Epson Perfection 4990 Photo Scanner by Epson
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Our Price: $899.99 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: CE See more digital camera details and other models |
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Digital camera reviews of Epson Perfection 4990 Photo Scanner
Digital camera Review: Great Scanner, Mediocre Software
Summary: 4 Stars
We needed a scanner that could scan 3 x 5 B&W negatives from an old electron miscoscope. When the computer running a 1995 model HP transparency scanner (the scanner still works) broke down and we couldn't find a computer or motherboard that had ISA slots (and was worth a damn), we decided to buy a new scanner.
The Epson Perfection 4990 scanner is very nice. The old HP had a huge lighted panel that covered the entire scan area, but this one has a very bright bar that lights up and scans along with the reader. The scan time is a little slower than the old HP, but I think the old HP was quite a professional top of the line model.
Like I said, the Epson scanner itself is great. The images come out completely awesome and up to a very high resolution. But the software is lame. Like most Epson products the software wants to automatically do everything that you don't want to do. The scanner comes with two scanning programs, one by Epson and a program called Silver Fast. Whatever you do, don't even run the Epson program (install it, but don't use it) if you want to scan negatives. It assumes, and there's nothing you can do about it, that you want to scan 35mm color film, so whatever you scan, it slices it into neat little film strips for you (how convenient). Also, it makes you use these totally worthless film holders that really only serve to bring dust and scratches to the scanner window.
The Silver Fast program, on the other hand, will allow you to actually do what you want, but getting there is far from obvious. The manual really stinks, and although there are little Quicktime movies on every bar to tutor you on what you need to do, they are narrated by a guy with a soft German(?) accent and assume that you are a doing a magazine or brochure layout or something. In the end they are no help. If you are using it for any other applications, you are on your own trying to figure it out. Well, after about 30 minutes of toying with it, I finally got Silver Fast to do what I wanted and the whole thing works like a dream.
My advice is to buy this scanner if you need to scan film negatives and transparencies, but don't throw it through the window when you can't figure out the software right away.
Digital camera Review: Great scanner
Summary: 5 Stars
I have limited experience with photo scanners just to qualify my reveiw. As other reveiws and recommendations have stated, this thing works great right out of the box. I have been very impressed with its ability to produce very sharp reproductions of scanned prints and film transparencies.
I highly recommend this scanner to anyone getting into semi-serious photo scanning.
Digital camera Review: Hard to believe cost/quality.
Summary: 5 Stars
Bought an Epson 4990 on Amazon 2 weeks ago (...)--with 3 to 5 day shipping. It arrived with little apparent abuse of the packaging and perfect product box within. The scanner is surprisingly small and light.
This is a first impression review from firing up the scanner for the first time last evening. I skipped installing Photoshop Elements, since I have both Photoshop 7 and CS on my Apple G-5. Just loaded the Epson software, then the Silverfast. Attempted to plug the Epson software into Photoshop CS, but it landed in Photoshop 7 anyway--which is fine.
The scanner can be accessed either through the separate Silverfast icon or by Epson software through import under file on Photoshop 7. Wonderful scans of 120 and 4x5 B&W negative film by either route--which together give a wide tonal range of initial scan results that fairly easily can be adjusted to look much alike. The B&W neg. setting in professional mode in the Epson software seems to capture the finer highlights in the film and Silverfast does well also.
Quality of scans--range of values and sharpness? Having until now used a Microtek 1800F, I thought I was getting satisfactory results. Bought the Epson 4990 in hopes of squeezing better scans from my 120 neg and color film. Well, the Epson scans more than match the Microtek 1800F--I compared results from identical 4x5 B&W negatives. Using autosharpening in Epson software, my first response to direct comparison of sharpness was simply....HOLY CRAP! The resolution the Epson is getting from the sharp negatives is simply remarkable--noticebly sharper than anything I've been getting using the Microtek. Both these scanners have fixed focus--but the Epson removes all doubt that the focus is on the mark.
This Epson 4990 is going to resurrect my years of accumulated 120 film that required, until now, a chemical darkroom to produce high-quality images. And I'm wondering what's going to happen when I scan 5x7 B&W negatives--which for various flaws in the glass carrier and bugs in the scanning never produced usable results in the Microtek 1800F.
Haven't attempted color work yet, so too early to rave beyond the B&W results. But last night's tests proved the worth of the scanner to me for this purpose alone.
Digital camera Review: It's Name says it all "Perfection Photo"
Summary: 4 Stars
So far it has performed extremely well on all its assigned tasks. Will let you know how it works as I get more involved with all its programs.Digital camera Review: Just Buy It!
Summary: 5 Stars
I was looking for the best scanner with Digital Ice. I purchased and returned a Microtek i900 because I didn't like the gray reflective document mat. I use scanners frequently to copy and digitize documents and wanted a white reflective mat.
The Epson Perfection 4990 does a superb job with photos, documents, and film. I'm extremely happy with this purchase and feel I've obtained a scanner that will meet my needs for years to come.
If you expect to scan in any film or prints that are creased or torn, make sure you get a scanner with Digital Ice. Nothing compares to this technology -- it's a must have.