WHAT FILM SCANNER DO I BUY? DECISIONS, DECISIONS, DECISIONS

[W6PJJ]

Greetings:

I began shooting again in MF and I'm strongly considering buying a film scanner to archive images in digital format. There is much to choose from as with anything, it's always how much do you wish to spend? For what purposes do you wish to use it? and on and on it goes. Well, I pretty much know the technical details I'm interested in but there are still a handful of film scanners to choose from. To cut to the quick I'm interested in your feedback on a film scanner you use that works very well and provides high dpi resolution. The money is not a major issue, I want a scanner that will scan 35mm/120 and possibly 4X5. The latter is a pipe dream at this point but nonetheless a consideration. At least 4000 dpi will be necessary in order to satisfy my requirement for high resolution.... High quality, and durability are major requirements I hold in very high esteem. I'm not certain if there are models other than Nikon that have tray feeding mechanisms versus the flat-bed style. I have and use at work, a High-End Epson flatbed and it sucks to say the least. So Guys, Gals and Kids fire away I'm all ears. Remember, I'm looking for unbiased feedback and not a personal brand endorsement. The subjective opinions are not going to help me, the Objective ones will lead to a decision much quicker and make me a Happy Camper.

 

[Marco B]

Sil, you should ask this on HybridPhoto, or become member of the HybridPhoto social group on APUG.

 

[Woudschim]

I have used a Canoscan 8400, a Epson 4990, and at the moment there is a lovely Epson V700 sitting on my desk. The scan quality certainly differs between these three, favouring the V700 and to a lesser extent the 4990. Both can scan film up to 8x10". The maximum resolution of (if I remember correctly) 4000 and 6400 dpi respectively)

 

[2F/2F]

Here we go again...........Hang on....lemme put some popping corn on the stove before this really gets rolling...

 

[xtolsniffer]

I'm sure you'll get many answers over on hybridphoto, the general concensus seems to be go for a dedicated film scanner if you have the cash, or if not, and you want to scan 5x4 as well, then the better flat-beds are ok. The best archive is actually your film, it will generally outlast any digital storage medium, and is cheaper in the long run to archive. I have an Epson V700 that I use to scan 6x7 slide and negative and I'm very happy with it. It's not as good as a dedicated scanner, or a professional scanner, but it does what I want and it's very good. You have to ask yourself why you want to scan and what you'll do with the files afterwards.

 

[pcooklin]

I also have a V750 pro and am pleased with it. I scan 120 and 135, but I have nothing to compare it with as this is my first real scanner. Above the Epson is a big leap to the Imacon's.

 

[SuzanneR]

As stated above, this question is beyond APUG's charter, and is best addressed over at

http://hybridphoto.com/forums/