sosider said:
Anyone out there able to give informed opinion re these two scanners?
I understand that all flatbed scanners give less than stellar results
when scanning slides, but what about comments about the lesser of the
two evils when having to choose between these two scanners for both
transparencies and regular reflective work?
Modern flatbeds can give perfectly acceptable results as long as you're
not chasing after everything the film can offer, or if your photos fall
short of perfect focus and contrast. If you need a reflective scanner
as well, they can be a great bargain. My Epson 4870 did just fine
scanning negatives for personal use, even though I'm happier to have
the hardware exposure controls and higher resolution of the Minolta
SE5400 film scanner. Print scans are excellent as well. The 4180
should be in the same quality range as its sibling but with fewer
features (4870's Digital ICE for prints isn't very useful, anyway).
I haven't used either scanner you listed. Either should be close but
not equal to the best you can buy at the consumer level. The
"filmscanner vs hi-res flatbed" thread has some good links to review
sites. Photo-i.co.uk always posts lots of helpful sample scans, though
they don't seem to have reviews of either scanner (and I'm not 100%
sure they draw all the right conclusions or perform the best tests).
Also,
www.photo.net, though photo-oriented, has a variety of opinions
and discussions about various scanners in its forums.
My instinct is that either scanner would be fine, depending on your
needs. It looks like the 4180 costs more and offers more in return
(such as higher resolution and more powerful software). Compare the
listed specs, see if the pricier scanner has features you want, look
over Amazon reviews for anything that might be a dealbreaker (cnet and
online opinion roundups can be just as good for researching this sort
of product).
If you have more specific scanner needs, consider posting them here in
detail to help any future posters advise you.
Good luck,
false_dmitrii
