best 6x9 negative scanner below $600

[bonk]

Could you give me a suggestion for the "best" or a good negative scanner that can take negatives at least to the size of 6x9 ?

 

[Doug Fisher]

If only considering a new one, it would probably be an Epson v700. If you are willing to do your research and buy used, with a lot of careful monitoring of forums, craigslist, etc., you might be able to score a deal on a high end flatbed or drum scanner. High risk and lots of learning but potential higher reward.

Doug

 

[Pioneer]

I use the simple Epson V500 Photo Scanner very successfully for medium format negatives. It is not considered as good with 35mm but I have had no complaints in that area either. Another great option is the Plustek 120. It is a bit more expensive than the Epson scanners. I do not own one myself but I am sure there are owners on this forum who can give you a blow by blow account of it.

 

[jstout]

Could you give me a suggestion for the "best" or a good negative scanner that can take negatives at least to the size of 6x9 ?

A "good" scanner would be the Epson V500. Maybe not best, but good, and a good value. I bought mine new and have used it for several years. I am still learning how to scan well, because there are so many things you can change to alter the result. I scan 35, and three sizes of medium format; 6x4.5, 6x6, and 6x9. I even scanned some negatives from World War I, they were 100 years old, and filthy dirty from being in an attic. The film was slightly wider than 120, so the scan missed the edges, but the results were far, far better than I expected from the dirty negatives.

The medium format window is a little small. I have to cut the film to one each of the 6x9, so that's a problem. Also, I don't have a way to hold the film flat, and curly film doesn't lie flat in the holder.

I would like to have a V750, which takes bigger film (for large format) and has bigger holders that hold more film for one scan session, and I would like to have a way to hold the film flat. But on a budget the V500 works ok. The software is good, but takes some getting used to. The screens that pop up don't always make it real clear how to change things, some things seem hidden away, and you have to use different windows to change things that should all be on the same window.

I haven't used other scanners, but I hope my experience with the V500 can help with your decision.
Jeff

 

[John_M_King]

Like one other reply, I have used a V500 to scan all formats from 35mm up to 6x9 and like everything else, the larger the negative, or transparency the quality just gets better. If you scan at the maximum setting it will be a little slow, but for a med format 2400 will give you the quality for at least an A3+ size print with a bit of speed too.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

Could you give me a suggestion for the "best" or a good negative scanner that can take negatives at least to the size of 6x9 ?

I enjoy using and appreciate the results of my Epson 3200. it takes all formats up to 4x5, but I don't know what they go for. I got mine as a bargain.

 

[GRHazelton]

I've had good results with 6x6 and 6x4.5 negatives with my Epson V700 and betterscanning.com negative carriers, so I'd imagine that these comments should apply to 6x9. The stock carriers let the film sag, and the height adjustments aren't adequate, at least on my machine. The replacement carrier uses several screws for height adjustment, and I also bought the anti-Newton's ring glass. After a fair amount of fiddling my scans are sharp corner to corner. Gotta wathch the dust, though!