Epson 4870 and 4X5 negs

[Steve Bell]

I'm considering an Epson 4870 for scanning 4X5 negs. How flat does it hold
4X5 negs?

Steve Bell

 

[RSD99]

I have one ... and often use it for scanning 4" x 5" (and even 5" x 7") negatives and
transparencies. It seems to do a very good job.

The Perfection 4870 comes with six plastic "film holders," and one of them is for 4" x 5"
sheet film. IMHO they do *not* do a very good job of holding the film "flat," and are
primarily for locating the negative or transparency in a specific place on the scanner's
glass.

Instead of using the supplied "film holder," I just put the negative or transparency
emulsion down, flat on the scanner's glass. If it does not lay flat, I'll put another
piece of glass ("optical" quality) over the negative/transparency to hold it flat. I've
only had a problem with 'Newton's Rings' once, and easily fixed that by putting a piece of
0.010" cardboard under one corner of the glass.

AFAIK the Perfection 4870 is probably the best "low end" scanner available for 4" x 5" and
5" x 7" sheet film.

 

[Leonard Evens]

I'm considering an Epson 4870 for scanning 4X5 negs. How flat does it hold
4X5 negs?

Steve Bell

I have an Epson 3200 which is very similar. The 4 x 5 holder clamps
down on a sheet of film reasonably well, but there is still room for
some sag in the middle. The Epson scanners have fixed focus lenses and
rely on depth of field to keep things in focus. The ideal position
seems to be about 1 mm off the glass, but considerable variation is
possible without any obvious differences. I don't worry about flatness,
and my scans are quite sharp. If you want it to be flatter, you
probably have to hold the film between two pieces of glass. One could
be the scanner glass, but then the film would be a trifle closer than is
optimal.

You are not likely to do better for 4 x 5 without spending a lot more.

 

[David C.]

The Perfection 4870 comes with six plastic "film holders," and one
of them is for 4" x 5" sheet film. IMHO they do *not* do a very good
job of holding the film "flat," and are primarily for locating the
negative or transparency in a specific place on the scanner's glass.

This must've changed. Mine only came with four film holders:

- 35mm filmstrips (4 strips of up to 6 images each)
- 35mm slides (up to 8 slides at a time)
- Medium format (2.4" wide) strips (up to three strips,
up to 4.7" at a time)
- 4x5 (up to 2 images at a time)

Epson did not bundle any other sizes with mine, although I'm told
that other sizes can be purchased from third-party sources.

What were the other two sizes yours came with?

-- David

 

[RSD99]

It must have been a "bad day" ... mine also has four "film holders."

However ... I still do *not* like the way they work, and usually scan
transparencies and negatives placed directly on the glass, emulsion side
down.