Features:

  • Photo scanner reproduces photographs with professional quality
  • 6,400 dpi resolution: incredible precision and detail
  • Can scan slides, negatives, and medium format film
  • Innovative dual lens system automatically selects two lenses for desired resolution
  • 4.0 Dmax for exceptional image quality
Great so far!

I've only used it a few times so far and that was to scan some documents. But I'm really happy with it so far, its fast (really fast), quiet and is simple to use. You get Epson's scanning software, a second piece of scanning software specifically for photo restoration/preservation and Photoshop Elements 10. So if you deduct the cost of Photoshop Elements (lets say $100) from the cost from Amazon ($550) I only paid $400-450 for the scanner. At that price its a steal. You do get several frames to put 35mm film, and various sized photos to hold steady while you scan. I haven't used them yet, but the look pretty easy to use, option the carrier put the picture/film in and scan. For the price on Amazon I don't think you can go wrong with this scanner.

Use in professional archives

I replaced both our old flatbed scanner and slide-and-negative scanner with this one. I needed this because we have many oversized negatives - 3"x4" / 4"x5" / 8"x10". This does them all - and superbly! Since our computer has Win 7 on it, I located the newer drivers and installed them; I didn't even bother with the disc that came with the scanner. I simply "Twain" from Photoshop (using the Import command) and get absolutely wonderful scans of photos, negatives and slides. I even checked out using this on some of our old Ambrotype photos (glass plate positives) with excellent results. I can't say enough good things about this scanner!

Excellent quality, but does require effort

Have scanned a number of slides with this (over 600) and now am working on negatives - all 35 mm. The simple (automatic) setting works but does not provide more than 1200 dpi - no big deal the "professional mode" allows one to go all the way up to what this scanner is capable of (12800 dpi and 48 bit color) and is fairly easy. Color enhancement feature is "the bomb" - had several very washed out slides (some like over 40 years old) and it brought back the colors very well - excellent! Also allows you to adjust for background lighting (an issue back in the day of typical center weighted metering SLR's). Comes with plastic holders for slides and negative of various formats (I have only used 35 mm). They seem built okay but I do fear they may break as they are plastic, but have not shown any signs of such this far (I want to live forever - so far so good!). The only negative in my book is that sometimes it takes 2 or even 3 or more times to get a good pre-scan (...if its bad as it often is then just re-do it, this can stretch time out to starting scan to close to 10-min). I have not had any such issues with negatives so assume it is just something associated with slide holder. It takes a good while to scan (at least at the highest quality which is what I like - looks great on large screen TV), but then once you get going you just do one in the morning before leaving for work, one when you get home, and one before bed - its like 5-10 min to change out slides for next set including adjustments. There is a bit of a learning curve, but is fairly intuitive - for example it takes a few runs to understand which side (emulsion) should be up and what should be down and so on. So if your in a real hurry this may not be a good option as it does require some effort - for me this is the best option and I am very glad I have it. In the end it does what it is supposed to, and you end up with excellent results. I highly recommend it.

great for our purposes

i work in a dental office and we got this machine for scanning xrays. the enormous scan surface makes it so that even full mouth xrays can be captured (though some FMX film holders space the films so far apart that a little finagling is needed). it captures every detail and allows us to have grander views of tiny little 2" wide films on our computer screens. the only learning curve that i had with the Epson scan software and the scanner itself, was to be certain to use the "film area guide" that goes into the scan tray. otherwise the scanner doesn't calibrate correctly and you end up with some very festive looking scans. scanning printed images (photos, and such) also results in great image quality. as a document scanner it's nice as well, though not exactly speedy. the black&white setting is intelligent enough to recognize black text on various colored backgrounds, even a dark purple that my previous scanner would turn solid black unless i did a full color scan. you can also scan to searchable PDF format, which is very convenient. the final little touch that i appreciated here in my office is that it comes with a copy of adobe photoshop elements. i was surprized at how many elements of photoshop it actually had. very useful tool.

High quality scanner for negatives and transparencies

This scanner performs well compared to dedicated film scanners. I've owned a Nikon Coolscan 4000 ED for years, and the V700 compares well with the Nikon product. I purchased the V700 to scan my huge collection of slides and negatives accumulated during the last 35 years. In 2 weeks of ownership, I've already scanned over 1700 images. You can batch scan a fully loaded 35mm film holder in under 25 minutes, or around a minute a picture at 3200 DPI. That is pretty darn fast. Turning on the ICE software takes more time, but I use that when I have damaged or badly faded slides. The Epson scanning software works well. I have not yet tried the other bundled software as the included Epson software suits my needs just fine. Scans from medium and large format stock have astonishing detail and nice tonal range. I can't comment on reflective art work scans as I've yet to attempt one. For the price, this scanner is ideal for the advanced amateur and pro user. I've read many complaints here about the flimsy film holders. Yes, they are flimsy, but most plastic film holders I've ever used before were flimsy as well. The holders for the medium and 35mm stock work well and allow you to load/unload fairly quickly. Pros: Price/performance Quality of scans Speed FireWire or USB 2 connectivity Batch scanning works great Bundled software works well USB 2 cable included (nice for a change) Cons: Price, wish it was less expensive Noisy at times Large footprint on desk I would have no problems recommending this device to someone with a vast collection of negatives or slides, especially large or medium format stock. The images captured with the V700 have nice detail and decent sharpness. While I still use my Coolscan 4000 ED for more important images from 35mm stock, this scanner is almost as good, but much, much faster. The trade off in speed is worth the slightly lower quality images compared to a dedicated film scanner. Comparing scans side to side, show slightly more detail, sharpness and shadow details on images from the Nikon 4000 ED when scanned at the same relative settings. I've scanned more images with the V700 in 2 weeks than I did using the 4000 in 10 years. The only fly in the ointment for me was the packaging from Amazon. Usually they pack stuff wonderfully, the scanner box was simply placed in a slightly larger box with a few pieces of paper on the side. When the package arrived one side was totally crushed and I was happily surprised that the device worked with so much damage on the outside box.

Epson Perfection V700 Photo Scanner

I purchased this photo scanner to scan in a few thousand 35 mm slides. The scanner worked flawlessly!! The SILVERFAST software that came with the scanner was very disappointing. I used the EPSON scan software and was very satisfied with it. The scanner slide holders were very well designed and worked great. The EPSON scanner software knew whether I had one or twelve slides. A great feature. I then used the supplied ADOBE Photoshop Element nine to enhance the slides. Very happy with the scanner. Would highly recommend it.

Although I wanted good quality I did not want to pay thousands of ...

Having owned a variety of slide scanners, all of which had a wide array of problems, I did some careful research before I settled on this scanner. Although I wanted good quality I did not want to pay thousands of dollars to get it, just not worth to me, and this Epson seemed to offer the best combo of quality vs. price. When I received the unit, it set up easily and flawlessly, and within a few minutes I was scanning slides 12 at a time. Some folks have remarked that the slide holder's little plastic prongs could break easily, but I don't see how they could have been much different and they should be fine if you're careful. What I like best about this unit is that I can load in 12 slides, select Scan on Automatic and just walk away. In about 10 minutes I have an Explorer window with the files, ready to edit and color correct if need be. It literally could not be easier. This device has taken the grief out of slide scanning for me, and so far I have not had a single scan error on perhaps 100 or more slides. Highly recommended for slide scanning. While it also does other kinds of scanning I have not tried any of that, since I bought it solely for 35mm slides.

Terrific slide and film scanner

I purchased this unit primarily to convert our collection of thousands of slides to a digital format. I had initially purchased a "cheapie" slide scanner for about $65 [ASIN:B00264GNR2 Innovative Technology 35mm Negative and Slide Converter to PC]], only to find that it produced very poor digital copies (detail was OK, but color reproduction was awful). After reviewing numerous other options for slide scanning (including sending the slides to a scanning service, with charges averaging about 35 cents per slide), I decided to try this unit, because it had gotten good reviews from others and the combination of price point and features seemed to best match my needs. I have now scanned more than 2000 slides and I am thoroughly satisfied. The scan quality has been excellent - much better than I was expecting from a flatbed. The color reproduction has been extremely accurate and the level of detail is superb. The biggest problem - as with all flatbeds - is dust; it is difficult to keep it completely off the glass, so it often shows up in scans. However, in addition to the obvious option of carefully dusting the slides and the screen before each scan, several other options are available to deal with dust: Digital ICE (which I don't much like, as it greatly increases scanning time and often produces weird artifacts in the scans); a dust removal program in the SilverFast software that comes with the unit (this also greatly increases scan time, but produces much cleaner results); and the "spot healing brush" in the Photoshop Elements software that also comes with the unit. Although I find that Epson's own scanning software is satisfactory for most slides, the addition of the other software (even though the SilverFast is not the "premier" version and the Elements is an older version) makes the whole package very versatile and well worth the moderate price point. It's difficult for me to believe that the much higher priced, dedicated slide scanners would produce noticeably better results or would be worth the extra cost for most people, especially since this unit gives me the ability to scan photographs, filmstrips, and text documents as well. Final point: the scanner arrived from Amazon very quickly - even before Amazon's own earliest estimated arrival date!

Epson Perfection...just that..perfection

I have been looking at purchasing this scanner for years and have read numerous reviews on Amazon and else where. Some with high praise, and others with a bit of dissappointment. So now I shall try to express my observations. The packaging from Amazon was really sad. Normally, items are packaged well, but this was something to be desired. A piece of brown paper to fill the void of space between the Epson box and the large brown shipping box. The only protection this shipment got from damage was the manufacturers packaging. However, the scanner arrived without any shipping damage. It took less than 30 minutes to unpack, and hook everything up, and I was scanning slides. This is the main reason I purchased the V700. And to my surprise, what a remarkable job. As with any scan....the outcome is as good as the item you scan. With the Epson V700, you can change those results to be as close to perfection as you can get. I chose to use the Epson software and shelved the SilverFast SE, perhaps I may attempt to use SilverFast at a later date, but with the results of the Epson software I am completely satisfied. The software is very easy to understand and navigate. Can't say to much for the instruction and users manual. They could use a bit more tweeking. If you are familiar with scanning software and the terminology used, you can actually forget the manuals and venture forward on your own. Make a mistake and it is a very easy correct. The scanner does take up a fair amount of desktop real estate and was lighter than I had originally thought. I was impressed with all the templates you get for film, negatives, slides etc. They really come in handy. Depending upon the "quality" of the scan and options selected, the time it takes to scan your item may take from a few minutes to 20 minutes or more. This doesn't bother me because I just do something else while the Epson V700 is "perfecting" my slides, negatives and photos. Once scanned you can adjust your photo any way you want, with your favorite photo editing software. The Adobe software included is a fine tool, though I prefer my current editing software, only because I have used it for years. Nonetheless, I shall give the Adobe software a try in hopes of making some new discoveries in editing. I have read many posts here and some really go into detail, I suppose that is why I won't. Just don't want to be repetitive. I realize that there is (are) better scanners, but priced beyond my amatuer reach, and the V700 is about as far as I "need" to go. I had thought about the V750, but couldn't justify the difference in price. The end result, I have the "Perfection" I need....and that's what counts. I have a ton of slides to scan, and negatives as well, and for the ones I have done so far, the results were really surprising. You wouldn't know that some of these pics are 50 years old. The Epson V700 really cleaned these slides and negatives up. I am impressed. Of course there are some, that didn't clean up as well, but they were not that great to begin with, and I was hoping for a small miracle. However, again, the results were ok. As with any purchase, you have to define your needs and what you expect from the product. I suppose that is why it took a couple of years for me to make up my mind on this scanner. After you have defined your criteria...go shopping and really check the reviews. Reviews are very helpful. Epson has always made a fine product in my book and I am proud to have their equipment in my office. Their product placement just endorses the fact that I have good taste in purchasing quality. The Epson Perfection V700, it's in the name and it is surely in the results..."Perfection".

Just the Scanner I was looking for

I'd been looking at film scanners for more than a year when I read about the V700. I considered a dedicated film scanner, but didn't want to pay for one that could scan negatives up to 4x5. Long story short, I bought the V700 and it has far exceeded my expectations. It will scan a whole sheet of negatives to make great proof sheets. With the slide holder it'll scan 12 slides, but I've found I can skip the holder and lay 20 slides on the glass to just make a proof sheet. I don't use the enhancement software so scans are very fast. My favorite thing about the scanner is that it's a time machine. My family and I are enjoying slides and negs I hadn't looked at in thirty years. There are some esoteric reasons this scanner isn't quite as good as a dedicated film scanner, but I'll bet 99.999% of the population would never be able to tell the difference.

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