Epson Perfection V700 Photo Color Scanner by Epson
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Digital camera reviews of Epson Perfection V700 Photo Color Scanner
Digital camera Review: Great Product, but there is a learning curve
Summary: 5 Stars
The Epson V700 is an excellent scanner, but you need to take the time to learn to use it properly. I started out scanning 50-100 year old prints which were not in great shape.
My first effort was a great improvement on the originals (i.e. dust, contrast). As I learned the software, Silverfast SE, I realized I had to rescan that first batch in order to get the best results due to the learning curve.
I've now used the scanner for over a year with the included SilverFast SE software and further manual touch-up in Adobe PS CS4. The results are impressive, but time consuming. Since each print has its own specific damage (tears, scratches, dirt accumulation, fading, etc) they cannot be batched.
I have created my own work flow that suits the challenges I face in scanning these old, poorly maintained images. As several reviews have mentioned, dust is the enemy in this type of work. Unfortunately most of the images I am working with actually have accumulations of dirt on the print due to poor storage/care. I don't have the time to remove this accumulated dirt from each print prior to scanning so I adjust the ICE specifically for each image and clean up the accumulations in Photoshop using the clone tool (if possible).
When working with old or poorly maintained prints/negatives this scanner will not be enough, you will need a real digital photo lab program, like Adobe CS4, to really get the best from each image. With that said, even partial restoration would not be possible for most of my images without a scanner of this caliber.
Regarding negatives, I have only dabbled with this functionality. The negatives I've inherited are also poorly maintained (loose in the bottom of a cardboard box). The scanner has handled these fairly well, but I've still found myself manually touching up most of these images to remove scratches the software didn't get.
Adjusting the software to remove these scratches results in reduced details in other parts of the image. In particular if the software is set too sensitive it will remove light reflecting off of eyes, the gaps in smiles, or color variation in hair and 'correct' them. It takes some trial and error to learn the right level for each photo to maximise the dust and scratch removal while not harming the details of the image.
In summary, the Epson V700 with the included SilverFast SE software is an excellent tool for digitizing prints and negatives. If the source images are in poor condition it will also be very beneficial to have a good digital photo lab software like Adobe CS4.
Digital camera Review: Great Quality Scans, Some Concerns
Summary: 4 Stars
I have had this scanner now for over a year and it has served me very well. I have completed a few thousand scans so far, the unit was purchased to scan my own slides and negatives and I'm now scanning my Dad's slides and negatives. It does an excellent job quality wise and to me the Digital Ice has been a huge benefit. I initially tried blowing off each side or negative with canned air but there is no way to get every dust grain and the program does it better and does not seem to affect quality. It does, however, hugely extend the scan time.
I did initial testing and for me scanning slides / negatives at 2400 DPI resulted in good quality for what I want to do (small prints and mainly display of photos via networked MacMini on large screen TV).
My concerns are with the software. As others have noted, it is clunky but gets the job done (mostly). I have had problems with it not identifying orientation of slides or abnormally clipping slides / negs especially with dark backgrounds. For example, a large number of pictures I have taken of my house in the dark with Christmas lights are clipped wrong. Luckily, I usually take several to bracket the exposure and at least one usually scans correctly. There should be a way to override the scanner's preview scan area.
My other concern with it was that a few months back it stopped working. No blue light on the top, no nothing. I was certain it was a hardware failure and contacted Epson (who actually seemed very responsive) and was given a place to send it for repair. I was using the scanner on an iMac at the time of the failure and on impulse before sending it back I hooked it up to my MacBook Pro which I had used for some initial testing with it so the software was installed already. Oddly, it made some funny noises and then worked. I hooked it back up to the iMac and it has been scanning along fine since. IF YOU USE THIS SCANNER WITH A MAC I RECOMMEND YOU NOT HAVE ANY OTHER ACTIVITY OVER FIREWIRE DURING SCANNING, as near as I can tell that was the source of the problem - when it failed I was in the background copying files from one disk to another. I hope this helps someone.
Digital camera Review: Great Scanner, Terrible Packaging by Amazon
Summary: 3 Stars
The scanner seems like a very well-constructed, quality piece of equipment. I haven't had much experience yet but had it up and running quickly and am impressed with the scanning of slides using Epson software and default settings. The really, really bad thing about my experience was Amazon's poor shipping and handling. I purchased my first V700 a month ago and returned it because both the shipping container and epson box were severely punctured. The shipping box was much larger than the Epson box and had almost no packing in it. I thought this was probably not the original box, was probably added somerwhere along the route, and sent it back and ordered another scanner. It arrived yesterday in the same kind of box, almost no packing, with damage and coming apart at the seams. I took a chance this time and the scanner seems to work fine. Amazon used to be a class act. What happened? I would never order another expensive electronic item from them until their shipping problem is resolved.Digital camera Review: Great find
Summary: 4 Stars
I had thought I would buy the Nikon slide scanner but I was cautious because of the reviews and the ability to only handle one slide at a time on the $500 scanner. Then I tripped over the Epson "film scanner" (I was searching for slide scanner) and saw all the positive reviews. The product came very fast (in a huge box surprisingly) and has worked well from day one. One curious trait is that if I select auto dust removal, it sometimes removes the eyes from people - very bizarre. When I turned off that option, things worked fine.Digital camera Review: Great for flat art and large film.
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought a V700 because my Epson 4990 developed a bad pixel and the V750 was not yet available. This my fourth Epson scanner and its really much the same as the others. Its fine for scanning photos or documents, surprisingly good for medium format or large format film and lousy for 35mm. When you consider that a really good, flat field process lens for duplicating 35mm slides costs almost as much as this scanner you realize you get what you pay for.
If you're not especially quality conscious and have a lot of slides to scan, this is the way to go. And I would argue that a lot of people who've switched to digital and think a 6 or 8 megapixel camera captures the same amount of detail as a Velvia 35mm transparency are not very quality conscious. And hey, that's fine. After all, in the digital world, convenience trumps everything else unless you are willing to spend really big money.
I find the supplied Epson Scan software does a fine job. There's also a lite version of SilverFast which can squeeze out a bit more quality but it has a "steep learning curve" which is marketing department talk for difficult/complex/time consuming.
One minor, obscure detail. At the top of the scanner bed there are two, raised "bumps". I'm not sure what they're for but they make it impossible to scan a section of anything larger than 9 x 12. So, for example if you have something that's 11 x14 and you want to scan a section of it for eBay, you can't on the V700. Or course its not intended for this but I thought it worth mentioning.
All in all, I'm pleased. The film holders are terrific. I make really good, sharp scans from 6x7 and 4x5 film and of course it does a great job with paper. But if you need to scan 35mm in high enough quality to make enlargements (meaning 8x10 prints, not wallet photos or something for the web) you'll need a Coolscan or better yet, an Imacon.