Where to find a good used scanner?

[porpho]

Hi.

I've been trying to get a used scanner like the Epson 4990 or V700 for a while now but without success. One scanner arrived dead, and other bigs on eBay ask for prices that seem to me a bit high for old gear that in some cases needs extra software to be used. Are there sites that you can recommend where to find used scanners or I'm left with just Google searches?

And if anybody has a suggestion for better/different scanners, I'll be happy to hear about them. I use 4x5 negatives.

Thank you in advance.

 

[porpho]

Also, would you consider $450/$500 too much for a v700 or is it fair price?

 

[madNbad]

You would be better off skipping the older scanners and looking for an Epson 750. It will be more money but you'll save in the long run with better reliability plus a more consistent light source. I only use 135 and scan with a camera but did a lot of research into other methods. Flatbeds are a good choice for larger format films and eliminate the need for stitching. I'm sure the members who regularly use one will also weigh in.

 

[MattKing]

Do I assume correctly that you need the capability to scan 4"x5"?

 

[porpho]

Do I assume correctly that you need the capability to scan 4"x5"?

Yes, that is the main purpose of buying a scanner.

Thank you.

 

[jonmon6691]

I use an Epson V750 for all my scanning. Mainly 135 and 4x5.

If I was only doing 35mm and I had a nice-ish digital camera, I would just use that. Its not a very user-friendly process with the flatbed. And after a year and a half of fiddling I only really get 10-12MP of useful resolution from a frame. Not sure if that's the scanner, FD lenses, or just the practical limit for 35mm in general.

But for scanning 4x5 and larger, its really nice to have a flatbed scanner, and the holders for the V750 are quite nice.

 

[porpho]

You would be better off skipping the older scanners and looking for an Epson 750. It will be more money but you'll save in the long run with better reliability plus a more consistent light source. I only use 135 and scan with a camera but did a lot of research into other methods. Flatbeds are a good choice for larger format films and eliminate the need for stitching. I'm sure the members who regularly use one will also weigh in.

Thank you, I will look into it.

 

[MattKing]

Too bad you aren't local - from a new listing on Vancouver BC Craigslist:
https://vancouver.craigslist.org/van/ele/d/vancouver-epson-perfection-v700-photo/7605879161.html

 

[porpho]

I use an Epson V750 for all my scanning. Mainly 135 and 4x5.

If I was only doing 35mm and I had a nice-ish digital camera, I would just use that. Its not a very user-friendly process with the flatbed. And after a year and a half of fiddling I only really get 10-12MP of useful resolution from a frame. Not sure if that's the scanner, FD lenses, or just the practical limit for 35mm in general.

But for scanning 4x5 and larger, its really nice to have a flatbed scanner, and the holders for the V750 are quite nice.

Thank you. I tried the DSLR scanning and it's not for me. I rather use the scanner. I have been looking for a v750 but it's seems to be very hard to find one with the film holders. Would $450 for a tested scanner *without* neg holders be worth it or is that too much?

Thanks in advance.

 

[porpho]

Too bad you aren't local - from a new listing on Vancouver BC Craigslist:
https://vancouver.craigslist.org/van/ele/d/vancouver-epson-perfection-v700-photo/7605879161.html

Yeah, oh well...

 

[jonmon6691]

Thank you. I tried the DSLR scanning and it's not for me. I rather use the scanner. I have been looking for a v750 but it's seems to be very hard to find one with the film holders. Would $450 for a tested scanner *without* neg holders be worth it or is that too much?

Thanks in advance.

Maybe the holders can be found at a later date for sale on their own? To comment on the price, I always liked this write-up https://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/ebay/

Looking at what they've sold for in the recent past can give you a really good idea of the "current market value". Whether that is the value to you... that's a personal decision. But its a lot cheaper than any digital camera that could create a 4x5 scan of equivalent quality.

 

[porpho]

But its a lot cheaper than any digital camera that could create a 4x5 scan of equivalent quality.

That is a very good point

Thank you.

 

[madNbad]

I have been looking for a v750 but it's seems to be very hard to find one with the film holders. Would $450 for a tested scanner *without* neg holders be worth it or is that too much?

If you find one without holders for a good price, you could make a cardboard mask for your 4X5 negatives and start with those.

 

[porpho]

If you find one without holders for a good price, you could make a cardboard mask for your 4X5 negatives and start with those.

Yes, I just found a V750 that seems promising and I bought it. Is the holder necessary for 4x5? Couldn't that be scanned directly on the glass?

Not arguing, just curious

 

[jonmon6691]

Yes, I just found a V750 that seems promising and I bought it. Is the holder necessary for 4x5? Couldn't that be scanned directly on the glass?

Not arguing, just curious

For transparencies, the scanner is designed to focus on a spot above the glass, the holders actually have adjustable feet to help dial this in. Also there's the possibility of newton rings when the film is flat against glass. But trying it out for yourself before buying holders won't cost you anything extra!

 

[porpho]

For transparencies, the scanner is designed to focus on a spot above the glass, the holders actually have adjustable feet to help dial this in. Also there's the possibility of newton rings when the film is flat against glass. But trying it out for yourself before buying holders won't cost you anything extra!

Thank you again.

 

[Les Sarile]

Yes, I just found a V750 that seems promising and I bought it. Is the holder necessary for 4x5? Couldn't that be scanned directly on the glass?

Not arguing, just curious

I would suggest you try it first.

Here's a b&w 4X5 taken by a colleague's father who was a WWII combat photographer that I scanned for him when he was considering scanning his collection. Crop and little dust cleanup - no sharpening. Epson V700 directly on glass at 2400dpi.

Don Miller 2400-005 by Les DMess, on Flickr

 

[Marcelo Paniagua]

Thank you again.

By the way I bought a V750 on bay without the holders and bought them on Amazon. About $20-30 and they are quite good.

 

[Rolleiflexible]

Don’t bother with the holders — they’re a PITA. I scan 4x5 and 5x7 negatives on the glass, emulsion side down. (120 too.) The DOF on these scanners is plenty deep enough to make the distance unimportant, especially when scanning sheet film.

As for model, you don’t need the latest. The technology has not advanced appreciably. I have used the 3200, the 4870, the 4990, and the v750. I am currently using the 4990 but they all deliver decent results. You may find the Epson software is no longer compatible but that is not an issue — a third-party app called Vuescan will drive them all, better than the Epson software ever did.

Good luck.

 

[porpho]

I would suggest you try it first.

Here's a b&w 4X5 taken by a colleague's father who was a WWII combat photographer that I scanned for him when he was considering scanning his collection. Crop and little dust cleanup - no sharpening. Epson V700 directly on glass at 2400dpi.

Don Miller 2400-005 by Les DMess, on Flickr

That looks great! Thank you, this is definitely encouraging.

 

[porpho]

Don’t bother with the holders — they’re a PITA. I scan 4x5 and 5x7 negatives on the glass, emulsion side down. (120 too.) The DOF on these scanners is plenty deep enough to make the distance unimportant, especially when scanning sheet film.

As for model, you don’t need the latest. The technology has not advanced appreciably. I have used the 3200, the 4870, the 4990, and the v750. I am currently using the 4990 but they all deliver decent results. You may find the Epson software is no longer compatible but that is not an issue — a third-party app called Vuescan will drive them all, better than the Epson software ever did.

Good luck.

Thank you for the valuable information. I bought VueScan pro years ago for another flatbed scanner and now I have lifetime upgrades. That is one great piece of software.

I'm definitely stoked about not needing the holders. I'll post here my experiences.


Cheers

 

[Rolleiflexible]

Thank you for the valuable information. I bought VueScan pro years ago for another flatbed scanner and now I have lifetime upgrades. That is one great piece of software.

I'm definitely stoked about not needing the holders. I'll post here my experiences.


Cheers

Sometimes (especially with roll film) you will need to deal with film curl. I stack quarters on the film rebates as needed to hold the film flat against the glass.

 

[porpho]

Sometimes (especially with roll film) you will need to deal with film curl. I stack quarters on the film rebates as needed to hold the film flat against the glass.

Yes, I can definitely see how film rolls benefit from holders. Fortunately, for now, all I need is 4x5 sheets. But thank you for the tip

 

[Adrian Bacon]

Hi.

I've been trying to get a used scanner like the Epson 4990 or V700 for a while now but without success. One scanner arrived dead, and other bigs on eBay ask for prices that seem to me a bit high for old gear that in some cases needs extra software to be used. Are there sites that you can recommend where to find used scanners or I'm left with just Google searches?

And if anybody has a suggestion for better/different scanners, I'll be happy to hear about them. I use 4x5 negatives.

Thank you in advance.

If you're seriously looking to scan a decent amount of 4x5, It'd be worth it to just spend the money on a new v850. I know people don't want to spend the money, but at the end of the day you have to ask yourself how much your time is worth. You could probably already have one and be happily scanning along instead of burning time trying to find a deal. Buying used is fraught with all kinds of problems as you've been discovering and more often than not, results in lost money and lost time. I would not consider buying a used scanner unless it came with everything a new one does in the box, AND had a return that allowed you to return it if it didn't work. Anything less than that and you're risking money and time.

It's a lot like people who drive around parking lots trying to find the closest spot so they don't have to walk as far instead of grabbing the first spot they see and walking in, doing their shopping and walking out. I fairly often just grab the first spot I see, go in, grab the thing or two I need, then check out and walk back out only to see a car still circling the lot (that was circling the lot when I got there) waiting for a close spot to open up.

It comes down to how much your time is worth.

 

[porpho]

If you're seriously looking to scan a decent amount of 4x5, It'd be worth it to just spend the money on a new v850. I know people don't want to spend the money, but at the end of the day you have to ask yourself how much your time is worth. You could probably already have one and be happily scanning along instead of burning time trying to find a deal. Buying used is fraught with all kinds of problems as you've been discovering and more often than not, results in lost money and lost time. I would not consider buying a used scanner unless it came with everything a new one does in the box, AND had a return that allowed you to return it if it didn't work. Anything less than that and you're risking money and time.

It's a lot like people who drive around parking lots trying to find the closest spot so they don't have to walk as far instead of grabbing the first spot they see and walking in, doing their shopping and walking out. I fairly often just grab the first spot I see, go in, grab the thing or two I need, then check out and walk back out only to see a car still circling the lot (that was circling the lot when I got there) waiting for a close spot to open up.

It comes down to how much your time is worth.

I completely agree, Adrian, and I had the v850 already in my shopping cart but I wanted to do due diligence and see what can be done. That kind of price is not something to pay lightly while I'm still developing (NPI) this workflow. There are a lot of variables in this. I adopted 4x5 after having spent some time doing classic B&W (see below) and seeing how the highlights in digital are not rendering in that beautiful, infinite series of silvery shades that I saw on film. The last time that I really used film was decades ago and so this was a difficult decision. But in the end, I had to concede that:

• Only film has the look of film and
• I wanted also the perspective of a view camera
  

But this is, at the moment, just speculation, and when you add everything up, it's basically like buying a new full-frame camera And there are a million of variables, including development of film. So, I have to keep an eye on the budget. I found a v750 Pro on eBay for $419 that arrived yesterday and it works beautifully. Since I already had a license for VueScan, it was pretty much plug-and-play.

I appreciate all the suggestions in this forum, thank you.