Silverfast Ai and Kodachrome with Epson V750-M Pro

[Gerry]

I plan to purchase the Epson V750 scanner to replace an old Nikon LS-2000 film scanner, but want to be sure it works well with Kodachrome, including the ability to remove dust and scratches. I would use Silvefast Ai as a Photoshop CS3 plugin, unless there is a better option.

[degrub]

google for V700/v750 reviews . THere are a couple out there that are head to head.with the Nikons

[Gerry]

I was considering the Nikon LS 5000ED, but have some concerns about how well it works with the Vista operating system, plus I have thousands of slides to scan and would also need tha batch feeder, making it much more expensive than the Epson scanner. However, I would reject the Epson if there are scanning issues with Kodachrome slides

[degrub]

Kodachrome can be hit and miss for ICE because of the interaction with IR and remaining silver in the slide. Depends on the exposure, the processor, the generation of the kodachrome. i've done a couple thousand from the 50's 60's and 70's with about 10 % having issues with ICE. SRD works fairly well as a substitute, but you will have to judge for yourself. The Nikon is a slightly better device for 35mm film than the Epson, but the Epson 750 is pretty close as the reviews will show. DOF can be an issue with the Nikon and not so much an issue with the Epson 750. Key is holding the film as flat as possible. You may have to play with the frame heights on the 750 to get the focus just right depending on your unit. With the Nikons, you have to get the film flat. The Nikon holders are adequate , but i have had better luck with a modified FH3 with anti newton glass for films that i really cared about.

ICE on a flatbed can be hit and miss because of mechanical registration issues - i don't remember how Epson does theirs, but if it is 2 pass then this is critical. i would test my unit first thing and make sure i could return it if it is not acceptable.

THere is a lot of discussion in the archives of comp.peripherals.scanners about the nikons ( 4000 and 5000) that may be of interest to you.

Don't expect any driver updates from Nikon. There are some existing minor issues that will probably never be fixed. Best to investigate them and see if they will impact you. Vista is probably not a reality for the Nikons either unless it runs as is. Others can comment on that, as i run win2k and XP.