As you likely know there are not many affordable high-quality options when you get into larger negatives. I went the path researching used Imacon/Hasselblad and drum scanners. The challenge is that the parts can get expensive even if you get a good deal. Additionally the units can get quite large, so you need space. I was living in Brooklyn, NY at the time so my scanner needed to not take over the room, since the room served multiple purposes. I am just now converting my garage into a studio for my wife and me, so space wouldn’t be a factor, but the upkeep cost of a drums scanner would. All that to say the Epson Perfection V750-M Pro Scanner is likely the best you can do without getting into a higher end scanner for larger format work. It all goes to what you plan to do with the scan when you are done – this seems to be the dilemma. Great clean scans take time and ideally you want to maximize the value of that time. The more expensive scanners like Imacons definitely seem to show more detail in the darker regions, but to date I have not experienced seeing something on my negative that I could not also get in my scan. If you plan to use the scan for even “large” prints, I think the Epson Perfection V750-M Pro is more than capable. To me, its better to invest in more film and even trips to capture new images than in the equipment. Film after all lasts to be used with whatever the next decade of technology brings. If you decide its worth to spend on a better bigger scanner then your negative is still there to rescan. Otherwise, the focus in my opinion should be on getting your work in print, even if it is only displayed in your home. Maybe you are a pro, in which case you already know all of this, since prints usually translate to money.

Fluid mount scanning adds more time to the process, but the quality improvement is disproportionate to the time it takes once you get the hang of it. I do not use the fluid mount that comes with the Epson scanner. I have, but it doesn’t adjust to ensure your film is at the optimal distance from the focus point – something I love setting on my Nikon LS 9000. Anyway, I did a study figuring out this optimal distance using the Scan Science approach and the Epson provided fluid mount. I need to get my system online and finish that as a post. The Epson mount wasn’t bad, its just what it is. If you find its not right, you need to sort out how you adjust the distance with shims etc. Check out Better Scanning for what looks like a solution to this problem.

Now, the Epson Perfection V750-M Pro comes with calibration software and targets for people doing transparency work. You get SilverFast scanning software which is something I could’nt bring myself to buy alone. I have more than one scanner which would mean two licenses and the user experience falls short. It is not hard to sort out, but it is such a mosh of stuff where most of the bells and whistles are silent. That said, it is very good software – likely the best out there, which can be humerus given its lack of overall polish.

An alternative is Vuescan which addresses the issue of having to buy multiple versions to match different scanners. It is also relatively inexpensive, representing the best value. So even if Nikon doesn’t support their software, as long as a working driver exists it would seem to me that there are options for scanning. I love my Nikon LS 9000 and would use it for medium-format over large. That said, the Epson creates amazing scans of my larger 4×5 negatives and I suspect would do just as well with my medium format work.

I do not work with color as much as black and white so I can’t talk to the development process interaction with my workflow. I use “local” photo processing houses to develop my negatives and then scan from there. Hopefully the information above will be helpful. If you decided one way or the other since your post, please share it. I would love to hear what you end up or ended up doing.

Brian

I have two dead Nikon scanners (an LS 8000 & 9000) – and am looking into the Epson flatbed, but have yet to find any real user information or reviews from a 67 color negative workflow.

Nikon no longer supports software for these scanners, so I’d say their days are numbered.

Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

i’m really interested in the fluid mounting…^^

i’ll look forward to your next post…^^

JIN

I would be happy to share my fluid mounting workflow. We recently moved so my equipment is still in boxes. Once we are settled I will make this one of my next posts.

Thank you for reading and commenting.

Brian

it’s really helpful for people who want to know about scanscience product like me..

thanks for the review of scanscience products…

how about showing the process of the fluid mount w/ scanscience product?

i’m really interested in fluid mount scanning for my MF(6*6)

if you possible, could you tell me more w/ the instruction of the scanscience product?

thanks…

JIN