Which scanner to get?

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noah b

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Hey all, I'm new to the scanning world and want to scan 6x6 and 6x7 negatives for online use. I was considering an epson v500 or a 4490 that I found for cheap online. I don't plan on doing any prints on it, just looking for something to see my mf negs on the comp.
 
For your purpose, either one should be good enough. I personally have V500, which I use for 35mm and medium format scanning for web purpose. And to me, it is good enough.
Hiromu
 
If you can find a cheap 4990 it might be more convenient since you can scan a whole contact sheet at once.
 
I have an epson 4490, it's decent...but i already want to upgrade. I completely went from digital to film, so I want to upgrade. If you're just shooting film as a side hobby, the 4490 is good enough.
 
my 4490 has done a great job for me with MF. 35mm...not so much. but MF it's been great. with the betterscanning holder and AN glass.

I am upgrading to the V750 but the 4490 has worked well. Once the V750 is in place I'll be selling the 4490.
 
4990 or newer. You can make really nice prints from 4990 scans. You may want to make bigger negatives in the future.
 
I just bought the V500 over the 4490. The plus for the V500 is the LED light source, so it's a bit faster to get going when scanning. Otherwise I think they are the same, or very similar, scanners. If you are just looking at scans on your computer, I suspect anything more is overkill considering how much the prices jump.
 
The 4490 and V500 are practically the same, the principal difference is the LED lighting in the V500. Having used both, I feel this is a useful advantage since I used to have to sit idly for 2 minutes while the scanner warmed up.

If you're not making big prints, then either one is good.
 
I have issues with the film tray for the 4490...it's flimsy and doesn't fold the film in place. It's difficult to get the top of the track to lock in, especially when your negatives are curved. The film itself would pop the tray open...I can't speak for the v500, but the tray looks to be about the same.
 
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I can't imagine film being so curled the tray couldn't keep shut in the V500. That said, it's nothing to write home about. I've been told you can get better results using the glass inserts from BetterScanning.com with the film holders.
 
I've glued thin strips of wood into the grooves on the underside of the top of the 35mm neg holders on my V500. It makes a big difference as far as holding the negatives flat.
 
Even slighly curled film will pop the film tray open. It's pretty frustrating when you have a couple of rolls and you spend more time adjusting the fim tray than scanning...or having to rescan images because they don't sit correctly in the tray. If you do a search on the web, the reviews of the flimsy tray are out there. I'm not making it up.

True, I could buy the insert from betterscanning, but at $30 that's more than 30% the initial cost of the scanner (bought mine for less than $100). If I also wanted the medium format insert, that's an additional $30. The principle of it just doesn't make sense.

The Epson is a decent scanner, especially for the value. I just have gripes with the film tray.
 
You know...I think that just might work!!! I'm going to try to rig something like that when I get home tonight. I'll let you know how it goes. Thank sir!

wray said:
I've glued thin strips of wood into the grooves on the underside of the top of the 35mm neg holders on my V500. It makes a big difference as far as holding the negatives flat.
Click to expand...
 
anoldsock said:
You know...I think that just might work!!! I'm going to try to rig something like that when I get home tonight. I'll let you know how it goes. Thank sir!
Click to expand...
I just used some round toothpicks, cut the ends off with some utility snips and glued them into the grooves. After drying, I blackened them with a permanent felt marker. It really did make a difference in the rigidity of the holders.
 
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