Epson 750/700 and Silverfast...

[Rosemary]

Hi everyone

I am debating getting an Epson 750 or 700 as I would really like to
have ICE.
I would be scanning Medium format more than 35mm but would do some 35
occasionally.
Is there a big difference between the 2 scanners? I already have
Silverfast 6.4 so is the $200 difference in cost justified?

Thanks for any help...

 

[nathantw]

Rosemary,
I have the v750 and think it's great. I never use ICE since it leaves weird
artifacts in certain places. Plus I use Kodachrome and b/w and it's useless
for it. The part that I really, really can't do without, especially with
medium format slides and negatives, is the wet mount. It makes a world of
difference in terms of sharpness and dynamic range. Is it worth $200? I
think so. Others think the wet mount is cheaply made and falls apart. I
haven't experienced that.

For 35mm it works pretty well. Keep in mind that you'll need to spend a LOT
of time just trying to sharpen the negatives and slides with the unsharp
mask whether 35mm or medium format. However, once you get it down you'll
find that the sharpness is right up there with the best consumer scanners.
I've made prints up to 30x30 and they were as sharp as I could make from my
regular darkroom.

I think the v750 was worth the money. The v700 doesn't have the coated
lenses nor the wet mount adapter. Both of which I thought were important.
Hope that helps a little.

Nathan

 

[-]

I have yet to see a test that proves the 750 is superior to the 700, so I
don't see that as a selling point. Two thinigs about the Silverfast
software though. One, I am wondering if the version you have is for a V
series scanner. I am guessing not, so that means you would probably have
to buy another license from Silverfast. Second, Silverfast will not let you
upgrade past 6.4 unless you bought your Silverfast and registered it
recently (November 06 or later I believe). Otherwise, you have to pay for
the upgrade.

Just some thoughts.

Doug

 

[tomm42]

Hi everyone

I am debating getting an Epson 750 or 700 as I would really like to
have ICE.
I would be scanning Medium format more than 35mm but would do some 35
occasionally.
Is there a big difference between the 2 scanners? I already have
Silverfast 6.4 so is the $200 difference in cost justified?

Thanks for any help...

I have a V700, the sharpness compares favorably with my older
scanners, as good as a Nikon LS2000, not quite as good as a Minolta
Multi. The dynamic range is better than either of the other two
scanners. I'm using the Pro section of Epson scan and am getting good
wide histograms for color and B&W. I've used Digital Ice for some old
slides that are going to PowerPoint, but it does effect the image,
just enough that I don't want to use it for higher res scans of my
images. B&W negs scan well using 16bit B&W. The scanner does max out
at about 3200ppi, but this size is fine for what I need.

Tom

 

[Rosemary]

I have a V700, the sharpness compares favorably with my older
scanners, as good as a Nikon LS2000, not quite as good as a Minolta
Multi.
Tom

Thanks everyone! I guess I am leaning towards the 750 now, maybe if
it goes on sale
Rosemary