A comment was made a post just below on getting just a low end scanner when working with small print sizes.

Can any one recommend a good low-end scanner for 4x5 negs/transparencies?

-- Jeff Hall (jdchatham@hotmail.com), August 22, 2001

Answers

I'm not sure what you consider low end, but if you can go $500, the Canan D2400U is a good choice. See the earlier postings on it for more info.

-- David Rose (DERose1@msn.com), August 22, 2001.

I purchased an Acer 1200UT for about $150.00. It has a built in 5X7 transparency adapter. With 120 film it picks up the dots that make up the film description and frame #s. {ex. FUJI NPS160} Yes, those are made up with dots. It doesn't have the greatest DMAX range {what do you expect for $150} but does an excellent job and I wouldn't have regreted the purchase at 2-3 times the price.

-- john (dogspleen@juno.com), August 22, 2001.

I've had the Microtek Scanmaker 4 at home for a few years and love it!

-- Scott Walton (scotlynn@shore.net), August 22, 2001.

I, too, have a Microtek Scanmaker 4, and I love it, just like Scott - but it's been discontinued. Some of the big retailers may still have stock. It'll scan any transparent media to 8x10 and reflective to 8x14. Works great for 4x5 and 8x10 both, in my experience.

-- Anthony J. Kohler (arbitrator@uneedspeed.net), August 22, 2001.

Jeff - I don't know your price range, but the UMax Astra e37400 is a 600x1200 which offers good results IF you can spend the time with the terrible twain software provided. The Dmax is poor, but at $100 you get PS 5.0 LE, and again if you've got time to scan, tweak, scan, tweak, scan, tweak a well exposed trannie, it's a good deal.

-- Michael Mahoney (mmahoney@nfld.com), August 22, 2001.

If you going no larger than 4x5, and it is still available, I expect the Epson Perfection 1640 Photo at $400 is the best value, with 1600 x 3200 dpi and 42-bit output. Epson technical support is excellent in my experience, both in good times and bad.

-- David Stein (DFStein@aol.com), August 22, 2001.

http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/ProductQuickSpec.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@0882821185.0998583897@@@@&BV_EngineID=gallkhfdlgmbfdlcfjgckicnf.0&oid=32723&category=store

-- David Stein (DFStein@aol.com), August 23, 2001.