Author Topic: Replacing Epson 4990 Scanner - V500, V600, V700???  (Read 30239 times)

seekingfocus

  • Peel Apart
  • ***
  • Posts: 358
  • chronic reciprocity failure.
    • Reciprocity Images
Replacing Epson 4990 Scanner - V500, V600, V700???
« on: December 08, 2011, 04:02:36 PM »
Hi All-

I'm looking to replace my old Epson 4990. According to the Epson website, the V700 has now replaced the 4990. However, I am in Germany and it seems one's lucky to find a V700 under 500€... which is much more than I remember paying for my 4990, and much more than I can spare at the moment!

So, which is really comparable to my old 4990? I don't really need the extra resolution since I am scanning 97.2% medium format anyway; I am more worried about the Dmax or optical density- my 4990 was rated at 4.0 Dmax, but the V500 and 600 are both only 3.4 Dmax. Will I notice a difference? The V700 is 4.0 Dmax as well with a substantial bump in the optical resolution... Also I think on the V500 and V600 one can only load one strip of 120 at a time, whereas on the 4990 I was able to scan six frames at once...

Any one have any experience with the new line of Epson scanners or have anything else to add? Is there something else I should be considering? If anyone in Europe had a 4990 available to sell, I'd love to know about it. :-\

Thanks,
Jason

moominsean

  • Global Moderator
  • Self-Coat
  • *****
  • Posts: 2,173
  • Living in camera shadows.
    • moominstuff
Re: Replacing Epson 4990 Scanner - V500, V600, V700???
« Reply #1 on: December 08, 2011, 04:30:14 PM »
i had to finally stop using my 4490 because of color lines all over the scans, so i got a v700. none of the epson scanners are 'new'...they are all like from 2007. i don't think there are any new flatbed scanner designs, except for combo scanner/fax/copier things, because most magazines are all digital now. so the scanners are getting older but they update the software. still, this v700 is at least twice as fast as the 4490, and the scan quality is obviously much better.  nice to be able to scan 4x5 and larger in one shot, unlike previously where i had to scan in two halfs.
the one thing i don't particularly like is is the 120 film holder. it's really difficult to get the film flat, always wants to curl and warp. i've started to wear gloves because i have to manhandle the film so much trying to get it flat. getting better at it, but the holder for the 4490 was much easier to use. i tried using it with the v700 and the scans were much softer, i guess because it wasn't the correct distance from the glass. though it scans fine when i tape negs to the glass even though that distance is much different that using the v700 holder.
aside from that, no issues other than the lid still not pressing down firmly on prints, so i still have to use a heavy book and white paper when scanning polaroids. but at this point it is probably the best flat bed scanner available (or the v750, which is the same with the newton glass).
"A world without Polaroid is a terrible place."
                                                                  - John Waters

Sandeha Lynch

  • Self-Coat
  • *****
  • Posts: 1,669
    • Visual Records
Re: Replacing Epson 4990 Scanner - V500, V600, V700???
« Reply #2 on: December 08, 2011, 05:51:38 PM »
My own 3200 Perfection needs to be replaced.  Not because of any faults, it still runs fine, but because the eight year old scanner is now way behind the curve.  In your position I'd probably be asking myself would I never shoot 4x5 or larger?  Because my next scanner will probably run for eight or so years as well, and I know I'll always need it for LF.

Terry

  • Guest
Re: Replacing Epson 4990 Scanner - V500, V600, V700???
« Reply #3 on: December 08, 2011, 06:46:20 PM »
I just replaced my V500 with a V700, but only because I'm shooting more large format.  (I was cadging time on a 700 at work but it got to be a pain.)  As far as I can tell, coverage is the only difference.  If you're not going to shoot bigger than 2 1/2 inch negs, the 500 will do you well and cost you a lot less.  I did buy a betterscanning carrier for 120 and liked it so much I also use it in the 700.  For large format I don't use the Epson holder--I just flatten the neg on the glass with a piece of non-glare picture glass I got from a local glazier for $10.
« Last Edit: December 08, 2011, 07:49:59 PM by Terry »

Phil Bebbington

  • Self-Coat
  • *****
  • Posts: 2,568
    • Phil Bebbington
Re: Replacing Epson 4990 Scanner - V500, V600, V700???
« Reply #4 on: December 08, 2011, 07:26:06 PM »
I've had the V750 for a few years now and love it. The results are great, but, probably no better than Sean's V700 - for the record the curling film has me close to meltdown as well!

Nigel

  • Self-Coat
  • *****
  • Posts: 1,523
    • nigel rumsey photography
Re: Replacing Epson 4990 Scanner - V500, V600, V700???
« Reply #5 on: December 08, 2011, 09:10:59 PM »
Seekingfocus - I might be able to help with a spare 4990, it belongs to a gallery I'm a trustee for. If you can send me a PM I'll take some pictures.
"Imagination is more important than knowledge." Albert Einstein

website

Ken B: eyes, I just do eyes.

  • Sheet Film
  • ****
  • Posts: 491
  • In email, no one can hear you scream
Re: Replacing Epson 4990 Scanner - V500, V600, V700???
« Reply #6 on: December 08, 2011, 09:30:08 PM »
V700 since 2008

Very nice
Age can weary me when it can keep the hell up

http://www.kensphotoblog2013.com/

http://www.artybollocks.com/

sapata

  • Self-Coat
  • *****
  • Posts: 2,073
  • "I want to be plastic" Andy Warhol
    • picturenoise
Re: Replacing Epson 4990 Scanner - V500, V600, V700???
« Reply #7 on: December 08, 2011, 11:56:30 PM »
I'm pretty happy with the V700 as well.

charles binns

  • Self-Coat
  • *****
  • Posts: 1,134
    • Here and There
Re: Replacing Epson 4990 Scanner - V500, V600, V700???
« Reply #8 on: December 09, 2011, 12:46:28 AM »
I have a v750.  Very happy with that but the v700 is probably the better deal.  I got my v750 at a discount   - otherwise not sure I would have paid the extra money as it is not much better than the v700.

Darnley

  • Guest
Re: Replacing Epson 4990 Scanner - V500, V600, V700???
« Reply #9 on: December 09, 2011, 01:38:07 AM »
It's kind of ironic, but the next big obstacle that film photographers may be facing is the inevitable demise of good, affordable scanners, like the Epson V700 and 750. Just another casualty due to the proliferation of digital cameras.

seekingfocus

  • Peel Apart
  • ***
  • Posts: 358
  • chronic reciprocity failure.
    • Reciprocity Images
Re: Replacing Epson 4990 Scanner - V500, V600, V700???
« Reply #10 on: December 09, 2011, 03:14:04 AM »
Wow! Thanks everyone for the plethora of helpful replies.

I had no doubt the V700 was a great scanner, and certainly a step up from the 4990- Still I really can't justify the price tag in my current economic situation- hence trying to find a cheaper solution. May just have to keep prowling the evil bay to find an old 4990 or even a v500 to scan MF only for the moment.

@Nigel- Will send a PM, thanks!

-Jason

Late Developer

  • Self-Coat
  • *****
  • Posts: 4,033
    • My Website
Re: Replacing Epson 4990 Scanner - V500, V600, V700???
« Reply #11 on: December 09, 2011, 08:41:04 AM »
Hi Jason.

+1 for the V750 camp. I've had mine for a while now and it's done everything I could ever ask of it. As I'm about to move into scanning 4x5 negs, I suspect it was a wise purchase (at the time I was only doing 35mm and could have got away easiy with a Plustek or second-hand Nikon or Minolta dedicated film scanner. Apparently, the Nikon and Minolta film scanners still have the edge on flatbeds but I can't verify that.

Is it feasible for you to have negs scaned professionally until such point as you've saved up enough for the scanner you want?
"An ounce of perception. A pound of obscure".

seekingfocus

  • Peel Apart
  • ***
  • Posts: 358
  • chronic reciprocity failure.
    • Reciprocity Images
Re: Replacing Epson 4990 Scanner - V500, V600, V700???
« Reply #12 on: December 09, 2011, 10:00:33 AM »
Late Developer- Well up until about two years ago I had a scanner which got use almost daily! Since then I've moved and had to seriously downsize the equipment I keep with me- In that time I have gotten a few scans done via the lab, but the price is really steep to get anything decent that can be used at full resolution. I figure the money I have spent on scanning could have easily bought half of a v700 already, and I've got about ten or twelve more rolls waiting on scanning at the moment.

But the even bigger problems for me... Considering the price of having my films scanned, I notice that I now shoot WAY too less film. :o It's just time I have something in-house again, it's just a question weather I buy something cheap which does a reasonable job, or save a bit more for the v700. It's just that at this time, the 'needs' list is long, and the scanner is only one of a lot of other (arguably more important) things. Such is life!

Thanks for the thoughts.

-Jason
« Last Edit: December 09, 2011, 10:03:10 AM by seekingfocus »

artobest

  • 35mm
  • *
  • Posts: 29
    • The Siskin Press
Re: Replacing Epson 4990 Scanner - V500, V600, V700???
« Reply #13 on: December 09, 2011, 10:51:55 AM »
I don't agree that the V700 is better value than the V750 - the software upgrade alone is worth more than the price difference. In my experience, you can get a lot more out of this scanner using Silverfast Ai than with Epson's own driver.

moominsean

  • Global Moderator
  • Self-Coat
  • *****
  • Posts: 2,173
  • Living in camera shadows.
    • moominstuff
Re: Replacing Epson 4990 Scanner - V500, V600, V700???
« Reply #14 on: December 09, 2011, 12:01:33 PM »
I got silverfast with my v700. As far as i know, the glass is the only difference between the two.

I couldn't get silverfast working in my laptop with window 7. Says it's supposed to work but it won't install properly, just gives me errors.
"A world without Polaroid is a terrible place."
                                                                  - John Waters

Phil Bebbington

  • Self-Coat
  • *****
  • Posts: 2,568
    • Phil Bebbington
Re: Replacing Epson 4990 Scanner - V500, V600, V700???
« Reply #15 on: December 09, 2011, 12:34:56 PM »
I must say, I have never used Silverfast with my V750 and have always found the Epson software just fine - I think that I still have the disc, although, I do use windows 7 so may get the same issues as Sea. I may try and give it a go to see if I notice any difference.

charles binns

  • Self-Coat
  • *****
  • Posts: 1,134
    • Here and There
Re: Replacing Epson 4990 Scanner - V500, V600, V700???
« Reply #16 on: December 09, 2011, 01:23:48 PM »
I use the Silverfast software and am very happy with it.  I was under the impression it came with both the V700 and V750 though.

Late Developer

  • Self-Coat
  • *****
  • Posts: 4,033
    • My Website
Re: Replacing Epson 4990 Scanner - V500, V600, V700???
« Reply #17 on: December 09, 2011, 08:37:12 PM »
Silverfast Ai came in the box with my V750. At the time I had Windows something-or-other (pre Vista) but I never loaded the software as I knew I was about to "upgrade" to Vista. When I did, I found that the version of Silverfast Ai I had was not compatible with Vista - only earlier Windows OS.

After a load of hassle trying to get hold of someone to talk to at Silverfast's manufacturers, they offered to send me replacement software for just a few pounds less than it would cost to upgrade via the web.

By this point, someone had put me onto VueScan which cost considerably less than Silverfast Ai and from which I've had perfectly acceptable results for the type / volume of scanning I do. I'm sure it isn't perfect and it Silverfast Ai might be better, however, I found them a pain in the ar$e to deal with and they seemed completely unsympathetic to my predicament and slow to answer my questions.
"An ounce of perception. A pound of obscure".

sapata

  • Self-Coat
  • *****
  • Posts: 2,073
  • "I want to be plastic" Andy Warhol
    • picturenoise
Re: Replacing Epson 4990 Scanner - V500, V600, V700???
« Reply #18 on: December 09, 2011, 09:43:43 PM »
Is it really necessary paying extra for other softwares other than the basic Epson already included? What are the real advantages?

I only use the software to err... scan really ! ;) select size/resolution and nothing else. ALL other adjustments I do on photoshop, but if there are other advantages worth paying I'd love to know about it and then consider getting one :)

mikeg

  • 120
  • **
  • Posts: 132
Re: Replacing Epson 4990 Scanner - V500, V600, V700???
« Reply #19 on: December 09, 2011, 11:11:56 PM »
I've got a V500. It's OK for 120 film. I don't use it for 35mm.

The main problem with the V500 is that the film holder will only do 2 6x6 120 negatives which is a real pain if like me you cut your 120 film up into 4 lots of 3. I've made a negative holder which takes 3 6x6 images. It works fine, the scanner easily covers the 3 6x6 negatives. You may be able to use your old film holder.

Mike

stevesegz

  • 120
  • **
  • Posts: 178
Re: Replacing Epson 4990 Scanner - V500, V600, V700???
« Reply #20 on: December 10, 2011, 09:09:55 AM »
another for V750 and the silverfast software, mainly because of ability to scan LF.
If I could tell the story in words, I wouldn't need to lug around a camera.  ~Lewis Hine

seekingfocus

  • Peel Apart
  • ***
  • Posts: 358
  • chronic reciprocity failure.
    • Reciprocity Images
Re: Replacing Epson 4990 Scanner - V500, V600, V700???
« Reply #21 on: December 10, 2011, 11:53:45 AM »
So, assuming I need something ONLY to scan 120 for the time being- Would I be better off getting an old 4990, or a v500/600 to hold me over?? There are a couple of possibilites coming up on the auction, so may try my luck there.

Just got some films back from the lab scanned and that was the last straw! If you want something done right...

-Jason


seekingfocus

  • Peel Apart
  • ***
  • Posts: 358
  • chronic reciprocity failure.
    • Reciprocity Images
Re: Replacing Epson 4990 Scanner - V500, V600, V700???
« Reply #22 on: December 10, 2011, 11:59:35 AM »
Also, FWIW- I have always used VueScan software for my scanning- I found the Epson software limiting, but if  it works for you there's probably no reason to change! I just found I was able to control the output (mostly levels and over all tonal range, colors, etc.) much better with VueScan, with a very user-friendly interface, helpful file naming conventions, RAW-scans, etc. I've tried my hand at SilverFast (and still have both installed on my computer), but only use it once in a while for particularly tricky scans- I found it much slower to work with than VueScan, so only use it when necessary. Also, as others have mentioned, if sharpness is key, consider getting a better scanning film holder- it's miles (okay, millimeters ;)) above the stock Epson film holders.

-Jason

Phil Bebbington

  • Self-Coat
  • *****
  • Posts: 2,568
    • Phil Bebbington
Re: Replacing Epson 4990 Scanner - V500, V600, V700???
« Reply #23 on: December 10, 2011, 12:16:50 PM »
Quote
I couldn't get silverfast working in my laptop with window 7. Says it's supposed to work but it won't install properly, just gives me errors.

Sean, I tried to laod my version that came with a scanner a few years ago and got the same issue  as you. I managed to get a 64 bit version through the SilverFast website. Not the most up to date version, but, in line with the version that came with the scanner. You also get a discount if you decide to go for the new version.

Jason, I will take a look at VueScan - just because I'm happy doesn't mean I can't be even more happy!  :)

Sandeha Lynch

  • Self-Coat
  • *****
  • Posts: 1,669
    • Visual Records
Re: Replacing Epson 4990 Scanner - V500, V600, V700???
« Reply #24 on: December 10, 2011, 01:25:32 PM »
I've had to use Vuescan for my 3200 ever since changing to Win7 as Epson never issued upgraded drivers.  It's been good and trouble free, though its default settings can be irritating and colour scans usually need a real tweaking in PS.

artobest

  • 35mm
  • *
  • Posts: 29
    • The Siskin Press
Re: Replacing Epson 4990 Scanner - V500, V600, V700???
« Reply #25 on: December 10, 2011, 01:42:57 PM »
I got silverfast with my v700. As far as i know, the glass is the only difference between the two.



You got Silverfast SE. You get the much more capable Ai version with the V750. Other upgrades are the so-called high-pass optics (better coatings, for what it's worth) on the V750 and the free fluid-mount accessory.

Silverfast is an annoying piece of software from an idiotic company seemingly hell-bent on self-destruction, but it appears to be capable of extracting a far better result from the V750 than the Epson software, at least in my experience. I'm sure the capability is there with the Epson driver, but it doesn't seem nearly so accessible.

mickld

  • 120
  • **
  • Posts: 163
Re: Replacing Epson 4990 Scanner - V500, V600, V700???
« Reply #26 on: December 10, 2011, 04:10:10 PM »
I've decided to trade up from my eBay acquired Epson 3200 to the V700 for Xmas. I reckon it will future proof my film hobby going forward, while retaining much of its value should I change my mind later. But knowing I can extract max quality from the (sadly) occasional keeper, plus automate the scanning of multiple frames, plus make quick contact sheets etc makes it seem like a worth while investment.

Anyway, what I'm leading up to is a recommendation for the Lomo Digitaliza film holders. They make them for 35mm and 120 . Googling will soon bring up some video demos of the product. I found the neg holders that came with the 3200 were absolutely hopeless. So fiddly and flimsy that it put the negs in danger of scratches and damage. And guaranteed dust would be spread everywhere from constantly opening the lid to make adjustments. The Lomo neg holders use an ingenious  magnetic mechanism that safely clamps the film. Don't know why all film holders aren't made this way.

Volker

  • Peel Apart
  • ***
  • Posts: 234
    • www.dynamo.de
Re: Replacing Epson 4990 Scanner - V500, V600, V700???
« Reply #27 on: December 10, 2011, 06:10:52 PM »
i use a 750 for my 4x5 + 13x18 negs. If you buy one now you can update the included SF 6.6 AI to SF 8 Studio for free. You only have to send a copy of the bill via mail to silverfast.

Volker