Railfan Technology > Epson V700 Scanner Question

I have been using a Canon MG8120. The results were satisfactory for my purposes.

I decided to scan my entire negative and slide collection. I purchased an Epson V700. It does a great job scanning slides. However, when scanning negatives, the resulting images, when compared to images scanned with my Canon, appear to be course and not as smooth and sharp.

What am I doing wrong? I am using the default settings and scanning at 1200 DPI.

Thanks,
Scott Seders
Salisbury, MD

Not sure what you mean by "course and not as smooth" and at what magnification (100%, 200%, etc.) are you scanning? Additionally, what size are the negs (35mm, 120, etc.)?

trainjunkie Wrote:
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> Not sure what you mean by "course and not as
> smooth" and at what magnification (100%, 200%,
> etc.) are you scanning? Additionally, what size
> are the negs (35mm, 120, etc.)?

The images appear to be grainy. Even at 100% magnification. These are 35 MM color negatives.

Scott Seders

Posted from iPhone

Can you post an example? And, again, what magnification are you SCANNING them at (not viewing them)?

trainjunkie Wrote:
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> Can you post an example? And, again, what
> magnification are you SCANNING them at (not
> viewing them)?

The first image posted was done with the Canon scanner. The second with the Epson. As for the magnification that I am scanning at, I am ashamed to admit, I do not know how to set that. I am using default settings in the scanner.

I will say that after viewing them on the website, it doesn't readily show the differences that I am seeing on the original scans. Perhaps you can pick out the differences I am referring to.

Thanks,
Scott



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/21/14 15:06 by spotto720.

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---

Well, no, sorry that doesn't help. You need to post a 100% crop of each. So enlarge it to 100% and make a crop that is 1,000 pixels wide, by anywhere between 600 and 800 pixels tall.

I own two V700s and I have no idea what the default scanning size is but that is probably because I only use "professional mode" when using EPSON Scan. I suggest you do the same. There is a pull-down menu at the top of the left EPSON Scan window that allows you to select between 'Full Auto", 'Home', 'Office", or 'Professional" modes. Choose Professional Mode so we can both talk about the same thing.

Cheers!

trainjunkie Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Well, no, sorry that doesn't help. You need to
> post a 100% crop of each. So enlarge it to 100%
> and make a crop that is 1,000 pixels wide, by
> anywhere between 600 and 800 pixels tall.
>
> I own two V700s and I have no idea what the
> default scanning size is but that is probably
> because I only use "professional mode" when using
> EPSON Scan. I suggest you do the same. There is a
> pull-down menu at the top of the left EPSON Scan
> window that allows you to select between 'Full
> Auto", 'Home', 'Office", or 'Professional" modes.
> Choose Professional Mode so we can both talk about
> the same thing.
>
> Cheers!

I use professional mode on the Epson. Perhaps you can tell me exactly what I am looking to set to accomplish the resizing. I am sorry but my knowledge of scanning is very limited (as if you haven't figured that out already). :-)

I'm on a Mac, so it may be different than what you are seeing. But it should be close.

The top item I've circled in red is the resolution. As you said, this should read "1,200 DPI" in your settings.

The bottom item is scaling, in this case at 100% as I was scanning a large reflective original. For 35mm film, this should be at 200% minimum if scanning at 1,200 "DPI" (DPI is technically incorrect, it should be PPI or pixels-per-inch. But I digress).

A 35mm original scanned at 1,200 ppi at 200% should yield an image that is about 3,300 pixels wide, which is still a bit small for an archival quality scan. But I have no idea what your goal is with these scans and therefore can't give you any detailed final resolution guidance.

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One additional thought based on the above two images. Without being able to see 100% crops it's difficult to tell but it looks to me like the scan from the Canon is just soft overall. The Epson image has much sharper detail. It could just be that the Epson is picking up all the detail, including the grain, that the Canon scanner missed. You should also make sure the film holder on your V700 is in the focal "sweet spot". More on that here: http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?9,2490593

spotto720 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> trainjunkie Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Can you post an example? And, again, what
> > magnification are you SCANNING them at (not
> > viewing them)?
>
> The first image posted was done with the Canon
> scanner. The second with the Epson. As for the
> magnification that I am scanning at, I am ashamed
> to admit, I do not know how to set that. I am
> using default settings in the scanner.
>

On my monitor the image from the Epson scan is much better than the first image!

Bob
> I will say that after viewing them on the website,
> it doesn't readily show the differences that I am
> seeing on the original scans. Perhaps you can pick
> out the differences I am referring to.
>
> Thanks,
> Scott

I have to agree with Bob. On my Mac, the second image is much better than the first, both in color and sharpness.