Real world scanning.
As with all my reviews I tend to avoid getting bogged down with showing scans of bars, lines, charts and other. I prefer to show you how the hardware performs on real life subject matter. After all the vast majority of users are going to use their scanners to scan in photographs. So armed with a variety of transparencies, negatives and 6x4 prints, I am going to see how this new scanner performs.
Print scans.
The first scan, a 8x6 print of my eldest daughter Lucy, took 4 seconds to preview and 15 seconds to scan at 300dpi. Continuous auto exposure was selected in the configuration box. The first scan was made with the Gamma set to 2.2 and the second was set at 1.8 (Default). Both scans closely matches the original print in colour, but the exposure in the 2.2 is slightly light.
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Scan at Gamma 2.2 |
Scan at Gamma 1.8 |
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Auto Exposure Scan (1.8 Gamma) |
Auto Exposure Off |
Although the Auto Exposure works well on most pictures, if you re-crop the image then the Auto Exposure readjusts its settings. Notice that that the colour has also changed, the scan now has too much magenta. With the auto exposure off the colour closely matches the original, no other adjustments were made. You can see the advantage of being able to turn of the auto settings, especially if you want to make critically accurate scans. Having said that, the auto exposure produced some first class scans
Using the Unsharp mask filter |
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USM set to Low |
USM set to Medium |
USM set to High |
The Unsharp Mask Filter is basic, but the results it produced in my test are very good, especially on print scans, notice the extra detail on the tyre. Most scans, whether drum, film or flatbed require some degree of USM. Generally I would recommend that you turn off the scanners USM and use your imaging applications sharpening, it will give you more control. I am making the assumption that most users for this scanner will be using Photoshop, Elements, Paint Shop Pro or other high end imaging application.
The Descreen filter |
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No descreen filter |
Set to Magazine 133 lpi |
Set to Fine Prints 175 lpi |
The Descreen filter also worked quite well on my sample shot, although the recommended setting for a magazine was not suitable. The above scans are from a small section (.75 x 1.25 inch) in a magazine, as you can see the focus has been softened considerably. The best results were obtained by using the Fine Prints setting together with a High setting on the Unsharp Mask Filter. On larger pictures you could use the Magazine setting and apply a medium amount of the USM filter.
Object scanning |
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My Tie at 1200 dpi |
Detail at 100% |
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Barbie at 1200dpi |
Detail at 100% |
I don't normally use a flatbed for scanning 3D objects, I prefer to use a digital camera for this, I have included a couple of samples for those of you who are creatively more adventurous. The tie shot shows how much detail this scanner can capture, and the Barbie doll shows the scanners depth of focus. The Barbie doll shows that the scanner has several millimetres of usable depth, I don't think you would have a problem scanning a photograph that is in a recessed card mount.
Greyscale scanning |
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Scanned in 8 bit greyscale |
Scanned in 24 bit colour |
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Detail showing how the scan has faithfully captured all the grain detail on the print |
Scanning BW pictures in greyscale mode produces a neutral colour, the same image scanned in 24 bit colour produces a slightly warmer scan, this can be seen in the bottom two details. The last two detail shots show that this scanner will capture every last drop of detail, traditionally photographers have always claimed, if you can see the grain then the picture is sharp. Well you can see all the grain here. I will scan some BW negatives in the film scanning section.
Document scanning conclusion.
Having tried a selection of different images I am impressed with the 4870, for print scanning it is as fast as any other scanner and will reproduce colours that are sure to please. The Epson Scan software was fast in showing the image previews and updated the images almost instantly after adjustments were made. With the 3200 I was slightly disappointed with the scans of the reference test print on page 4, but the 4870 seems to be producing more accurate colours. Scans on real photographs shows this scanner performs well up to expectations.
I will be doing extensive film scanning next, this will form the main part of the review. Please post any requests in the forum.
© Vincent Oliver 2004 www.photo-i.co.uk
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