Scanners!

[frametology]

hello to all here!

i just started doing my own developing at home, and i must say its been really really fun and satisfying.

however, theres one thing thats bugging me. i need to scan my negatives into the com and for that i need a scanner!

so here comes the big question. what scanner should i get (and please let it be cheap!)

also, does a cheap scanner mean lousy quality scans?
i was looking at the epson V500 and V700. ---> are they good?
initially i was scouting around for cannon scanners cause they were the most price competitive. but i eventually heard that cannon scanners cannot make it. how true is that?

please advise!

 

[enivre]

If cost is not a big issue just stick to the V700, (V750 is better only if you want to use it's fluid mount).

Also, just a side note but this has been discussed quite often over in the equipment/others forum.

 

[centurion_sg]

I'm using Canon 8600F, and to me it can "make it" It depends on what you expect.

An example here:

hello to all here!

i just started doing my own developing at home, and i must say its been really really fun and satisfying.

however, theres one thing thats bugging me. i need to scan my negatives into the com and for that i need a scanner!

so here comes the big question. what scanner should i get (and please let it be cheap!)

also, does a cheap scanner mean lousy quality scans?
i was looking at the epson V500 and V700. ---> are they good?
initially i was scouting around for cannon scanners cause they were the most price competitive. but i eventually heard that cannon scanners cannot make it. how true is that?

please advise!

 

[frametology]

hmmm. it makes it for me! HAHA.

thanks centurion!

 

[azzurri]

In general flatbed scanners are not the best of scanners to have. A good scanner would be the Minolta ones (old ones cos they have stopped producing them) or the Nikon Cool Scan (but it's pretty pricey).

But between the v500 and v700, go for the v700. On the whole, it's a better scanner with better scan quality. And if I've not mistaken, it allows you to scan about 12 negs at a go, colour slides and 6x6.

 

[daletan]

I'm using Canon 8600F, and to me it can "make it" It depends on what you expect.

An example here:

Incidentally, I got the same scanner a week back, and for that kinda price, it was pretty good. The film adaptor is NOT autofeed, so expect to get yourself a pair of white gloves, and sit down for an hour a roll. The provided software was good though (PhotoShop Elements), as was the general feel of the workflow.

Example: http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1218/1378125828_a8a14b81d2_b.jpg

I'll probably stick in some negatives and slide next week to try those out.

If I scanned more colour, and if I did so professionally, I'd probably have shelled out the moolah for a Nikon Coolscan, just for the ICE3 (ICE is useless with B&W).

It really depends on your needs, I suppose.

 

[frametology]

i like the scans you all have done with the canon f8600! lovely.

i'm tempted to get it man!

HAHA.

how much did you pay ah? and where can i get it from? i checked cathay and they don't carry canon scanners. so yah.

 

[daletan]

i like the scans you all have done with the canon f8600! lovely.

i'm tempted to get it man!

HAHA.

how much did you pay ah? and where can i get it from? i checked cathay and they don't carry canon scanners. so yah.

I think getting the 8600F is a Funan/Sim Lim affair... I wouldn't actually know, given that I'm uh ... 8000km away in Sydney =)

Price tag was a hefty AUD$285, which works out to be ... SGD$360? Dunno lah, but it should be cheap back in SG.

 

[pai]

go for the v700. On the whole, it's a better scanner with better scan quality. And if I've not mistaken, it allows you to scan about 12 negs at a go

24 negs

 

[frametology]

I think getting the 8600F is a Funan/Sim Lim affair... I wouldn't actually know, given that I'm uh ... 8000km away in Sydney =)

Price tag was a hefty AUD$285, which works out to be ... SGD$360? Dunno lah, but it should be cheap back in SG.

wooo. thats far away. hows the land down under?

but i guess its a relatively fair trade off lah. there are much nicer things to shoot there. ha.

i checked the canon sg website. and on offer, its about the price you paid for it. hmm. i guess you're right, i'll go check out simlim and what not. haha.

 

[azzurri]

I think getting the 8600F is a Funan/Sim Lim affair... I wouldn't actually know, given that I'm uh ... 8000km away in Sydney =)

Price tag was a hefty AUD$285, which works out to be ... SGD$360? Dunno lah, but it should be cheap back in SG.

Based on experience, it's likely to be cheaper in Australia. Sometimes the printer and scanners can cost only about half the price of that in Singapore. And yes, that's after exchange rate difference.

Anyway, the last I checked, the v700 is around S$800 and I'm pretty sure it'll cost less in Australia. Try the IT shopping centre in the city (near Chinatown) or Harvey Norman. The former has pretty good deals.

 

[azzurri]

24 negs

All the better! ;p

 

[frametology]

can the canon f8600 do werid formats ie. a 135mm holga pano?

and also, how many frames per scan for 135 ah?

 

[daletan]

http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelInfoAct&fcategoryid=120&modelid=13977

There are mountings for:
12 frames for 135 strips
4 slides for 135 or
one 6cm wide strip

Conceivably, you can mount pretty much anything that's 135 or 120.

The maximum is 6cm though, because the light source is only that wide.

IMHO, you should just take a walk to Funan and try out both scanners, because specs will only tell you that much. You gotta feel and touch ...

Not wanting to sound superficial, but part of the reason why I bought the Canon is because it looks and feels nice. If I've gotta look at it every day, it had better look pretty. ;p

 

[trucatus]

I got V700 and happy man am I

 

[skinnylatte]

How much did you guys buy the 8600F from Funan/Sim Lim? I'm in the market for a scanner myself.

 

[okinawasan]

70% of quality scanning has to do with the program that you use.

I think a decent scanner is good enough. No need for over the top expensive scanners for your daily web uploads or prints. The important thing to have, for most consumers, is a great scanning program. You'll be prudent to invest in a mid-range scanner with surplus for a third party program. Don't fall for the marketing hype, the results that you get from say, a Canon 8600 (with silverfast or vuescan) vs. Epson V700 (silverfast) is marginal at best. Don't be bogged down by reviewers that magnify pictures 10000X to compare sharpness, they are fondlers not photographers. When was the last time you saw a nice picture online or in print and talked about the sharpness of the fly in the background, zoomed 1000X.

Vuescan or Silverfast are two of the best in the market.

Enjoy film, keep it simple, and leave the technicalities to fondlers ;p

 

[frametology]

oki, so what you're saying is that the hardware isn't the most critical factor in the scan but the programme??

okay! thats cool. i never knew. so does it mean that programmes given with the scanner are actually not that good?

also, would anyone know how big a print (digital) can a scan from the 8600 / V700 go?

hmmm. are silverfast and vuescan programmes that i can download? and are they mac friendly?

 

[enivre]

I use a V700, and I find it silly to scan at 6400DPI because all I see up close is film grain (esp for B&Ws >400ISO). So yes sometimes you don't need that kind of resolution.

Software wise I have vuescan but I find it easier to work with the epson software as I can't get vuescan to do multiple scans at the same time.

But if I were to want to scan just a single frame for an enlargement then I'll use it. Quality wise it's marginally better according to reviews, never really went to do a direct comparison though.

How big can it be blown up to depends on what you are scanning from (35mm, 120, etc) and how high a resolution you scanned it at.

oki, so what you're saying is that the hardware isn't the most critical factor in the scan but the programme??

okay! thats cool. i never knew. so does it mean that programmes given with the scanner are actually not that good?

also, would anyone know how big a print (digital) can a scan from the 8600 / V700 go?

hmmm. are silverfast and vuescan programmes that i can download? and are they mac friendly?

 

[okinawasan]

It is possible to scan multiple pictures from the negative with Vuescan. You are given three choices; single scan, scan all, or selected frames. There is even an option for Vuescan to export the scanned image into Photoshop (or whatever editing software you use). That way you can work on a completed scanned image in Photoshop while Vuescan continues scanning other images.

Vuescan is more Mac friendly than Silverfast.