Epson Perfection V850 Pro scanner

BLUF: This scanner is versatile, easy to install and use, and capable of handling most scanning needs. Stand out features are the ability to scan slides and negatives, thick books, both letter-sized and A4 documents at very high resolution. Scanning is smooth and reasonably fast. The latest Epson scanning software is available as a free download and in professional mode, it gives a substantial degree of control over all aspects of the scan. Scan output is excellent quality.MORE DETAILS...SLIDES & NEGATIVES: The first thing you notice is how thick the lid is. That's because it's designed to allow scanning of slides and negatives (requiring a light source inside the lid). Some scanners advertise the ability to scan slides & negatives, but only have a narrow opening in the lid that can scan one short strip of 35mm negatives or 4 slides at a time. This can scan 12 slides at a time. It also is designed to handle 35mm and two different medium-format negatives. If you skip using the holders, you can also scan large-format negatives, but you'll need something to hold them flat (I used a piece of plate glass).THICK BOOKS: The next thing you'll probably notice about the lid is that its hinge can be raised a couple inches. In fact, you even lift it off entirely without disabling the scanner. this means that a large book can be placed on the scanner bed easily, without a permanently attached lid getting in the way.DURABILITY: This is a well-built piece of equipment. I first used one at work, and never had any problems with it. I wound up buying one of my own when I started scanning old medium-format negatives. I've had this scanner now for about a decade and it continues to work flawlessly.PORTABILTY: This is for desktop use. It's large and heavy enough that you won't want to lug it around. You could, but it would be kind of a pain.SETUP: Easy plug and play for the most part, using a USB connection. You will want to download the latest Epson scanning software (free download) to get the most out of it. I got lucky: because I'd already been using Epson scanning software, it immediately recognized the scanner and I have the option to select between two scanner types (I use the other scanner when I travel; it's less capable, but much smaller & lighter).

I bought this scanner primarily to scan 120 medium format negatives, mostly black and white, and that remains my sole use of the equipment. As such, it performs entirely satisfactorily. The film holder for 120 film is robust plastic with anti-Newton Ring glass. Loading the film is a little tricky as it is difficult, particularly in the case of curling film, to get the film both flat and centered in the the holder (I typically scan three 6cm x 6cm images at a time), but once achieved the holder does hold the film tight and flat. The holder is easily positioned on the scanner. Epson supply two scanning programs, Epson Scan and Silverfast SE Plus. For 8-bit scans, the Silverfast software is adequate, but to work with 16-bit images, you would need the full Studio AI version of Silverfast's software to get proper control over your scanning. Thus for 16-bit scans, I use the supplied Epson Scan, a much more limited program than Studio AI, but entirely capable of producing a contrast and levels balanced 16-bit RGB image which is my preferred scanning method for both color and black and white negatives. Importing this image into Photoshop CC allows me to make the types of contrast and curve adjustments that I would be able to do with Silverfast Studio AI during the scan.Typically, simply to control file size, I scan my negatives as 8-bit RGB (24-bit) via Silverfast SE Plus, but for images I prize above others I will use the Epson Scan for full 16-bit images for a marginal increase in scanning quality (most manifest in shadow area detail). Quality is excellent, with details rendered clearly and grain (always reduced for medium format compared to 35mm) present in a realistic manner. Tonal range is good, likely lacking somewhat compared to rendering the negative's image with an enlarger and photosensitive paper, but more than adequate for most purposes. Scan times are about 2 minutes for a 6cm x 6cm image scanned at 3200 dpi which is certainly fast enough for me.

Great resolution and scan quality. Easy to use for color slides, prints, negatives, etc. I knew when I purchased the V850 that it lacked wireless capabilities. I waited as long as possible, predicting that a wireless model would be coming out just after the Amazon return date, but this hasn't happened as of today. I recommend VueScan software vs Epson Scan 2, although the latter can set the scanner to auto-turnoff. 12 color slides can be processed with the multi-holder, but scanning more than 2-3 5x7s is difficult. For the price, I couldn't find a comparable or better scanner. Have a zillion slides/prints to digitize, but running the numbers, I decided that the V850 offered better results and would be less expensive than sending to a photo lab and paying $$$ for hi res scans.