* I found the 8800f to be of better quality than the V600. Specifically, the cover, the overall build felt and looked more sturdy on the 8800f. Note that this is my perception only.
* For 135mm film, I definitely prefer the 8800f film holder to the V600. For the 8800f, I knew where the latch was, what to press to open the holder. For the V600, I was clumsy and I could not avoid dropping the holder parts for the first few rolls.
* For the 120mm film, V600 is much better in holding the film in place. In all fairness, I used the Shanghai GP3 and it didn't curl as much.
* Scan speeds. The V600 is a hand-down winner for the 2400 dpi and 3200 dpi. My monochrome 3200 dpi was faster on the V600 than the 2400 dpi on the 8800f. The file sizes generated were around 12mb versus 11+ mb (v8800f @3200dpi). 2400 dpi files were around 6+ mb each.
* Supplied software. Unlike the 8800f software, I did not experience any crashes on the default supplied software. I also did not use Vuescan.
* Quality of scans.
On my 8800f at default unsharp mask etc, my XP-2 scans would be smooth and grainless while my Legacy Pro 400 scans had acceptable grains.
On the V600 at the default unsharp mask ("MED"), my XP-2 scans would be grainy and my Legacy Pro 400 scans would have unacceptable grains.
While it was inconvenient at first, i found it necessary to turn to "LOW" level for the unsharp mask whenever Portrait photos was used. I sort of experimented with No unsharp mask, Low and Medium.
For non-portrait scans, I love the V600's sharpness.
* Contrast.
This is not fully explored but I had a feeling that the default settings result in a low-contrast scan. This could after all be my lens. (Further testing is needed)
Please share your experience of the V600, especially the settings that you found useful.
thanks !
raytoei
(Default Unsharp Mask at "Med")
Last edited:
Mablo
Well-known
Great photo and thanks for your report. I don't have experience of Epson V600 but I use Canon 8800f regularly for scanning 120 film. I soon found out that Canon's film holder for 120 film is crappy and I replaced it with a much better one from betterscanning.com. They have a model for V600 too. Especially if you are using film that curves easily they make your life much easier.