Comparison of scanner speeds

[Michael Bailey]

Hi. I'm thinking about retiring my Epson 1680 scanner so I can replace it with the V-750. Does anybody know whether the newer scanner is significantly faster than the old one? How much does ICE slow things down?

If you've actually timed and tested for this, great. But I'm happy to get your impressions and estimates, too.

One other specific question on the V-750: Can I scan 8.5x11 in transparency mode, even though the largest holder is 8x10? I want to scan old sheets of negatives for digital contact sheets.

Thanks,

MB

[TimG]

Sorry, can't comment on speed comparison as I never used the 1680.  However, the V750 is in a class by itself.

Yes, ICE slows down the scanning process significantly.  I no longer use ICE as it is inefficient and unpredictable.  I use Silverfast Ai Studio and scan in HDRi mode (this is a two-pass scanning process which first scans the image data, followed by the infrared channel), then use Silverfast HDR Studio to process the raw scan.  Faster and produces better results than ICE.

[Gemmtech]

You may find this review useful.

http://www.photo-i.co.uk/Reviews/interactive/Epson%20V750/page_1.htm

http://www.photo-i.co.uk/Reviews/interactive/Epson%20V700/page_1.htm

I was using an Epson 3200 and upgraded to the V700, identical to the V750 hardware wise.  It is a lot faster than my 3200, but I don't know about 8.5 x 11 scanning.  Digital Ice does slow the scanning process down a bit, but it's a lot faster than retouching in PS and it works great.

[Gemmtech]

"I no longer use ICE as it is inefficient and unpredictable."

Can you be more specific?  I've been using Ice for years (Nikon) and you do have to watch your settings.  I use it mostly for old torn, ripped, cracked photos and it saves me hours of Photoshop work.  Never used the software you recommend but am curious if it has dust removal?

[PeterAit]

I can't give you a comparison, but I will say that when you are scanning slides the carriage on the V-750 moves at the pace of a 1-legged snail. Prints are much better.

[Michael Bailey]

Thanks for the links, Gemmtech. I quote from page 2 of the V-750 review: "At 6400dpi the V750 produced a 152mb file in 2min 38sec." Now, I've been using my 1680 for medium format, so the comparison might not be completely valid, but this seems a lot faster than what I'm used to.

[TimG]

On the V750, ICE works maybe 50% of the time.  The rest of the time, it either blurs fine details or creates strange patterns.  I see this most often with Fuji E-6 emulsions.  Overall, ICE has problems with differentiating between film grain, fine detail, and actual dust/scratches.  With Silverfast's iSRD function, it is not only quicker but much more accurate and the quality of the dust/scratch removal is better.

[Gemmtech]

I'll have to try Silverfasts dust removal, but I must admit DI has worked just about 100% of the time for me, though I do use it mostly with photos.