Epson v500

[camperbc]

Wow, I'm dumbstruck that an Epson V500 costs $300 in Australia! (would hate to think what a car or house must cost in your country!) I just paid $164.99 for a V600 here in Canada, plus it came with a $20 mail-in rebate, which brought the price to below that of a V500.

I'd think it would make some sense to purchase your scanner from Canada or the USA; even after the hefty shipping fees you'd likely still be way ahead of the game.

Gavin, that line disappears as soon as you wipe down the glass to remove the dust that causes it.

Glen

[charjohncarter]

Originally Posted by gavinlg

Careful with the Epson flatbeds and their infamous 'line' issue. Over half the 35mm negs and at least some of the 6x7 negs I scanned with my brand new v600 ended up having this godamn purple or green line going in a perfectly straight line right through the scan - it's really hard to see until you magnify it, and then suddenly you see it on every scan and it becomes really obvious. It has something to do with dust on the scanning LED lamp and it's basically impossible to tell when it's going to do it, and when it isn't. It also seems most if not all of them have this problem.

Personally I'd buy a canon equivalent just because of this. Epson are in my naughty books big time.

That is very easily fixed of the V500 by removing 4 screws and cleaning the INSIDE of the glass.

[gavinlg]

Originally Posted by charjohncarter

That is very easily fixed of the V500 by removing 4 screws and cleaning the INSIDE of the glass.

I couldn't see any visible screws on my v600, and they all pretty much do it. If you search 'epson purple line' on google you'll get a multitude of hits. If you're dissembling it you're likely to void the warrantee too.

[hathi]

I'd like to add a couple more questions about the Epson v500, for the knowledgeable. I've been learning to process B&W film and scanning at the university library, but their scanner is frame by frame and it takes forever.

About how long does it take to proof scan a roll (say 36 shots at ~2000 dpi) on the Epson? Can one scan multiple frames at once?

[charjohncarter]

Originally Posted by gavinlg

If you're dissembling it you're likely to void the warrantee too.

How would they know?

[Argenticien]

Originally Posted by hathi

About how long does it take to proof scan a roll (say 36 shots at ~2000 dpi) on the Epson? Can one scan multiple frames at once?

Like wblynch above I'll speak for my 4490 which is nearly the same animal. The OEM frames hold two strips of negatives. I think they can be 6 frames each, but I cut mine to 5 to fit negative holders, so that's 2 x 5 = 10 frames per scan; so to scan 36 frames (35, 38, whatever you get out of a roll) takes then 4 batches. Time varies tremendously depending on whether you use dust removal, ICE etc. I should say I'm using Epson's own software. If in the preview it finds the 10 frames properly and you can just rotate those that need it and click Scan, then that batch might take 10 minutes. You then walk away and fetch a pint. If your camera has spaced the frames very closely (as e.g., my Vitessa does), and/or the photos fall off to near-black at their edges (as any night shot might do), then the preview/thumbnail tool will often not find the frames properly; you then must then muck about manually selecting the images (either in the preview; or scan each strip as one big file and carve it up in Photoshop) and that adds non-negligible time.

--Dave

[hathi]

Dave,

Thanks. That sounds like a much simpler workflow. The scanner in the media lab at work is pretty pokey, but I think it would be useful if there were 1 or 2 frames that I really wanted to print large or scan into a huge file.

I should just order the Epson and get to scanning. I've got quite a backlog. I should probably also go grab a pint while I'm at it.

[kanzlr]

Originally Posted by john341

This is new territory for me .. is the V500 suitable for scanning 6x6 negs do you think, as well as 35mm?

I use the 4490, the V500 predecessor for 6x6. For 35mm the resolution is not high enough.
I get 7 MP out of 6x6 slides, that would mean some 2-3 MP for 35mm I think?

Invest € 200,-- and buy some used Reflecta 2700 for 35mm.
Of course you CAN use the V500 for 35mm. But why would you...

[gavinlg]

Originally Posted by charjohncarter

How would they know?

Sometimes companies put special stickers on opening parts from the inside so they can tell when they've been opened. Also marks on screws etc.

[Michael Markey]

Originally Posted by charjohncarter

That is very easily fixed of the V500 by removing 4 screws and cleaning the INSIDE of the glass.

Thanks for that John ...I assume that you are ref to the four screws in the lid ?

Michael

[Pherdinand]

plenty good for 35mm too, just dont exaggerate with print size.
Come on guys.. forget it for 35mm?? is THAT your personal experience??

[Pherdinand]

Originally Posted by hathi

I'd like to add a couple more questions about the Epson v500, for the knowledgeable. I've been learning to process B&W film and scanning at the university library, but their scanner is frame by frame and it takes forever.

About how long does it take to proof scan a roll (say 36 shots at ~2000 dpi) on the Epson? Can one scan multiple frames at once?

you don't proof scan at 2000 dpi... :/
How big would you print "contact sheets" from a whole roll of neg?? Why do you need such an enlarged "proof scan" ??

Proof scan with the Epsons is very fast at reasonable resloution for monitor viewing. By very fast i mean 10-15 seconds per frame. You spend most time loading the scanner. Which depends on experience, patience, care, regarding how long it takes.

[Pherdinand]

regarding the opening/cleaning: Yes they will know if you opened it up. I also think it will invalidate the warranty. But i never had to use warranty ...
Mine was fine upon arrival but some time later developed a slight fog on the inside so i did open it up and it cleaned up nicely. It's due to the plastic components inside outgassing in time and at increased temperatures. Not much to do against it except cleaning the glass.

[ray*j*gun]

the scanner is excellent.......and I use the factory software.

[Argenticien]

Originally Posted by kanzlr

I use the 4490, the V500 predecessor for 6x6. For 35mm the resolution is not high enough.
I get 7 MP out of 6x6 slides, that would mean some 2-3 MP for 35mm I think?

Check my math(s), but even scanning at 2400 dpi, isn't it:
(1 inch * 2400 dpi) * (1.5 inch * 2400 dpi) / (1,024)^2 = 8.24 MP ?

One can argue about is a 24 x 36 frame exactly 1 x 1.5 inches, or is it 0.9 x 1.4123, etc, but on general magnitude 8ish MP is considerably more than 2 - 3 MP.

Again I too speak only for the 4490, but the often-repeated advice to get the betterscanning.com holders applies, I suspect. I don't know how good they are as I haven't got them ... yet; but I do know the lightweight OEM holders have a hard time keeping film flat, especially in 120. I'm sufficiently tired of this that I'm about ready to fork out a bunch of cash for the betterscanning.com ones. (A reasonably safe investment even though my 4490 is old; the same ones will work in my future V500 or V600.)

--Dave

[hathi]

Originally Posted by Pherdinand

you don't proof scan at 2000 dpi... :/
How big would you print "contact sheets" from a whole roll of neg?? Why do you need such an enlarged "proof scan" ??

Proof scan with the Epsons is very fast at reasonable resloution for monitor viewing. By very fast i mean 10-15 seconds per frame. You spend most time loading the scanner. Which depends on experience, patience, care, regarding how long it takes.

Thanks!

Maybe I'm confused by the vocabulary and probably inaccurate in my quoting numbers. By proof scan, I meant a scan which is done for each frame at a moderate resolution and fie size. I guess this is for monitor viewing. Then if there is something I want out of a particular frame, like a big crop or other manipulation, one could go back and take a higher resolution and bitrate version.

I've been following the example linkd out below, so i guess 2000 would be higher than I've used before. What is a reasonable resolution for a first scan of the whole roll? 1333 dpi?

http://photo.net/learn/film/scanning...an-black-white

[froyd]

Originally Posted by froyd

Compared to minilab scan produced at higher resolution than possible on a v500, (Costco's Frontier machines,e.g.) wouldn't the advantage of the flatbed be that despite its lower technical specifications, it allows the user to decide which setting are more appropriate to the image recorded on the negative, for instance, compensating for underexposure or recovering more fine highlight detail in the images that warrant it?

Originally Posted by v_roma

This is my thinking as well and why I keep wondering whether I should get a scan. There are pro labs that will do those types of adjustment for you during scanning but a handfull of rolls scanned at those labs would pay for a scanner. And, obviously, even pro labs can't read your mind as far as what you want you want the scan to look like.

Can any experienced scanner confirm this assumption?

[charjohncarter]

Originally Posted by Michael Markey

Thanks for that John ...I assume that you are ref to the four screws in the lid ?

Michael

Yes, (take the lift lid off/out and then locate the 4 screws that separate the glass section [that on mine is a lighter gray] with the rest of the body) 15 minutes start to finish. No stickers and the screws are not proprietary screws. They are right off Home Depot's self (but you re-use the originals).

I use Windex sprayed on an old tee shirt to wipe it clean.

[gavinlg]

Originally Posted by camperbc

Wow, I'm dumbstruck that an Epson V500 costs $300 in Australia! (would hate to think what a car or house must cost in your country!) I just paid $164.99 for a V600 here in Canada, plus it came with a $20 mail-in rebate, which brought the price to below that of a V500.

I'd think it would make some sense to purchase your scanner from Canada or the USA; even after the hefty shipping fees you'd likely still be way ahead of the game.

Gavin, that line disappears as soon as you wipe down the glass to remove the dust that causes it.

Glen

Yeah... we pay about double for cars here compared to the US.

Also the line doesn't always go away if you just wipe the glass. Eventually you have to actually open it up to clean it.

[SolaresLarrave]

I just bought the V500 today. After upgrading the OS in my iMac from Leopard to Snow Leopard, the computer simply didn't acknowledge my old HP4570c scanner. I uninstalled and reinstalled the software, checked for loose cables and everything to no avail. Must admit, however, that I was kinda hoping to "need" a new scanner... The main reason I picked this one was the MF negative holder. Odd... but now that I have sold all my MF gear I find that I have a scanner to digitalize my old slides... Such is life.

If anything bad happens I'll report/post it here!

[Chris Bail]

I scanned this 6x7 neg to make an 18" x 24" print with my V500 for the main subject. I've always been happy with the scanner.

Most of my 6x7 negs are scanned with the V500

http://www.flickr.com/photos/blueone33/tags/pentax6x7/


Miss ILL # F-14 by Chris Bail, on Flickr

[raid]

I have been advised to get instead the V700.

[RObert Budding]

Originally Posted by charjohncarter

That is very easily fixed of the V500 by removing 4 screws and cleaning the INSIDE of the glass.

I had problems with my old Epson 4990. The plastic parts would out-gas and fog the inside of the glass. Epson cleaned it for me once, but I never liked the results that I got with the scanner anyway. So now I use it as an office scanner and I scan film with my Nikon 9000 ED. I'll take a Nikon scanner any day over an Epson - particularly now that it's clear that they've never solved a long-standing problem.

[wblynch]

Yeah a $3,000 scanner is usually a bit better than a $600 scanner. Usually.

[SolaresLarrave]

Dear Raid, I could have told you that.

However, I have some misgivings about the presumed quality of expensive gear. It's not the tool, but the craftsman who gets the job done.

Take care!