[pacerr]

. . .the Epson V300 and/or V500. Curious to know how the results are?

The new: an Epson V500 refurb from Epson for $149 I acquired this week with the intent to resurrect some old 135 B&W negs and slides and play with a recently assembled Mamiya M645 kit. This is the first trial scan.

The old: The image from a 40-year old negative was taken of a gun emplacement on the island of Corridor, Rep. Philippines in 1966. A fitting first scan on this Veterans Day holiday in the US. Plus X film processed in either Diafine or D76. Taken with a Honeywell Pentax H1a and 55/1.8 - probably WAG'ed at 1/125 and f 11. [Note: there were absolutely NO AF or AE issues back then! ]

Scanned at 4600 DPI to produce a 14.1 MB file then cropped and saved at 96 DPI @ 640x480 for this post. NO other post-processing involved. Histogram is near perfect using the default setting for 'Home' mode.

I expect there'll be a learning curve but I'm pleased with the results so far and looking forward to working with the 645 negs soon. The one thing I'm sure of is the smell just won't be the same.

H2

Attached Images

 

[hahifuheho]

I have asked several times to the Frontier operators for their best resolution, but not even their most experienced employee knows what I am talking about. If only I were allowed to play with the scanner.

One of the reasons I'm trying film is because I've seen spectacular scans, specially from slide film. I've already tried a roll of Sensia and I liked the colors, contrast and detail of the pictures, but I cannot say the same about the scans I got from the lab.

Next month I expect to go to Japan, and, besides my K200D, I want to travel with a film body (I still need to decide between the ZX-7, fully automatic, or the MX, I'm in love with the pentaprism and the mechanical clockwork-like sounds of it) because, sometimes, the K200D's sensor is simply no match for the hues and range of film. Besides, I get a better field of view when shooting with available light at night with a fast 50mm lens on film than on the APS-C sensor (there is no budget for Sigma's 30mm 1:1.4).

I like to shoot film, I like how the prints or slides turn out, but it results frustrating not being able to get decent scans. I hope that, in Japan, I will get good scans when processing the rolls I shoot there.

[Labuzan]

Do you run it with the supplied software or Silverfast?

The supplied software keeps on stalling (program not responding). A real pain in the ...

I use supplied software, french version, in the last release for Windows Vista, and also the XP version on the Laptop, w/o problem.

[TomK]

Let me chime in here too.
About 2 months ago a friend bought an Epson Perfection V500 PHOTO Flatbed Scanner. (Apparently there is an OFFICE version also).
After a weekend with him and some of his wife's old slides I got one too. I think it may have just been discontinued for a replacement V600. Anyway I got mine from Amazon for $172.00 USD with s&h included.
SUPERB. At least for my needs. I am looking for quality scans of old slides and of new color film negs. The Kodak and Fuji scans are horrible in my area. No customization requests possible.
I scanned some well exposed slides from 1964 NY World's Fair and from Expo'67.
Also did some recent color film negs, one group of which had a magenta cast.
Did some lesser quality Instamatic (square format) slides.
All came out great - with usually just minimum tweaking within the Epson scan program.
I did use the included PhotoShop Elements 6 on a couple ("levels").
Also I also do not use ICE but start with as clean a source as possible and then use the Healing Brush in PSE6 to touch up.
The biggest surprise was the 35mm b&w negatives - from about 1964 through about 1975 or so. The scans came out better than any of the enlargements I made back then. On a series shot in the garage/pits at a Watkins Glen Formula One race back in the late 60's I did use the histogram function part of the Epson scan program. Unbelievable.
So far I have printed out about a dozen or so 8X10's and 8x12's at the local RiteAid and Walgreen's photo kiosks (Fuji). They are superb! And the b&w are perfect - blacks are black, whites white and in an artsy forest/stream shot the water is luminous just as I was trying for.
-TomK-

[MRRiley]

I'm liking what I'm reading about the Epson V500 and am seriously considering one as a way to resurrect my film shooting (both 35mm and 645MF), and clear up a backlog of scanning of slides and negs from the last 30 years or so.

2 questions...

1st... I understand the V500 does MF film. Is there a film holder or is the film just laid on the scanning surface?

2nd... I have an older Canon flatbed/film scanner that had a dedicated lamp in the cover for transparencies and it works fairly well but wont do my 645 film. Does the V500 have a similar lamp or is it reflective using the same lamp that would be used for scanning prints?

Mike

[flyer]

I'm liking what I'm reading about the Epson V500 and am seriously considering one as a way to resurrect my film shooting (both 35mm and 645MF), and clear up a backlog of scanning of slides and negs from the last 30 years or so.

2 questions...

1st... I understand the V500 does MF film. Is there a film holder or is the film just laid on the scanning surface?

2nd... I have an older Canon flatbed/film scanner that had a dedicated lamp in the cover for transparencies and it works fairly well but wont do my 645 film. Does the V500 have a similar lamp or is it reflective using the same lamp that would be used for scanning prints?

Mike

The HP G4050 has film holders for just about any film size you might have. I use mine with a Silverfast driver, and the results are very good. You can put 5 strips of 6 pictures (35mm) in the film holder, or 24 35mm slides in the slide holder, or various combos of 120 films. You can also drive it from Photoshop Elements.

[stevebrot]

The HP G4050 has film holders for just about any film size you might have. I use mine with a Silverfast driver, and the results are very good. You can put 5 strips of 6 pictures (35mm) in the film holder, or 24 35mm slides in the slide holder, or various combos of 120 films. You can also drive it from Photoshop Elements.

Sounds like it might be time to start a scanner review thread. There are several popular options and it would be nice to have the pros and cons of each readily available in one place.

Steve

[TomK]

2 questions...
1st... I understand the V500 does MF film. Is there a film holder or is the film just laid on the scanning surface?

2nd... I have an older Canon flatbed/film scanner that had a dedicated lamp in the cover for transparencies and it works fairly well but wont do my 645 film. Does the V500 have a similar lamp or is it reflective using the same lamp that would be used for scanning prints?
Mike

I have the V500.

1) I have never used it for MF film but it does do that.
There are 2 film holder/templates. One is for 35mm film strips and for 35mm slides.
The other is for MF. There is a channel into which you slide the film.
I believe it does 3 or 4 frames of MF at a time.

2) When using the device for photo copy or to scan hard copy photos, it uses the "bottom" in a reflective manner.
When scanning film or slides, you remove the white background piece from the cover lid and that causes it to use the "top" function to send light through the film or slide.

Let us know how the MF scans turn out!

(As of last weekend Amazon still had the V500, new, in stock for about $170 including s&h.)

-TomK-
(Please "remove white background piece" means to SLIDE it upwards to remove - do not peal it off. : - )
Sounds anal, but the quick start pictures are not that clear abiout what to actually do!)

[tuco]

Your scanning software is important too. One that has the option to scan multiple samples or number of passes will improve the light range captured.

[dugrant153]

I recently bought the Epson 4490 and, other than some odd green color casts in some pictures, its great! I only scan negatives but it does a fantastic job!

So far so good