Need a Cheap Scanner for 6x6 and 6x9 Negs

[Steve M.]

I need an inexpensive scanner for 120 negs just to use as a proofer. My eyes aren't good enough to see much from a 6x6 contact print. Any suggestions? I had an old Epson 2450 that made wonderful scans, but it was so good that I had to sell it. It just tempted me to to do inkjet prints, and I want to do only analog enlarging. Do any of the older Epson 1600's and the like do 120 negs? Thanks.

 

[randomm]

Epson Perfection 1640 at least does, that's the one I'm using for my 6x6 stuff. Here's an example: http://www.flickr.com/photos/randomm/5647335910/

 

[Steve M.]

Great recommendation randomm! Something like that would certainly do it. It's funny, I'm actually complaining about an old scanner I had that had too much resolution, rather than the other way 'round. Your flickr scans from that 1640 look like just the ticket. Thanks.

 

[randomm]

Great recommendation randomm! Something like that would certainly do it. It's funny, I'm actually complaining about an old scanner I had that had too much resolution, rather than the other way 'round. Your flickr scans from that 1640 look like just the ticket. Thanks.

Glad to be of help. I reckon you can get one of these for a song given they are almost 10 years (??) old. I still like the quality though. Ken Rockwell says that the real resolution is approximately 1200 DPI, which is fine for me at the moment (thinking of very thin wallet!).

 

[77seriesiii]

another option if you cant find the 1640. The Epson V700 w/ aftermarket fluid mount kits, works great. the out of the box MF holders from Epson...are horrid. Though the aftermarket kits (better.com or scanscience) are both very good they cost more $$. The best part of fluid mounting is it removes, heals, hides, covers small scratches in the film reducing touch ups in photo editing program of choice. the V750 comes w/ a fluid mounting kit and allegedly better optics but save your money. Guys in the LF forums have done some really decent comparisons and generally the V700 is the way to go. I cant remember what the actual DPI is but I think it is around or 1500? No quotes just trying to remember.

good luck

erick

 

[Steve M.]

Thanks for the tip Erick, but I ended up buying another Epson 2450 for $50, and a newer 3170 for about the same price. They're fine scanners for MF. Actually, now that I bought these, I wonder if I need them. Just printed up some 6x6 and 6x9 negs at actual size to simulate a contact print, and you can see quite a bit from a print that size. What I can't tell anything from is a negative. Oh, I can see if it's exposed correctly, but I just can't visualize how it would look as a positive. So for proofing, I'll need to go w/ a scan or a contact print.

The Epson 2450's have an oddity about their film holders as well. They don't hold the neg very flat, but several times I've taped the negs flat to the scanner's glass itself and saw no difference in sharpness compared to a rather warped looking neg in the holder. It doesn't seem to matter that the holder keeps the negs a certain distance from the scanner glass either, as my taped-to-the-glass scans looked exactly like the ones made in a film holder.