Problems scanning medium format film, Epson V600 Scanner

[Loren Sattler]

I have had numerous software issues with my V600 Epson scanner with my MacBook Pro. Latest issue is scanning 2-1/4 in square negatives. the scan is cropped. I called Epson and was given some technical help with fixing the issue by manipulating the thumbnails in preview. The tech advised they have had software issues with scanning medium format film. When I further explained that my scanner is constantly stalling, which requires a curser move to continue working, he had me download a patch from their website. This caused my computer to crash. I had to call Apple and reinstall my operating system to get running again.
The V600 is a mature product. I have lost confidence in attempting to use this product. Has anyone else had these issues?

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

I haven't had these problems. But I'm running Windows operating system computers, not Apple. Have you called them back about the crashing issue?

 

[glbeas]

Is Vuescan available for the Apple? I had to go to that when Epson quit supporting my 3200 scanner and the generic software they made for it was crap.

 

[Down Under]

Two suggestions for you to consider.

Have you contacted Viewscan about this? If not,, you should.

Do you have the generic Epson software for the V600? If so, you could load it on your Mac to use as a backup if/when such problems as you are having, occur.

When I used Viewscan (on a Windows system) I had no problems at all with scanning MF negatives up to 6x9 with my V600. On the small handful of occasions I did have minor issues with the software, an email to their customer service brought a very fast response with suggestions that I applied to fix the problems. They are, or at least they were to me, very helpful.

Last year I "defected" to the Apple side but as I'm away on an extended trip to Southeast Asia, I've not yet had the time to sit down and properly set up Viewscan to work with my new Mac. From what I've read, there shoudn't be a problem, but I haven;t yet really looked into it, so time will tell.

The friend who converted me to Apple uses her Mac to scan 35mm on a Plustek (I'm not sure which model, but I also have one at home, a 7600i) and AFAIK she finds the combo very easy to work with.

The Epson 3200 is now ancient and you did well to upgrade/update.

Most of my comments fall into the range of anecdotal, but a quick email to Viewscan may put you on the road to recovery with your crashing problems.

 

[shutterfinger]

Have you contacted Viewscan about this? If not,, you should.

Loren, the OP, states the problem is with Epson's software which is Epsonscan. Glbeas suggested trying Vuscan.

Loren, you can download Vuescan at https://www.hamrick.com/ . You can install and try it free of charge but when you save a scan it has Vuescan plastered all over the scan making it useless. Vuescan tries to be everything to most scanners but falls short.
It has two modes, basic and Professional. Professional has a lot of settings but they are not the conventional adjustments found in Epsonscan or Silverfast. It has a moderate learning curve. Vuescan is good for most older scanners that do not run on newer computers. My Plustek 7200 does not run on Windows 10 as there is no driver for it via Plustek or Vuescan. I have V500, V700, Plustek 7600i on Windows OS. The best scanning software is Silverfast Ai, then Silverfast SE+, Vuescan or Esponscan, Silverfast SE in that order.
I have not converted to Mac due to the limit of 3rd party software, upgrade ability and price.
I would make certain that your computer is working properly with no hardware issues or corrupt software or viruses. (mac is not immune). New with warranty only means that if a failure occurs it will be repaired according to the warranty terms, it does not guarantee that such failures will not occur.
At times I have had problems on Win 10 with Epsonscan and solved it by disconnecting the internet and turning antivirus software OFF. What you are seeing as Epsonscan hanging up may be some other background application running and disrupting the scan sequence.
Try scanning with the internet turned off and other background apps turned off.

 

[Lysander]

Is Vuescan available for the Apple? I had to go to that when Epson quit supporting my 3200 scanner and the generic software they made for it was crap.

Yes. Here: https://www.hamrick.com/support/how-to-guides/how-to-install-vuescan-on-mac-os-x.html

Download: https://www.hamrick.com/download.html

 

[Ces1um]

I have had numerous software issues with my V600 Epson scanner with my MacBook Pro. Latest issue is scanning 2-1/4 in square negatives. the scan is cropped. I called Epson and was given some technical help with fixing the issue by manipulating the thumbnails in preview. The tech advised they have had software issues with scanning medium format film. When I further explained that my scanner is constantly stalling, which requires a curser move to continue working, he had me download a patch from their website. This caused my computer to crash. I had to call Apple and reinstall my operating system to get running again.
The V600 is a mature product. I have lost confidence in attempting to use this product. Has anyone else had these issues?

I have a v600 as well and I run into both the cropped images along with the stalling requiring a cursor move. I no longer have the software try and auto detect each photo. I use the marquee tool to select each image. As for the stalling issue- I just jiggle the cursor. I haven't updated the software but I definitely won't now. What resolution/dpi are you scanning at? I'm just wondering if perhaps you're running low on memory while scanning.
I agree though, this is a mature product. Frankly the software and it's interface should be better than it is. It feels like it's an "unfinished" or "unpolished" product.

 

[winger]

I no longer have the software try and auto detect each photo. I use the marquee tool to select each image.

This is what I've always had to do with 120 of any frame size on my 4870 (using Epson software). I turn off the thumbnail option under the preview section for everything besides 35mm.

I've never had anything crash my Mac to the point of having to reinstall the OS - which one are you on?

 

[Ces1um]

This is what I've always had to do with 120 of any frame size on my 4870 (using Epson software). I turn off the thumbnail option under the preview section for everything besides 35mm.

I've never had anything crash my Mac to the point of having to reinstall the OS - which one are you on?

I haven't had a crash- the OP Loren has had the crashing issue.

 

[Loren Sattler]

Thanks for the responses. Here are some answers to your questions and some clarifications:
I have been scanning 35mm at 1200 DPI and trying to scan medium format at 600 DPI. I have plenty of storage capacity on my system. Storage is not an issue.

I run the latest Mac software, High Sierra.

Cestum and Winger: It is a total pain to have to constantly bump the cursor to keep the scanner working. It adds a lot of time and attention to a simple job of scanning a roll of film....totally unnecessary waste of time. As I mentioned, the Epson tech acknowledge this issue and took me to an Epson patch on their website to fix that issue. Again, the patch caused my system to crash and he gave me a phone number for Apple to get technical help to get me up and running again. I have not tried to reinstall the patch and I am not going to...not worth another crash. Note, a crash code appeared on my Mac. It told the Apple tech that outside software was the cause ant that it was incompatible with the Mac operating system.

The problem with the thumbnails is another issue, one that can be overcome but again, causes a lot of extra time and effort when scanning a roll of medium format film.

Again, I am amazed that Epson has not corrected these issues on a product that has been around for perhaps 5 plus years.

I am going to try one of the other software suppliers for scanning software and will report later. My Mac has some proprietary software already in the system, but unfortunately, it is only applicable for scanning prints or documents. It does not have a negative scanning function.

 

[mgb74]

Loren, the OP, states the problem is with Epson's software which is Epsonscan. Glbeas suggested trying Vuscan.

Loren, you can download Vuescan at https://www.hamrick.com/ . You can install and try it free of charge but when you save a scan it has Vuescan plastered all over the scan making it useless. ...

To be fair (to Hamrick) the copy you download is a trial copy to allow you to make sure it works with your scanner and to evaluate the user interface and results. Given that, the fact that it plasters the VueScan logo all over the scanned file hardly makes it useless.

Unless, of course, you feel you have the right to use Vuescan for free.

 

[shutterfinger]

To be fair (to Hamrick) the copy you download is a trial copy to allow you to make sure it works with your scanner and to evaluate the user interface and results. Given that, the fact that it plasters the VueScan logo all over the scanned file hardly makes it useless.

I prefer to evaluate scan software by pixel peeping the saved file and testing the adjustment latitude in post processing software. A 3 to 5 scan limit for evaluation without a license with the save feature disabled after that would be better than the logo every 10 pixels.
A scan may look good in the preview but be garbage in the saved file.

Loren, in Epsonscan , professional mode there is a configuration box that opens a four tab configuration box. Under the Film Size tab is the medium format size selector.
I prefer the marquee tool, zoom and adjust the marquee, return to full, select the multiple marquee and repeat for all frames I wish to scan then select the ALL button before clicking on the scan button. Slower but give me what I want, not what the software wants to give me.

 

[winger]

I haven't had a crash- the OP Loren has had the crashing issue.

Sorry! I was asking him, but didn't point that out when typing.

It told the Apple tech that outside software was the cause ant that it was incompatible with the Mac operating system.

I'm using Epsonscan on High Sierra and haven't had that problem. My version of Epsonscan is likely older, so I'd guess one of their updates broke something.

Again, I am amazed that Epson has not corrected these issues on a product that has been around for perhaps 5 plus years.

Some of your issues have been around since I first bought my 4870 in 2004. I can only do thumbnails with 35mm and can't batch scan 120. I rarely do more than a few frames of 120 at a time so I haven't bothered to do anything about it. I know that many people use vuescan or something else. When I looked into an alternative years ago, it wasn't available for Macs. I never bothered to go back and look again.

 

[Loren Sattler]

Today I reinstalled the standard Epson software and was able to batch process 120 film in the same manner as shutterfinger mentions above. It is a bit slower but it does work sufficiently well. I will try this for awhile before I purchase outside software for my scanner. Fortunately, I do not do much scanning.

 

[Doug Fisher]

>>Slower but give me what I want, not what the software wants to give me.<<

Excellent quote! I agree that, in the end, setting up a manual batch scan is actually faster because you don't have to spend time doing comparisons of scans to film and then have to do the inevitable rescans.

Doug

 

[sixby45]

Wow - thats rough - I hope they are on the way to sorting that for you, since I've had crashes, but not cursor freezes. Typically I'm forced to manually select my scan range without thumbnails, so thought it may help - however this sounds much more serious if it's "checking out" like that on its own and often.