Scanners again

ped

ped

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Hi all,

It's been a few years since I regularly developed B+W film but with an imminent house move and some extra space I'm going to start doing it again. You can't beat the look of it. Aside from the usual bits (I use to use ID11) I'll need a scanner.

I used to use a Plustek 7600i which I can't seem to find any trace of on eBay. It worked well, I tended to use with Vuescan.

tbh I may also like to scan larger negs from my Polaroid and perhaps the odd print, so I think a flatbed will be a better option this time.

Is the Epson v500 still the best bang for buck?

I should probably mention that I rarely shoot colour film so digitalICE etc is of little use to me, IIRC

The 'budget' Plustek 7400 looks OK too, for the price - what maximum resolution can I expect from that, I'm looking for at least 3000 pixels long edge...

Many thanks
ped
 
ped said:
Hi all,

It's been a few years since I regularly developed B+W film but with an imminent house move and some extra space I'm going to start doing it again. You can't beat the look of it. Aside from the usual bits (I use to use ID11) I'll need a scanner.

I used to use a Plustek 7600i which I can't seem to find any trace of on eBay. It worked well, I tended to use with Vuescan.

tbh I may also like to scan larger negs from my Polaroid and perhaps the odd print, so I think a flatbed will be a better option this time.

Is the Epson v500 still the best bang for buck?

I should probably mention that I rarely shoot colour film so digitalICE etc is of little use to me, IIRC

The 'budget' Plustek 7400 looks OK too, for the price - what maximum resolution can I expect from that, I'm looking for at least 3000 pixels long edge...

Many thanks
ped
Click to expand...

Most of the Plusteks are exactly the same with regard to scanning specs. The primary difference is the software that is bundled with it, which is a non-issue if you intend to use Vuescan.

The Epson V500 or its predecessor the 4490 are both very capable and can be found used at decent prices. If you ever intend to scan film sizes larger than the usual 120 formats though, you might require the V700 or its predecessor the 4990.
 
For a dedicated film scanner (which will always give better quality with 35mm) probably a Reflecta RPS 7200 Professional, they usually sell for around that price.
 
ped said:
Thanks, yes that's what I thought - I didn't much like the Silverfast prog that the one I had came with.

Just out of curiosity, what's the best 35mm scanner I can buy for £500?
Click to expand...
Probably a used Nikon Coolscan 5000 or V but be wary as Nikon don't support them any more so haven't updated the software for ages.
 
Per, I have been using a V500 for a while now for both 35mm and 120, I really like it and have achieved some great results in my view. Recently I acquired Plustek 7600i, I am finding my way with this scanner but I have been really impressed with its performance. The V500 is great but I am now doing all my 35mm on the Plustek. I picked the Plustek on ebay where they are a bit like buses, none for ages and then three came along at once!
 
Remember the 7400 does NOT have an infra-red channel, so no dust or scratch removal. This might not be an issue if you're scanning freshly processed film and have a clean environment. The 7500i and (better) 7600i do have IR; TBH I find the 7500i perfectly fine, and much better than nowt (or the V500, for 35mm). 3000 pixels along the long side is only around 2000 dpi, which is well within the capabilities of these beasts, even if they don't match the nominal specs of 7200 dpi (well beyond the capabilities of the optics etc, we're told).
 
ChrisR said:
Remember the 7400 does NOT have an infra-red channel, so no dust or scratch removal. This might not be an issue if you're scanning freshly processed film and have a clean environment. The 7500i and (better) 7600i do have IR; TBH I find the 7500i perfectly fine, and much better than nowt (or the V500, for 35mm). 3000 pixels along the long side is only around 2000 dpi, which is well within the capabilities of these beasts, even if they don't match the nominal specs of 7200 dpi (well beyond the capabilities of the optics etc, we're told).
Click to expand...

Thanks - if I remember correctly, you can't use the IR dust/scratch removal anyway on B+W film?

Cheers
 
ped said:
Thanks - if I remember correctly, you can't use the IR dust/scratch removal anyway on B+W film?

Cheers
Click to expand...

Correct (unless its chromagenic film such as XP2 Super)
 
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