Which Scanner - old chestnut..

[peripatetic]

OK, so I have read all the threads I can on the subject.

My choice is narrowed to the Epson V750 or the Nikon Coolscan V ED.

Input Format - mostly 35mm. (But who knows what the future holds.)
Output Format - mostly A4/8x12 but good A3/12x18 desired.

I think I will probably want the Silverfast AI software with the Coolscan, and it is included with the Epson. So the relative costs come out to a very similar amount...
Epson V750 (£500) + Silverfast AI upgrade (£75) = £575
Coolscan V ED (£425) + Silverfast AI 8 (£150) = £575

Epson 16bit v Coolscan 14bit.
Epson multi-format v Coolscan 35mm only.

There is probably a small resolution advantage to the Nikon, but will I notice it at A3 print size?

I have somewhat limited desktop space so the Nikon is a little nicer from that perspective.

I am worried about the Nikon drivers for Intel Macs, as I am finding it difficult to get any definitive answer as to whether they will work or not. Obviously if they don't work then it has to be the Epson.

On balance it looks like the Epson is probably the safer bet even though it might have slightly lower resolution, it has the added flexibility of allowing MF scans if I do get hold of some MF gear in future.

I also expect that this line of Nikon scanners may well be the last we see, whereas Epson will probably keep theirs going for a while longer. This gives me some confidence about support for updates for future Mac OSX versions, etc.

So is the V750 up to the job of making good A3 prints from a 35mm negative? Or will they look sad next to A3 prints from a Coolscan V?

Your opinions appreciated.

 

[petercs]

Take the Nikon. If you run an Intel Mac, I suggest you test VueScan prior to get frustrated with still incompatible Nikon MAID drivers (NikonScan and Silverfast use them). VueScan has it's own drivers and is IntelMac / Leopard compatible. It does less postprocessing than NS or SF, but you can definitely do that in Lightroom, PS or other programs. I have NS 4.02, SF AI 6.5.5r5 and the latest VueScan for my Nikon5000ED. Finally figured out good setups for both slides and b/w negs with VueScan. As of today I am only using the latter on my Intel Mac running Leopard.
Best Regards, Peter

 

[Henk]

Both

Both

Well, I use them both. V ED exclusively for 35 film. V750 for 120/220 film.

In both cases I'm using Silverfast AI studio 6.5.5.r5.

I'm very, very happy with both scanners.

If you use only 35, I would say go for V ED.

Henk

 

[amateriat]

All said and done, for 35mm I always go for a dedicated film scanner To borrow a slogan from someplace else, the difference is worth the difference. As someone who shoots virtually no other format than 35mm, flatbeds have their place for scanning whole rolls of film for "contact sheets" (I have a tabloid-size flatbed for this), which helps with choosing my selects, but it's the film scanner that gets me to a decidedly printable file...however large that print ends up being.


- Barrett

 

[peripatetic]

I guess the consensus is for the Coolscan then.

If I move to MF later then I'll just have to factor in the cost of a scanner as part of the gear.

Thanks for all the advice.

 

[Ara Ghajanian]

I have a Nikon Coolscan V and I love it. I am considering getting a FH-3 film holder because film flatness can be an issue. I wouldn't use a flatbed for 35mm. Not even an option if you want decent scans.