[LFLee]

Hi all, I just realized that regular photo scanner doesn't work with scanning film (after spending few hours scanning them in various settings...)- need those with backlit scanner. I scan it without closing the cover it turn out B&W and colors are missing. So I guess I need a scanner.

My budget is <$100 for a decent one and <$150 for a relatively good one. I don't think I want a pro grade one (and apparently after $150 the price just significantly for scanner).
After some search I have come down to:
1. Epson Perfection V330 (~$90 new)
2. Epson Perfection V500 (~$150 new)

Which fit my budget nicely.
I am pretty much set to get the V330 as it get pretty good review, but also thinking if I should get the V500 which has a higher optical dpi. I will also shoot some MF film (the V500 said it can scan MF film) in near future, but I don't think I will make really large print (let say max is 11x17). I am torn between these two models. I won't be using any software they provide for scanning film (I will be using CS5 to scan).

Then I saw from Epson store, they have refurbished model, $60 for V330 and $99 for V500!
Further look into it, the warranty on new and refurbished one are both 1 yr.

Have anyone purchase a refurbished scanner from Epson Store before? Should I get the V500 for $99? Or do you have a better recommendation in a similar price range?

Didn't know there is so much overhead spending with shooting film...... Much appreciate!

Lee

[Nesster]

Get the V500 refurbished. I bought my 4490 that way, and it has worked fine... you might as well be prepared to scan 120 film...

[tuco]

Given that you can spend $10,000 - $23,000 USD on a pro grade scanner, yeah, you don't want that. I second Nesster's recommendation.

[eddie1960]

+2 on the V500 refurb, I bought my scanner as a refurb as well no issues and it's several years old now (i should check for refurb V750hmmmmm)

[LFLee]

Much appreciate guys!
I was worry about refurbished one, but thanks for sharing your good experience with refurbished one. =)

Will get the v500 refurbished one tonight, in case there are other suggestions....

Lee

[tuco]

I'm wondering about CS5 for scanning software. I can't say since I've never tried it but I don't think I've heard of anyone using it. Scanning software can make a difference. Mulit-sampling settings and what-not do improve the scan. The scanning software I use is VueScan and I scan to a DNG file where I open it in Lightroom, perform initial adjustments and export to CS5 for the healing tool (BW scans need it ) and back to LR for final adjustments, cropping, straightening and sharpening.

When you scan color, you definitely want infrared cleaning (aka ICE) feature to take care of dust. It really speeds up the post processing. If CS5 does not support ICE or infrared cleaning, I'd consider using the software that comes with it or get a third-party.

[Nesster]

The Epson software does a decent job and is not difficult to use.

[eddie1960]

Vuescan the best scanning software AFAIK Works well with all scanners (though some scanners limit what function is available)

A good negative carrier like the better scanning ones can make a big difference as well (particularly with film flatness but also some of them have adjustable height to fine tune the focus (i think their one for the V500 does this - a feature you need a V700 for in epsons parts)

[stevebrot]

The Epson software does a decent job and is not difficult to use.

What he said, though there is no harm done in downloading the demo version of Vuescan. Try them both and use the one you like.


Steve

[Jüri]

The Epson software does a decent job and is not difficult to use.

Oh, no it doesn't. I used Epsonscan for almost a year and couldn't understand why photos even from the same roll of film have different tonality and very unpleasant colours. The Epson software just does whatever it wants with the colours and contrast even in professional mode. I'd strongly reccommend Vuescan, as it allows user to create profiles for different films and get consistenly good results.


I use Epson V300, which gives decent results for me.

[DSims]

You might want to consider a dedicated film scanner. I got a used Minolta Dimage Scan Elite II for ~$150 a little over a year ago. I use it to scan negatives/positives, and I use a Canon 9000F for everything else. The Canon is quicker and can scan 12 35mm negatives at a time (or 4 slides), but I don't like the output as much. The Minolta is slower per frame, plus it can only scan 6 negatives or 4 slides in a batch. But the output is nicer.

Sometimes I use the Canon or Minolta software, and sometimes I use VueScan. I'm very happy with the Canon 9000F, especially for scanning photos or rapidly creating PDFs from documents. It also does an OK job when I'm scanning old B&W film that's larger than 35mm (but then it's the only choice I have). Yet I'm still not convinced flatbed scanners make the best film scanners, regardless of brand.

Beware that some of the new, lower priced film scanners on the market appear to have substandard image quality. Nikons are still good, of course, but they're somewhat expensive.


I can't speak for the scanners, but I did purchase a refurbished color laser printer from the Epson store (this was over 5 years ago) and the printer was outstanding, and a great bargain! I can't remember what it was now, but Epson did something (maybe it was expedited or free shipping?) that gave me a very positive impression of their customer service. I wouldn't hesitate to buy refurbished from them again if I were in the market for an Epson product. But generally I'll buy Canon for printers or scanners.

[John Poirier]

Oh, no it doesn't. I used Epsonscan for almost a year and couldn't understand why photos even from the same roll of film have different tonality and very unpleasant colours. The Epson software just does whatever it wants with the colours and contrast even in professional mode. I'd strongly reccommend Vuescan, as it allows user to create profiles for different films and get consistenly good results.


I use Epson V300, which gives decent results for me.

Epson Scan works fine if you understand what you're doing, as does Vuescan but in a different way. Both programs require intelligent use of manual adjustments for best results. Neither program produces what I consider to be a finished product. My expectation in scanning is to produce an image file that has characteristics appropriate for final processing in Photoshop. Broadly speaking, those characteristics include but are not limited to: no clipping, reasonable sharpness without sharpenining artifacts, high bit depth and reasonable but not necessarliy perfect colour balance. In my view the colour management implementation of Photoshop is superior to scanning software, which makes it my medium of choice for final image processing. ( My comment is based on over 15 years of professional scanning experience with thousands of published and exhibited images.)

I do agree ttha the odds of gettting initially pleasing results are probably better with Vuescan, but a more sophisticated approach to the use of controls available in Epson Scan provides more flexible adjustment of some parameters.

One interesting, relatively new (by my standards) feature of Vuescan is the RAW DNG function. Initial tests look very promising.

With less than a year of experience, I'm not sure you have the knowledge to credibly make such a confident statement about a partcular piece of software. Doesn't matter much, except for possibly misleading other relattively inexperienced people. But I applaud your honesty in stating your level of experience.

John

[Venturi]

If you're shopping Epson on a budget, don't forget to check out their factory refurbished clearance page: Clearance Epson Scanners - Epson America, Inc.

[Jüri]

Epson Scan works fine if you understand what you're doing, as does Vuescan but in a different way. Both programs require intelligent use of manual adjustments for best results. Neither program produces what I consider to be a finished product. My expectation in scanning is to produce an image file that has characteristics appropriate for final processing in Photoshop. Broadly speaking, those characteristics include but are not limited to: no clipping, reasonable sharpness without sharpenining artifacts, high bit depth and reasonable but not necessarliy perfect colour balance. In my view the colour management implementation of Photoshop is superior to scanning software, which makes it my medium of choice for final image processing. ( My comment is based on over 15 years of professional scanning experience with thousands of published and exhibited images.)

I do agree ttha the odds of gettting initially pleasing results are probably better with Vuescan, but a more sophisticated approach to the use of controls available in Epson Scan provides more flexible adjustment of some parameters.

One interesting, relatively new (by my standards) feature of Vuescan is the RAW DNG function. Initial tests look very promising.

With less than a year of experience, I'm not sure you have the knowledge to credibly make such a confident statement about a partcular piece of software. Doesn't matter much, except for possibly misleading other relattively inexperienced people. But I applaud your honesty in stating your level of experience.

John

I think I've had enough expirience with Epsonscan after having scanned dozens of rolls with it. What I meant to say is that Epsonscan will not give adeqaute results very easily. At least when I used it for about a year ago, it did not allow user to adjust colours or contrast. It just applied some auto settings to everything. Vuescan gives me full control over exposure, colour balance and contrast and allows me to create profiles for consistent results. Epsonscan also clipped my negatives however it felt like and there seemed to be no workaround. In Vuescan I can select the photo area by manually. That was my expirience with Epsonscan. I think I need to scan all the negatives again that were once scanned using it.

[Nesster]

Not to get lost in a debate over software - yes, Epson has some limitations, but I really had trouble with Vuescan - not its results, but I found using the software itself was a royal pain. For me the trade off is to use Epson. And that (better user interface) is also why I suggest a beginner start with the Epson software that comes with the scanner...