Scanner + Silverfast Bundle?

[nation_of_pomation]

Are there any scanners that come with Silverfast in the box? I've got an Epson Perfection V600 that's okay but kind of annoying to use with 35mm film (which I shoot a lot of) and I was considering a cheaper dedicated 35mm scanner that could keep up with it resolution-wise but would be faster and not allow so much bending which causes Newton rings. I also would like a better scanner software than Epson Scan that is made specifically for negatives slides like Silverfast or maybe Vuescan (I don't know how they compare). I imagine some scanner company must sell the software with their scanners or otherwise at least offer something better.

 

[BLKRCAT]

V700 comes with Silverfast SE. Its what I use and I love it. Most hate silverfast though.

P.S you're that holga kid right?

 

[nation_of_pomation]

I'm just not sure how much I using using flatbed-style scanners for 35mm film. And why do people hate Silverfast? What's not to like about it? It seems like the best scanning software for film-focused people in my very limited research I did. And yes, that was me. I can't seem to live that video down. I still adore them, though.

 

[Aristophanes]

I'm just not sure how much I using using flatbed-style scanners for 35mm film. And why do people hate Silverfast? What's not to like about it? It seems like the best scanning software for film-focused people in my very limited research I did. And yes, that was me. I can't seem to live that video down. I still adore them, though.

Some hate the Silverfast UI.

With Silverfast, if there is an OS change for either Windows or Mac, theyhave, in the past, made users re-purchase a new version for that OS, even the the OS upgrade was not all that major.

 

[Ranchu]

Putting your negatives in giant heavy books after drying will flatten them.

 

[lewis44]

Some hate the Silverfast UI.

With Silverfast, if there is an OS change for either Windows or Mac, theyhave, in the past, made users re-purchase a new version for that OS, even the the OS upgrade was not all that major.

How 'bout that !!!!

My 1st New scanner purchase (Polaroid 4000) was a long time ago and as memory serves, it came with Silverfast.
Silverfast kept upgrading and Minor changes were free, but with new features came the request for more $$$$. You couldn't even use it with the microtek scanner (same scanner, different name)
at about that time I got Vuescan.
Got the Pro Version and still use it to this day and have used it with probably more than a dozen scanners from different manufacturer. Never paid another $$$$ for all of the changes Mr Hamrick made to it to make it better
Best $$$$ I ever Spent

 

[nation_of_pomation]

So maybe Vuescan would be a better choice?

 

[BLKRCAT]

im not sure that vuescan has the same profiles that silverfast does. I'm under the impression that a lot of people dislike it because of the steep learning curve and the almost insane way that they deal with their customers.

It took me a few days to get silverfast up and running because the version that was included with my V700 wasnt supported by snow leopard since apple dropped the power pc emulation they had built into previous versions of intel osx systems. I had to wait for Silverfast to personally email me a new serial number since the serial that was included wasn't compatable with my OS.

Also Silverfast SE, the free version included with hardware includes a lot of features that actually don't do anything. ie 48bit hdr scanning (theres a button, and it does scan but just messes up when you see the scan), or even simple things like spitting out 16 bit files. It does have the profiles which are handy, but arent customizable or updatable. There's no Fuji Neopan 100 which is a huge wtf from me since its such a popular film, but they have superia reala because you know, everyone shoots that...

Other bugs include clicking anywhere on preview area in the middle of a scan will cancel your scan, or framing a new frame while scanning can cause the software to lock up.

There's a lot of stupidity in the software. I guess I'm stupid for continuing to use it. Ive been using it for 3 years now and I'm finally getting the hang of scanning color film with it. The learning curve is steep. If you don't mind learning new things every time you use it then it's not bad. Tutorials seem scarce and support is almost useless since my SE version isn't usually addressed.

Scans like this are achievable right out of the scanner with Silverfast.

Ektar(120)


Portra 800(120)


Portra 400(35mm)


I do want to do some sort of video series on my process or what Im learning about. If you do decide to go down the Silverfast route, feel free to ask me any questions.

 

[lewis44]

So maybe Vuescan would be a better choice?

Try it. you can get a free trial for I think 30 days

 

[nation_of_pomation]

I'm going to be doing some scanning with my Epson V600 so I think I'll try a side by side with the trial versions of Silverfast, Vuescan, and Epson Scan just to see how they compare.

 

[nation_of_pomation]

Well, I tried a very quick and very unscientific comparison of the manufacturer's scan software (Epson Scan), Vuescan, and SilverFast on 2 photos. I shot some Fuji Superia X-Tra 400 in a Nikon F3 with a 50mm f1.8 Series E lens in partly cloudy conditions. I scanned them with an Epson Perfection V600. I don't know if some features are unavailable in the trial versions of either application, so please let me know if these don't match what you get.

First is Epson Scan with some unsharp mask and dust removal. This scan has overall the best color, to me.
Canon Test Epson Scan
by Cry Baby Lane, on Flickr
Next is the Vuescan version, which I think has a blue cast. I was impressed with the light infrared dust removal setting, I had to set Epson Scan to high to match it.
Canon Test Vuescan
by Cry Baby Lane, on Flickr
Finally is the SilverFast version, which has an orange cast to it. I don't think it was actually allowing me to scan at DPI 3200 like I did with the other two. I had NegaFix set to the proper film for both scans, so I don't know why they look the way they do.
Canon Test SilverFast
by Cry Baby Lane, on Flickr

Overall in the first group, I think the Epson Scan clearly wins.

For the next group, this is the Epson Scan image. This is also representative of the quality I normally get from Epson Scan.
Stream Test Epson Scan
by Cry Baby Lane, on Flickr
Next is Vuescan again. It came out blueish again, although it looks more like the light I remember from that day, as this second one was taken late in the afternoon.
Stream Test Vuescan
by Cry Baby Lane, on Flickr
In this SilverFast scan, the colors are suddenly way punchier even though this was set to the correct NegaFix setting as before and matching USM/dust removal as close as could be to the others. I'm not sure what's going on in the darkest parts of the pictures. I feel like I used SilverFast incorrectly.
Stream Test Silverfast
by Cry Baby Lane, on Flickr

Currently I'm not all that swayed to switch to anything else. I was impressed with the speed at which Vuescan and SilverFast worked at 3200 DPI and with the dust cleaning from Vuescan, but Vuescan's film profiles are super old and don't match most modern films and SilverFast just produced weird scans. Please share your thoughts!

 

[Greyscale]

My V750 came bundled with Silverfast 8SE. As a complete scanning neophyte, I find the software quite intuitive, and have started to get some quite good results with it, with none of the bugs mentioned above.


demo3 by Greyscale3, on Flickr


Dean by Greyscale3, on Flickr

Of course, I have no prior experience with any other scanning software to compare it to.

 

[nation_of_pomation]

Do you scan all your film a certain way with it? I'm curious because my results looked terrible with SilverFast and I have a feeling it was user error.