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Hank Taylor

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Hi,need help, been looking at a new scanner for slides and negatives. Been thinking about getting another Nikon but was a little turn off by the scarcity of finding a use coolscan 5000. A friend who runs a business printing large murals has been using several Epson units and he really likes the new V750 for the money. Says, he is getting better results then from his Coolscan 5000 which he let go recently. I admit, it's had to believe. What do you think? Has anyone been using the Epson 750?

 

Appreciate your comments.

 

Hank

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I have the 700 which is very similar to the 750 and I get surprisingly good scans from 35mm when it all comes together. There are folks who have never used one but have no problem giving this unit bad reviews based on personal prejudice and parroting other bashers on the internet. Don't listen to them. The film holders are the weak link so here are a few tips.

 

#1 make sure the curl has been removed from the film. As a B&W shooter who develops at home I found drying my films on the horizontal helps. Any curl will quickly put parts of the film out of focus.

 

#2 Make sure the dull emulsion side is facing up. This make a big difference as well.

 

#3 Scan at 3200 resolution setting. The scanner probably can't deliver more than a true 2400 but the 3200 setting just seems to work best.

 

#4 The 700/750's don't have the best dynamic range in the world so when exposing and developing my film I make sure the shadows are open and the highlights are in check. Much easier to start with a somewhat flat image in Photoshop and correct the tones using levels.

 

I've made some nice looking 11x14's but have made some superb 6x9's. (I've never been a believer that 35mm should be enlarged all that much anyway.)

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I have a new V700 which I bought to scan my MF negatives. It sits next to my Coolscan V, which I use for my Leica stuff.

 

It works extremely well and when I get an hour to play with, I will do some comparison tests with the same negative / slide and see what differences I can see.

 

Developing for a "flat" negative is god advice if you are going to scan, regardless of which scanner you use.

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I have the 700 which is very similar to the 750 and I get surprisingly good scans from 35mm when it all comes together. There are folks who have never used one but have no problem giving this unit bad reviews based on personal prejudice and parroting other bashers on the internet. Don't listen to them.

 

I HAVE used one and also a Nikon 5000 and 9000. You will get better scans from 35mm with a Nikon.

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Pete, excellent article enjoyed reading . The bottom line, I was quite impressed with the report. So fair, I am leaning towards the Epson 750 not just for the savings but the quality as I can tell, looks pretty good.

 

Thanks

Hank

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Look for reviews from people who have owned and used both a nikon coolscan and an epson v700/750. A significant majority have said that the nikon is noticeably better. But that really comes into play if you blow things up to 8x10 or bigger (they say).

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Look for reviews from people who have owned and used both a nikon coolscan and an epson v700/750. A significant majority have said that the nikon is noticeably better. But that really comes into play if you blow things up to 8x10 or bigger (they say).

 

I'm talking about scanning 35mm film here.

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Guest ccmsosse
Hi,need help, been looking at a new scanner for slides and negatives. Been thinking about getting another Nikon but was a little turn off by the scarcity of finding a use coolscan 5000. A friend who runs a business printing large murals has been using several Epson units and he really likes the new V750 for the money. Says, he is getting better results then from his Coolscan 5000 which he let go recently. I admit, it's had to believe. What do you think? Has anyone been using the Epson 750?

Appreciate your comments.

Hank

Hi there.

I am using a PlusTek OpticFilm 7600i with Silverfast software.

I am still new to the scanner and software and am just scratching the surface of abilities, but so far so good. In the past, I used a Nikon Coolscan IV ED.

I am only scanning 35mm so I don't need a larger foot print scanner - The 7600i is small and can easily be put away. It seems to be doing a fine job.

 

Compare images from the M9 vs. M6TTL taken today at a Hot Air Balloon event.

 

Michael Sossenheimer | Hot Air Balloon - Color Film M6TTL

Michael Sossenheimer | Hot Air Ballooning - M9

 

Cheers

Michael

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I use my Epson for proof scans, a KM 5400 for finals. They are not the same if you are critical. Nikon scanners will be similar to KM.

 

Keep the film flat and contrast low. Scanners can`t deal with high contrast. Scan for a decent histogran centered and color balance if color. Photoshop does all the rest.

 

If you insist on the Epson, get a 750 and wet scan kit. PITA but worth it for special prints.

For web sharing, almost anything works. Don`t spend a lot. Spend as much as you have to for quality 11x14 prints.

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For MF I just bought a new Epson 4490 for only $99 at Fry's electronics in California. The 4490 is pretty good but it's slow.

 

For 35mm I use either a Canon FS2710 (ca. 2001) or a Pakon F235 minilab scanner (ca. 2002). The Pakon can scan an entire roll of 36, with digital ice on, in less than 5 minutes. It's only 2000 dpi but does incredibly well.

 

For older technology, one has to be willing to put up with idiosyncrasies and maybe even older OS versions. I consider that all part of the hobby.

 

For expediency, I can have a roll of 35mm color developed and scanned to CD for less than $5 US at my local Costco and they do great work.

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