Scanning XPan -- confirming no stitch required?

pagpow

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Have read old threads here, others on web -- there seems to be a lot of old information -- most of it dealing with scanning two halves and stitching

My question -- is there anybody out there who can confirm scanning Xpan frames in one piece (no stitching) with an Epson scanner on a Mac?
If so does it need to be one of the older scanners and not the V700?

Don't need more than web posting or 4X printing to start -- anything else can be rescanned.

Below are the details I have gleaned that create confusion:

Epson 4990 shows holders for pano frames

Old threads here have some indicating use of V500 to scan panos in one go (no stictching)

Epson v700 specs show it is not shipped with pano frame holder (unlike 4990)

Betterscanning does not show a 135 pano holder

Other threads here indicate it is possible to scan in one go w. VueScan by clicking off "thumbnails" and manually indicating field to be scanned

Others suggest Nikon scanners incompatible with some Mac transfer protocols

Finally, there seems to be clear confirmation that Nikon 8000/9000 can scan Xpan in one go.

What's the skinny? Can I do it on a flatbed? What hardware/software combination?

Thanks.
 
Epson flatbeds with strip holders can scan pano frames, but EpsonScan software does not automatically recognize them - no autoframing. With manual framing it's possible. I used Silverfast for this. It works in one go.
 
Thanks, Palec -- to be clear, with V700, SilverFast, manual framing, and Epson strip holder, I can accomplish it?

Does this mean I have to manually frame each shot on a roll? sounds like it?
What strip holder do I use -- if it is not shipped with the V700?

Thanks again.

Any others?
 
V700 film strip holder is standard 35mm one (included with scanner) - has 4 strips for 6 standard or 3 pano frames per strip.
 
Btw. I've just checked, you can turn off auto-framing in EpsonScan by unclicking Thumbnails checkbox and use manual framing there, too. Silverfast has Find frames function, but it does not work with panoframes. In Silverfast you can create (duplicate) frames for the whole layout and save it for later use. Or move the frame to new position, adjust settings, scan and move again... (that's how I'm doing it). I don't use VueScan, maybe someone else can give some advice.
 
As palec says, it's really simple to scan non-standard 35mm frames using the enclosed EpsonScan software on a V700. The standard 35mm holders work just fine.

Uncheck the Thumbnails checkbox, then you can simply draw a selection around one of the frames. If you then click on the Duplicate Selection button (one of the four icons in top left of the preview window) it'll add a second selection of the same dimensions as your first which you can drag and drop over the next frame. That allows you to set up batch scans of multiple frames easily.

Next time you start EpsonScan it will have remembered your last set of selections, so you shouldn't have to redraw them.
 
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Many thanks for your information. I thought the normal holder had frame dividers based on a standard 35mm frame.

Does this thread confirm that for Xpan scanning, there are no current betterscanning holders -- or am I missing something about those?

If the major purpose of the scan is for web posting, quick proofing, and max 4x prints -- is there a real advantage to the V700, or would I be fine with a 4990 or even 4490?

Thanks.
 
AFAIK, Betterscanning does only 35mm ANR glass inserts into Epson holders. The original 35mm folder is not so clumsy as 120/220 film holder for V700.

I think 4990 could be enough for your purposes. I've used it for short time and it's very close to V700.
 
v700 is fine with Epson Scan. Disable thumbs and manually select the frames. When you have everything set up, rez, size etc, then save the settings. Unfortunately on macs, you can't rename the settings (well maybe if you went Terminal..) so if you scan different formats, you'll need to remember which ones are which or cycle through till you find the one you need.
 
Many thanks for your information. I thought the normal holder had frame dividers based on a standard 35mm frame.

No, there are no frame dividers on the V700 35mm holders. The reason there's no pano holders from betterscanning is that they're not needed. I did pick up a set of their ANR glass inserts though, to help keep the film absolutely flat when scanning.
 
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