- Joined
- Mar 27, 2020
- Messages
- 44
I bought this Epson Perfection 4870 on eBay for £100 from a college photography department where it was claimed to have just been used for one term, then replaced with much higher-spec scanners, and has sat on a shelf in a cupboard for years. The only reason I bought it - having an Epson V550 already - is that it can scan 5x4 negs.
Well, once up and running I got to compare it with the V550. The sharpness is the same, but the 4870 allows more rows of negs on the glass, and is quicker. So, in terms of 35mm it has an advantage over the V550. Does 120 film equally well too.
But...the reason I bought it was for the 5x4 scanning, and there is a brown mark on the scanner right where the film would lie - this is covered up with the 35mm and 120mm plastic holders, but not so the 5x4. See small brown "cancer" mark:
I saw a comment somewhere that this could be hazing, and all you need to do is open it up and clean the glass from underneath. How is this done? I can't see how to get in there.
My options are: get it cleaned, and sell the V550, as the 4870 does the other jobs just as well and quicker, or send it back for a refund, as this brown mark was not mentioned in the description.
Well, once up and running I got to compare it with the V550. The sharpness is the same, but the 4870 allows more rows of negs on the glass, and is quicker. So, in terms of 35mm it has an advantage over the V550. Does 120 film equally well too.
But...the reason I bought it was for the 5x4 scanning, and there is a brown mark on the scanner right where the film would lie - this is covered up with the 35mm and 120mm plastic holders, but not so the 5x4. See small brown "cancer" mark:
I saw a comment somewhere that this could be hazing, and all you need to do is open it up and clean the glass from underneath. How is this done? I can't see how to get in there.
My options are: get it cleaned, and sell the V550, as the 4870 does the other jobs just as well and quicker, or send it back for a refund, as this brown mark was not mentioned in the description.
