35mm scans cont.....

Before we move on and compare the V750 to our dedicated film scanner the Nikon LS 9000ED, I want to see how the scanner compares next to the Canon 9950F flatbed scanner. The 9950F is Canon's top of the range flatbed scanner and has a similar optical performance to the Epson 4990So lets put this to the test.

Original master
Epson V750 at 2400dpi no USM	Canon 9960F at 2400dpi no USM
	Canon with USM applied in Photoshop
Epson with USM applied in Photoshop	Canon with USM applied in Photoshop
Epson with USM applied in Photoshop	Canon with USM applied in Photoshop

For the above test I placed the 35mm Ektachrome in the same position on each flatbed scanner - centre column second frame down. Both scans look soft until you apply Unsharp Masking in Photoshop. I used a value of 180 with a radius of 1.4. The Epson is showing an advantage at 2400dpi resolution, but the difference is not as dramatic as I was hoping for. One annoying point, I used exactly the same level settings in SliverFast Ai (Epson and Canon) and there is a variation in both colour and exposure, despite using the same transparency, the Canon was slightly overexposed and the Epson produced a shift towards green. The file size at 2400dpi is 21.4mb

Using the same shot I scanned in the next set of pictures at 4800dpi. This may prove to be more interesting.

Epson V750 at 4800dpi no USM	Canon 9960F at 4800dpi no USM
Epson with USM applied in Photoshop	Canon with USM applied in Photoshop
Epson with USM applied in Photoshop	Canon with USM applied in Photoshop
Epson with USM applied in Photoshop	Canon with USM applied in Photoshop

Again even at 4800dpi there isn't a great difference between the Epson and Canon scans, but the Epson does appear to have the slight edge - look at the ropes in the last two frames.

The above tests are just a starting point for my review, I will be scanning more images to see if I can extract more detail out of the film. So far the V750 is only showing a small improvement over the Canon 9950F and Epson V700, but as with any equipment the more you use it, the more you discover. It's early days.