Epson V850 light streaks

neilguo · Oct 13, 2022

Hi guys,

I have been getting light streaks from my epson v850, and I tried a few method and none of them worked.

At the beginning I thought it was because of the film border that causes light bouncing, I tried using scanning mask, tapping up the border, cleaning up the calibrator and they didn't work.

Today I ran the scanner without laying anything, this is what I got:

(I edited the curve to make the issue more clear )

I'm 99% sure this is a hardware issue.

I'm wondering if there is anyway to fix it.

fs999 · Oct 13, 2022

Perhaps it is the cover. Have you tried with a white paper ?

Frank53 · Oct 13, 2022

Did you remove the slide for reflective scans?

Trail Images · Oct 13, 2022

I've had a Microtek i900 since they were first released. I had similar issues off and on thru the many years I've owned the unit. I found early on, thankfully, that I had to use compressed air to lightly blow the scanning area out. The Microtek's are a bit unique in their open bay element, no glass between the scanning element & film, if you will so I'm not sure you have the same access on the Epson units.
The i900 I pull the film holder out and lightly blow the air inside the open bay area where the scanning element is at. Again, it fixed the issue each time and scans were always spot on from long periods of time. In fact, knock on wood, I can't recall the last time I needed to do the cleaning.

jeffreyg · Oct 13, 2022

Try resetting to the default settings

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Alan Edward Klein · Oct 13, 2022

Why does Frame have a red square around it? Why select that? What does it mean?

Have you tried the Epsonscan software that came with the machine?

What settings? If you;re scanning prints, you have to set reflective. I film, set for film and remove the white cover in the top section. If film are you using a film holder?

We need more info from you.

Andrew O'Neill · Oct 13, 2022

Hmmm... have you tried scanning with the Epson Scanner driver, and not Silverfast?

Trail Images · Oct 13, 2022

Andrew O'Neill said:
Hmmm... have you tried scanning with the Epson Scanner driver, and not Silverfast?

OP.....Andrew makes a really good point as I missed the software being used. Trying both just might prove your original point being hardware related.

neilguo · Oct 14, 2022

Alright guys,I'm back with more tests, and thanks to all the replies.

This time I put a 4x5 color reversal sheet at the bottom right corner of my scanner (that is where the streaks are the worst)

I scanned it once with silverfast, and again with Epsonscan:

I converted it to black and white and edited the contrast, just to make the streaks more clear.

Alan Edward Klein · Oct 14, 2022

Did you remove the white slide platen in the top portion and did you select positive film? Have you tried scanning using the 4x5 film holder? The V850 uses a different and better lens this way.

Frank53 · Oct 14, 2022

Alan Edward Klein said:
Did you remove the white slide platen in the top portion and did you select positive film?

That’s what I said in post #3. Did that once and this is what it looks like

Alan Edward Klein · Oct 14, 2022

Frank53 said:
That’s what I said in post #3. Did that once and this is what it looks like

Have you tried using the 4x5 film holder? It uses a more accurate sensor lens. When you scan on the glass, it uses the inferior lens to scan.

Duceman · Oct 14, 2022

neilguo said:
I scanned it once with silverfast, and again with Epsonscan:

Are you using any film holder, or are you placing the film directly on the scanner's glass?

jeffreyg · Oct 14, 2022

I originally suggested resetting to the default settings. After some thought, I suggest checking your cables, reinstalling the Epson driver along with the SilverFast software default settings. I am using an Epson850 along with SilverFast Ai Studio8 with no problems so far. You could also try scanning a printed page with the reflective/positive mode as opposed to film just to see what happens. my guess is that it isn't a hardware problem.

Frank53 · Oct 14, 2022

Alan Edward Klein said:
Have you tried using the 4x5 film holder? It uses a more accurate sensor lens. When you scan on the glass, it uses the inferior lens to scan.

Yes, I always use the 4x5 filmholder.

Alan Edward Klein · Oct 14, 2022

neilguo said:
Alright guys,I'm back with more tests, and thanks to all the replies.

Frank53 said:

Yes, I always use the 4x5 filmholder.

Click to expand...

This time I put a 4x5 color reversal sheet at the bottom right corner of my scanner (that is where the streaks are the worst)

I scanned it once with silverfast, and again with Epsonscan:

View attachment 318938
View attachment 318939

I converted it to black and white and edited the contrast, just to make the streaks more clear.

What does the bolded part mean? There's only one way to install a 4x5 film holder using the guide indents.

Frank53 · Oct 14, 2022

Alan Edward Klein said:
What does the bolded part mean? There's only one way to install a 4x5 film holder using the guide indents.

So he did not use the filmholder, but placed the film on the glass.

grat · Oct 14, 2022

Have you cleaned the glass? That looks... dusty.

Epsons have a calibration area at one end of the holders that the Epson uses during scanning-- if that area is dusty, you can get odd lines on your scan.

And FYI, if you tell Silverfast to use "Holder" and put the scan directly on the glass, you're going to be out-of-focus.

Trail Images · Oct 14, 2022

grat said:
Have you cleaned the glass? That looks... dusty.

This was my point with regards to using compressed air. The Microtek unit I have the area where the scanning element is at I use compressed air to gently blow the dust particles off that area. I get similar streaks to what is being seen here and the blown air removes the issue.

grat · Oct 14, 2022

Trail Images said:
This was my point with regards to using compressed air. The Microtek unit I have the area where the scanning element is at I use compressed air to gently blow the dust particles off that area. I get similar streaks to what is being seen here and the blown air removes the issue.

It's glass. Clean it thoroughly with a lint-free cloth, and some actual cleaner. I actually use some anti-static glass cleaning spray, in the vain hope that it will reduce dust build up (and it does seem to help, but that's entirely subjective).

I've tried to move away from compressed air cans as much as possible-- I've got a rechargeable duster which isn't quite as good as a can, but does OK for negatives. I'm also not convinced that a duster can match said lint-free cloth and a bit of muscle at removing particularly particular particulates.

Alan Edward Klein · Oct 15, 2022

Frank53 said:
Yes, I always use the 4x5 filmholder.

I was asking the OP. Why isn't he using the film holder? It's better than putting the film down on the glass plate to scan.

koraks · Oct 15, 2022

Does the same problem exist when scanning reflective media? Try this first, with a blank sheet of paper. Copier paper is fine. If the problem persists, you can at least rule out anything related to the transparency adapter and film holders etc. What remains are the scanning element, light source and calibration area.

Usually longitudinal streaks like these are related to dirt on the calibration area, although they typically extend all the way across the scanned area and don't change density, so this does look somewhat different.

The V850 uses LED illumination; I don't know how they implemented it, but if it's essentially a strip light consisting of an array of individual LEDs, it's possible that there's a problem with the LED drivers or the LEDs themselves (the latter seems less likely given this failure pattern). You should be able to see it either with the naked eye or by photographing the LED bar as it travels across the platen. Underexpose the shot so the lights don't blow out and enhance the contrast in digital processing to see if the strip is evenly lit.

Trail Images · Oct 15, 2022

Alan Edward Klein said:
I was asking the OP. Why isn't he using the film holder? It's better than putting the film down on the glass plate to scan.

Alan, that is the same for the Microtek units as well. The only time I use the glass area is for reflective print items. All positive or negatives get the film holder usage for all the reasons being mentioned.

Adrian Bacon · Oct 17, 2022

neilguo said:
Hi guys,

I have been getting light streaks from my epson v850, and I tried a few method and none of them worked.

At the beginning I thought it was because of the film border that causes light bouncing, I tried using scanning mask, tapping up the border, cleaning up the calibrator and they didn't work.

Today I ran the scanner without laying anything, this is what I got:

View attachment 318837
(I edited the curve to make the issue more clear )

I'm 99% sure this is a hardware issue.

I'm wondering if there is anyway to fix it.

Make sure the calibration area is clear and clean of any dust, junk, etc.

Livili · Jun 13, 2024

Hi everybody! I'm new here, greetings from Venice.
I have the same problem of @neilguo, and I wonder if he managed to fix the problem, and how

Epson V850 light streaks

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Epson V850 light streaks

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