Flatbed recommendations

[Agulliver]

My ancient Epson 4990 (I think that's the model) seems to have finally died.

WHat are people using these days which can do 35mm and medium format? DSLR scanning is not an option for me, I have no space to set it up. I've looked and am only finding one Epson model on the market these days, is that correct?

 

[koraks]

My ancient Epson 4990 (I think that's the model) seems to have finally died.

What happened to it? Mine's still chugging along, so I'd be interested to hear what might be in its future and whether it can be mended.

WHat are people using these days

Still a 4990 and frankly if it broke down, I'd look for the same to replace it. I'd probably have to settle for a much more expensive but not necessarily much better V750/800 etc. Odds are I would end up not finding anything to my liking at all and just do without.

 

[jeffreyg]

I don’t know what you have done to try to revive it. New cable,reinstall software, reinstall driver , bulbs, call Epson tech support? I have an 850 that replaced my 4880 that was working very well until we had a lightning strike right outside our house a couple of years ago. The surge took out most of our electronics even though they were plugged into surge protectors. No complaints about the 850 for my needs at an affordable price. I use it with SilverFast Ai studio 8.

 

[albireo]

My ancient Epson 4990 (I think that's the model) seems to have finally died.

WHat are people using these days which can do 35mm and medium format? DSLR scanning is not an option for me, I have no space to set it up. I've looked and am only finding one Epson model on the market these days, is that correct?

Before purchasing my Coolscan ED, I really enjoyed my Epson V550. I bought mine from Currys in 2017 new for 170£, I wonder what these go for today. It was really really good (for the price) for 6x6 and above, and honestly quite usable for 35mm and 6x4.5, at least for web usage and small prints. See if you can find a mint one on Gumtree.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

Epson V600 is available for 35mm and medium format 120 film, not for large format 4x5 or larger. For large format sheets as well as smaller sizes, you would need a V850. I have both and both are good units. My Flickr galleries are below for all format scans..

Epson V600

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/647187-REG/Epson_B11B198011_Perfection_V600_Photo_Scanner.html

Epson V850

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1083201-REG/epson_b11b224201_perfection_v850_pro_scanner.html

 

[BillBaileyImages]

I don’t know what you have done to try to revive it. New cable,reinstall software, reinstall driver , bulbs, call Epson tech support? I have an 850 that replaced my 4880 that was working very well until we had a lightning strike right outside our house a couple of years ago. The surge took out most of our electronics even though they were plugged into surge protectors. No complaints about the 850 for my needs at an affordable price. I use it with SilverFast Ai studio 8.

To protect my 850 and main computer, I have a UPS that can support everything at full voltage and current for 2 hours when the random spike or interruption occurs. There is also a UPS for my printers, and yet another for my film processing setup. Have not experienced a lightning strike yet.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

Note that the V850 has a dmax of 4.0 a little better than the V600 3.4 so the smaller formats look a little better than the V600. There are two holders for each format with the V850 and a glass built into their holders to keep the film flat. Of course there.s a big price difference between the units.

 

[Agulliver]

My old 4490 (the actual model) was working 5 days ago. It still powers up (well, the light comes on) but doesn't make the usual mechanical noises it used to when I turned it on and Epson Scan is utterly refusing to open. I've uninstalled and reinstalled and no luck.

Nothing happens if I press any of the front panel buttons either.

The V600 is showing as discontinued on Epson and Amazon?

 

[ntenny]

The V600 is showing as discontinued on Epson and Amazon?

I guess if Epson say it’s discontinued, they should know, but B&H still show it in stock. When my 4990 dies I’ll have to get a V850, because I need the large-format capability, but for 35mm/MF the V600 looks great.

Edit: just saw your location, so I guess B&H isn’t that helpful—but the point is that there seems to be stock still out there.

-NT

 

[koraks]

The V600 is showing as discontinued on Epson and Amazon?

Could be correct; I think I noticed something similar a couple of weeks ago when I briefly looked into it.

Too bad to hear about your scanner; do you know any electronics enthusiasts or HAM radio amateurs who might look into it?

 

[4season]

I'm still using my Epson V700. V800/850 might be a little bit nicer due to their LED light sources, if they avoid the warm-up times needed for older CCFL type lighting. But otherwise, they seem pretty much the same.

My V700 would periodically hang up, with scanner making chattering noises. Over time, it worsened, with "periodically" becoming "constantly". It finally dawned on me to clean and relube the linear bearing (silver metal rod, and the part of the scanner head which rides on it), and that seems to have completely cured it. Only a very light film of lubricant is needed, but it's definitely needed.

Epson Scan isn't compatible with Windows 11, and Epson recommends users to switch to Microsoft's free Scan app, but I wasn't too impressed with Windows Scan.

 

[jeffreyg]

The lightning strike I referred to struck and split in half a 100 year old oak tree just 25 feet from our house. It sounded like an explosion. The power company said surge protectors we generally use for our home appliances don’t work with such a surge and unplugging our equipment is better. I hope the old adage of lightning doesn’t strike twice in the same site is correct

 

[BillBaileyImages]

Just found this scary info:

• "Current
  A typical lightning strike carries around 30,000 amps. However, currents over 200,000 amps have been reported.
• 'Temperature
  Lightning is very hot, with temperatures ranging from 15,000–60,000°F
• 'Survival
  About 90% of people struck by lightning survive because their exposure to the voltage and current is brief.
• 'Damage to electronics
  Lightning can pose a serious threat to electronics in a home, but damage is rare."
  Guess my UPS would simply melt if it were still plugged in. Glad a good friend has a key to my house. He said he will be glad to unplug things while I'm on a shoot. Gives a new meaning to "meltdown" eh?
  
  
  
  
  
  

 

[jeffreyg]

Nothing melted but we lost 2 tvs, 2 desktop computers, 2 printers and a scanner. Our insurance covered the hardware but not software. Fortunately I had the software copied on to unplugged external drives and files to a service. Once I replaced the hardware I was able to get back to where I was before. It’s a good idea to clone your computer and have automatic backup.

 

[BillBaileyImages]

Ouch! Since "obsessive" is almost my middle name, I always have at least four versions of images that are significant to me: the original (film or digital), the scanned version on my main computer, and a copy on each of two portable hard drives that stay updated--one off-site in my safe-deposit box at the bank, and one on-site, ready to swap places with the other hard drive. That is almost fail-safe, but you never know.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

I operate Epson Scan on my Windows 11 computer. Check Epson site for proper Windows 11 download.

 

[Agulliver]

I don't think it's the software, I was using the same computer and scanner just a few days ago. Though i did uninstall and reinstall yesterday just to see if it helped. One thing I might try is swapping out the USB cable just in case that's an issue. I've tried plugging the existing cable into different ports on the hub and on the PC with no luck.

Other than the light coming on, the scanner appears dead. The buttons don't have any effect and Epson Scan is just absolutely refusing to do anything. I guess I could try installing Epson Scan on my laptop and give that a go rather than using the desktop PC.

I'm just thinking this is an ancient scanner now and it is way past it's expected life. I wasn't expecting a replacement to be so costly.

I really do have very little (read zero) space, but I am beginning to wonder if DLSR is the way to go. Though I generally prefer flatbeds that might just be because it's what I'm used to, having scanned photos, slides and negatives this way for around 30 years.

 

[loccdor]

What happened to it? Mine's still chugging along, so I'd be interested to hear what might be in its future and whether it can be mended.



Still a 4990 and frankly if it broke down, I'd look for the same to replace it. I'd probably have to settle for a much more expensive but not necessarily much better V750/800 etc. Odds are I would end up not finding anything to my liking at all and just do without.

Totally agreed and it's actually what I did, except with a 4490. I bought it in 2010 and it gave up around the end of 2023. One of the bulbs died. The replacement secondhand same 4490 scanner was $50. I don't think the Epson flatbeds have tons of variance in resolution (they're all a bit poor for 35mm, but okay for larger formats) so any old one will do.

 

[koraks]

Wasn't the difference between the 4490 and the 4990 the inclusion of a SilverFast lincense or something like that? I vaguely recall it was not so much the scanner itself, but just a difference in bundling.

 

[loccdor]

Heck if I know. I miss when things had names that were words and not numbers. Easier to remember their meaning.

 

[Agulliver]

When I say "the light comes on", I mean the power light not the backlight for scanning negatives. But I have a feeling the latter only comes on once the scanner starts communicating with the software and begins to "warm up". Though I think it used to if I pressed the scan button on the front?

Might have time to give it another go this evening.

 

[Agulliver]

Well well....a new USB cable sorted it out. That ended up being quite simple! Thanks for all the advice though, if it does fail in the next few years I have some ideas of what to do.

 

[Sirius Glass]

I replaced my Epson 4990 with the Epson V850. Overkill for my present needs but the Epson website had a great price for a factory reconditioned one with a full factory guarantee as though it was new. It is worth checking out the Epson website to see what is offered the day one checks it.

 

[jeffreyg]

I’m glad the new cable as I mentioned in my first reply did the job. I once had a balky printer and that was the first thing a repair person suggested I have no idea how it went bad since it was never really touched once I set it up but it worked.

 

[koraks]

a new USB cable sorted it out.

What a relief!!