Epson V550 vs Canon 9000F Mark II

SeBEx · 07-26-2018, 02:45 PM

Hi Guys,

I am looking to do some home scanning of my 120 B&W and Colour Negatives and I am looking at the two options above.

These are both in my price range for the time being until I look into something else, any advice or usage info would be very welcome.

All the Best,

SeBEx

jan.smely · 07-26-2018, 03:13 PM

Originally posted by SeBEx

Hi Guys,

I am looking to do some home scanning of my 120 B&W and Colour Negatives and I am looking at the two options above.

These are both in my price range for the time being until I look into something else, any advice or usage info would be very welcome.

All the Best,

SeBEx

Hi,

My two cents: I don't know the Epson, but I own & use the Canon. I use it with VueScan (important!! proprietary ScanGear SW from Canon is unusable!!) and I was always pleased with the results, both for 135 and 120 film. If you wish, I can share an example of scan quality at 2400 dpi. What I definitely like more about the Epson, however, is the design of the scanner itself! The Canon is quite an ugly piece of HW to my taste! :-) There is also one technical detail about the Epson that I really like: You cannot connect it to power and leave the scanner head locked at the same time. This obviously happened to me with my Canon once, I switched it on while it was locked … which is not a good thing to do.

Hope it helps!

Jan

conniption · 07-26-2018, 04:48 PM

Yes, Vuescan absolutely. I have a lowly Canon 8800f and I get really good results. I think I paid $25 for it, Vuescan turns it into a thing that actually works

IgorZ · 07-26-2018, 05:01 PM

You should check Scan Dig, they have really nice reviews of scanners.

Auzzie-Phoenix · 07-27-2018, 12:17 AM

I've never had issues with epson scanners or their printers, for that matter. The software is usable, and their drivers tend to support several older versions of windows/macOS as well. Unfortunately my perfection photo 480 died during a move, so I had to dispose of it. Dad has a refurbished 1250 from 2002/2003 that is still running today, albeit the guide pole needs lubricated with some silicon grease as the rubber just squeeks the entire way down during a scan. Mom just bought a new epson scanner as well for scanning old photos, slides, and negs. Her previous scanner was built into her canon all in one. She has a scanner bed on her new canon all-in-one, but only uses it for documents, photos are reserved for the epson.

**fs999** · 07-27-2018, 01:12 AM

Epson scan works well as that

officiousbystander · 07-27-2018, 02:13 AM

Love my Epsom V550. It's great at automatically at sizing 35mm and 120 645 negs but find it's completely thrown by 67 negatives, even when I adjust in settings. The software is adequate. When or if it dies I'm investing in the V800.

Doug Fisher · 07-27-2018, 11:52 AM

EpsonScan is easier software to use so you might find that you don't have to invest in Vuescan and thus save a good chunk of money. Additionally, that Epson scanner has a standard film suspension height that is slightly higher than the Canon's so there is a slightly lower chance of Newton Rings occurring.

Doug

jan.smely · 07-28-2018, 05:49 AM

Originally posted by Doug Fisher

EpsonScan is easier software to use so you might find that you don't have to invest in Vuescan and thus save a good chunk of money. Additionally, that Epson scanner has a standard film suspension height that is slightly higher than the Canon's so there is a slightly lower chance of Newton Rings occurring.

Doug

For the record, I've never ever had Newton Rings with my Canon 9000F. And I have scanned a lot of different films during the last 3 years.

However, with the older model 8800F, I have seen Newton Rings with 120 film. No idea if there is any difference between the two models in this respect, or it was just a coincidence.

SeBEx · 07-28-2018, 06:43 AM

Thank you for all your comments, I have just ordered myself the Canon 9000F Mark II - Really looking forward to going out shooting and scanning at home!

jan.smely · 07-28-2018, 07:18 AM - **1 Like**

Good luck!

tuco · 07-30-2018, 09:59 AM

Over at ScanDig they have a review and resolution tests of the CanoScan 9000F MkII and some Epson scanners (not the v550 that I could see). And important feature is the effective scan resolution and how well the film holders work for 120 roll film if you're scanning that. It is hard to get a flat scan of that size without a glass carrier which can be a PITA. It is typical for scanner manufactures to boast about these outrageous scan resolutions when, in fact, they are only talking about one link in the chain of the optical path or extrapolated scanning.

For example, the 9000F advertises 9600 ppi scan resolution. But when measured for its effective resolution it comes out to about 1700 ppi per ScanDig. So to scan higher than that does not get you more resolution but just scales up the image. In general, commodity flatbed scanners max out in the range of 2400 ppi last I looked which was some time ago. The V600 is about 1560 ppi and the V800 is about 2300 ppi effective scan resolution as some data points.

c a sugg · 08-26-2018, 09:39 AM

I have been considering a new Epson V550 to replace my trusty, if now Jurassic, 4490. Machine seems fine, but after a recent Win10 Pro update it has been getting flakey: for instance having to force the driver closed and restarting the scanner between every scan. The Epson driver for this machine was last updated in 2009, about the time the first version of Win7 was introduced. Other than higher resolution and, I believe, a switch from CCFL to LED lighting, the specs on bit depth and Dmax are the same. From what I can see in the V550 manual, the interface is largely the same. Epson driver for the new machine was last updated this July. Has anyone tried installing that and having it work with both Windows and the old scanner? (I should point out that I'm going to need to open up this beast to clean the underside of the scanner glass and there's no guarantee that I'll able to get it back together in usable condition. Time for retirement anyway?)

**twilhelm** · 08-26-2018, 09:58 AM

I have the V600 and an Opticacan 7500i. I bought the V600 because the 7500i only does 35mm film. Reading the specs on the V600, it was nearly identical to the V550. I use Vuescan with it because I’m on Linux and the Epson software is very lacking for Linux. The scan quality is very good, with some tweaks it nearly matches my 7500i.

Doug Fisher · 08-26-2018, 09:44 PM

Your problem sounds more like a driver/Windows problem. I would try updating the software to the latest version. for the V500/550/600. Epson has had to deal with some Win 10 compatibility issues with their software recently after Windows 10 did a big recent update during the late Spring.

In terms of resolution, it is highly likely you will be hard-pressed to see any true real-world resolution gain from the 4490 to the V550 so I would try to get that working again and then do the cleaning you mentioned!

Doug

07-26-2018, 02:45 PM	#1
SeBEx New Member Join Date: Mar 2016 Posts: 21	Epson V550 vs Canon 9000F Mark II Hi Guys, I am looking to do some home scanning of my 120 B&W and Colour Negatives and I am looking at the two options above. These are both in my price range for the time being until I look into something else, any advice or usage info would be very welcome. All the Best, SeBEx

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07-26-2018, 03:13 PM	#2
jan.smely New Member Join Date: Dec 2013 Photos: Gallery Posts: 24	Originally posted by SeBEx Hi Guys, I am looking to do some home scanning of my 120 B&W and Colour Negatives and I am looking at the two options above. These are both in my price range for the time being until I look into something else, any advice or usage info would be very welcome. All the Best, SeBEx Hi, My two cents: I don't know the Epson, but I own & use the Canon. I use it with VueScan (important!! proprietary ScanGear SW from Canon is unusable!!) and I was always pleased with the results, both for 135 and 120 film. If you wish, I can share an example of scan quality at 2400 dpi. What I definitely like more about the Epson, however, is the design of the scanner itself! The Canon is quite an ugly piece of HW to my taste! :-) There is also one technical detail about the Epson that I really like: You cannot connect it to power and leave the scanner head locked at the same time. This obviously happened to me with my Canon once, I switched it on while it was locked … which is not a good thing to do. Hope it helps! Jan

07-26-2018, 04:48 PM	#3
conniption Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2015 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 93	Yes, Vuescan absolutely. I have a lowly Canon 8800f and I get really good results. I think I paid $25 for it, Vuescan turns it into a thing that actually works

07-26-2018, 05:01 PM	#4
IgorZ Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Ottawa Posts: 1,735	You should check Scan Dig, they have really nice reviews of scanners.

07-27-2018, 12:17 AM	#5
Auzzie-Phoenix Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Photos: Albums Posts: 1,020	I've never had issues with epson scanners or their printers, for that matter. The software is usable, and their drivers tend to support several older versions of windows/macOS as well. Unfortunately my perfection photo 480 died during a move, so I had to dispose of it. Dad has a refurbished 1250 from 2002/2003 that is still running today, albeit the guide pole needs lubricated with some silicon grease as the rubber just squeeks the entire way down during a scan. Mom just bought a new epson scanner as well for scanning old photos, slides, and negs. Her previous scanner was built into her canon all in one. She has a scanner bed on her new canon all-in-one, but only uses it for documents, photos are reserved for the epson.

07-27-2018, 01:12 AM	#6
fs999 Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Luxembourg Photos: Gallery Posts: 8,639	Epson scan works well as that

07-27-2018, 02:13 AM	#7
officiousbystander Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Sydney Photos: Gallery Posts: 912	Love my Epsom V550. It's great at automatically at sizing 35mm and 120 645 negs but find it's completely thrown by 67 negatives, even when I adjust in settings. The software is adequate. When or if it dies I'm investing in the V800.

07-27-2018, 11:52 AM	#8
Doug Fisher New Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 9	EpsonScan is easier software to use so you might find that you don't have to invest in Vuescan and thus save a good chunk of money. Additionally, that Epson scanner has a standard film suspension height that is slightly higher than the Canon's so there is a slightly lower chance of Newton Rings occurring. Doug

07-28-2018, 05:49 AM	#9
jan.smely New Member Join Date: Dec 2013 Photos: Gallery Posts: 24	Originally posted by Doug Fisher EpsonScan is easier software to use so you might find that you don't have to invest in Vuescan and thus save a good chunk of money. Additionally, that Epson scanner has a standard film suspension height that is slightly higher than the Canon's so there is a slightly lower chance of Newton Rings occurring. Doug For the record, I've never ever had Newton Rings with my Canon 9000F. And I have scanned a lot of different films during the last 3 years. However, with the older model 8800F, I have seen Newton Rings with 120 film. No idea if there is any difference between the two models in this respect, or it was just a coincidence.

07-28-2018, 06:43 AM	#10
SeBEx New Member Join Date: Mar 2016 Posts: 21 Original Poster	Thank you for all your comments, I have just ordered myself the Canon 9000F Mark II - Really looking forward to going out shooting and scanning at home!

07-28-2018, 07:18 AM - 1 Like	#11
jan.smely New Member Join Date: Dec 2013 Photos: Gallery Posts: 24	Good luck!

07-30-2018, 09:59 AM	#12
tuco Pentaxian Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Pugetopolis Posts: 11,026	Over at ScanDig they have a review and resolution tests of the CanoScan 9000F MkII and some Epson scanners (not the v550 that I could see). And important feature is the effective scan resolution and how well the film holders work for 120 roll film if you're scanning that. It is hard to get a flat scan of that size without a glass carrier which can be a PITA. It is typical for scanner manufactures to boast about these outrageous scan resolutions when, in fact, they are only talking about one link in the chain of the optical path or extrapolated scanning. For example, the 9000F advertises 9600 ppi scan resolution. But when measured for its effective resolution it comes out to about 1700 ppi per ScanDig. So to scan higher than that does not get you more resolution but just scales up the image. In general, commodity flatbed scanners max out in the range of 2400 ppi last I looked which was some time ago. The V600 is about 1560 ppi and the V800 is about 2300 ppi effective scan resolution as some data points.

08-26-2018, 09:39 AM	#13
c a sugg Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Richmond, VA USA Photos: Gallery Posts: 88	I have been considering a new Epson V550 to replace my trusty, if now Jurassic, 4490. Machine seems fine, but after a recent Win10 Pro update it has been getting flakey: for instance having to force the driver closed and restarting the scanner between every scan. The Epson driver for this machine was last updated in 2009, about the time the first version of Win7 was introduced. Other than higher resolution and, I believe, a switch from CCFL to LED lighting, the specs on bit depth and Dmax are the same. From what I can see in the V550 manual, the interface is largely the same. Epson driver for the new machine was last updated this July. Has anyone tried installing that and having it work with both Windows and the old scanner? (I should point out that I'm going to need to open up this beast to clean the underside of the scanner glass and there's no guarantee that I'll able to get it back together in usable condition. Time for retirement anyway?)

08-26-2018, 09:58 AM	#14
twilhelm Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Florida Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,369	I have the V600 and an Opticacan 7500i. I bought the V600 because the 7500i only does 35mm film. Reading the specs on the V600, it was nearly identical to the V550. I use Vuescan with it because I’m on Linux and the Epson software is very lacking for Linux. The scan quality is very good, with some tweaks it nearly matches my 7500i.

08-26-2018, 09:44 PM	#15
Doug Fisher New Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 9	Your problem sounds more like a driver/Windows problem. I would try updating the software to the latest version. for the V500/550/600. Epson has had to deal with some Win 10 compatibility issues with their software recently after Windows 10 did a big recent update during the late Spring. In terms of resolution, it is highly likely you will be hard-pressed to see any true real-world resolution gain from the 4490 to the V550 so I would try to get that working again and then do the cleaning you mentioned! Doug