epson 3170 for medium format....

[keith taylor]

i'm just about to buy a bronica and a scanner. my current set-up is 35mm
and a scan elite 5400. i'm conscious that with medium format the
negatives are much bigger and bigger is better right!

i don't want to shell out a huge amount on another dedicated medium
format scanner so i was wondering how does the epson 3170 hold up
scanning 5x4 transparencies with vuescan (which i use all the time with
my 5400)?

any help much appreciated, or any suggestions as to another medium
format scanner for under £200.

thanks,

keith

 

[-]

i don't want to shell out a huge amount on another dedicated medium

format scanner so i was wondering how does the epson 3170 hold up
scanning 5x4 transparencies with vuescan (which i use all the time with
my 5400)?

The 3170 does OK for the money with medium format, but it won't do 4x5. A
replacement is supposed to come on the market any day now (4180?). I
reality, I would not be surprised if it delivers much more performance than
the 3170.

Doug

 

[Michael Benveniste]

i don't want to shell out a huge amount on another dedicated medium
format scanner so i was wondering how does the epson 3170 hold up
scanning 5x4 transparencies with vuescan (which i use all the time with
my 5400)?

If you mean 5"x4" transparencies, you must have a different Scan Elite
5400 than I'm used to hearing about. You've also got a very "old
school" definition of medium format...

The Epson 3170 comes with film holders for 35mm and medium format up
to 6x9cm. The film scanner built into the cover doesn't seem to be
large enough to cover 4"x5" negatives, though, so if that's a
requirement you have to step up to the 3200.

I've used the 3170 to scan Astia 100F and Fuji NPC shot with my
Pentax 645. The results met my modest expectations, which were
to match the quality of the equivalent 35mm film scanned by a
dedicated film scanner. DMax appears to be lower than my Canon
FS4000US, but for these films it wasn't an issue.

In short, I view the 3170 as a tool for proofing and secondary
output such as smaller prints. Since I needed to buy a new
document scanner anyway, I felt this capacity was worth the
extra few dollars.

But if I'm going to the extra work and expense to use medium
format, it's because I want significantly better output than 35mm.
So for those "money" prints, the 3170 doesn't cut it.

 

[keith taylor]

sorry i meant 4.5x6cm, i think you have probably answered my questions
for the time being i may well stick with 35mm, it's a shame dedicated
medium format film scanners are so expensive, it's still a niche market.
perhaps i may be able to pick a secondhand one up, but still i'm sure
that would be quite a lot more than £200.

keith

 

[Al]

i'm just about to buy a bronica and a scanner. my current set-up is 35mm
and a scan elite 5400. i'm conscious that with medium format the
negatives are much bigger and bigger is better right!

i don't want to shell out a huge amount on another dedicated medium
format scanner so i was wondering how does the epson 3170 hold up
scanning 5x4 transparencies with vuescan (which i use all the time with
my 5400)?

any help much appreciated, or any suggestions as to another medium
format scanner for under £200.

thanks,

keith

Here is a transparency adapter available for the Epson 2400:

http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/...egory=Products&nextPage=/ProductQuickSpec.jsp

You might check with technical support to see if it would work with
the 3170- otherwise I would assume not. It gives very even
illumination for a stationary unit. The newer Epsons will have moving
light sources to cover 4x5. As for the quality of the 2400, it has
been good enough for me but I suggest reading tests to find out if it
meets your needs. Good luck!