Used Epson Perfection V850 Pro Flatbed Photo Scanner, 6400 dpi Scanning Resolution, 12/15 s/page Color Speed, 4 Dmax Optical Density, USB 2.0, 2 Sets of Four Film Holders

2024-12-17T19:00:00

The scanner is a 5-Star, Epson Scan software is a 1-Star. Setting up scanner and software was super easy. The first dozen scans of 35mm negatives were flawless. But when I scanned my 120 film in the 120 holders, the troubles began. The scanner would not recognize the aspect ration of my negatives (which were at 2.25x3.5" dimension). The scanner cropped each exposure to a square aspect ratio. I triple checked my settings but could not get the scanner to scan a full exposure properly. Technical support was very nice, but not at all helpful. The two people I spoke with didn't seem to understand my issues, and I feel confident that neither of them had ever held a roll of negative film. They each escalated my issues to an engineer, but the advice I was given did not solve the matter. I reinstalled the software twice to resolve the issue, but after my second re-installation, the software no longer recognized the scanner. So I gave up and downloaded Silver Fast. My experience with Silver Fast so far: it's got better scanning features, but it much more complex and cumbersome to use. Epson Scan was simple. In the end, Silver Fast gives me more scanning options as I improve my workflow, but at a steep cost and learning curve.

Mark W.

Originally posted at

2024-09-19T20:00:00

I bought a certified refurbished scanner it works flawlessly I've probably done over 10,000 scans with it. I don't understand the negative reviews say they can't get it to work. I use an iMac using SilverFast 9 scanning software I could not be happier with the results.

HistoryPix

Originally posted at

2024-06-24T20:00:00

I am pleased to have such a versatile scanner. I bought it to scan film and it can do all the formats I care about. It can also scan prints. The film scanning holders are different from the ones I've used before with only one strip for 120 or one frame for 4x5. Not the best for any volume but okay for small jobs. There is also a plastic sheet that attracts dust and hairs that wasn't on the ones I've used before. That is why I only gave it four stars. But, with that said - I am very pleased to have this device.

Katie S.

Originally posted at

2024-06-09T20:00:00

The Epson V850/800 is a great machine. I have used my Epson V850 scanner for many years, imaging thousands of 8x10" nitrate photo negatives, 5x7" polyester and nitrate negatives, 4x5 polyester and nitrate negatives, 6x6 and 6x9cm polyester, 35mm slides & negatives, 120 format, 127 format, 110 format, and recently a group of 1000 ~100 year old nitrate and polyester negatives measuring 6"x3.5" shot over a twenty year period. I have used the wet mount accessory many times with remarkably wonderful results when it comes to clarity and removing scratch marks. The wet mount accessory is one of those things that goes under the radar until you try it. Its extra and takes some training, but there is no substitute when it comes to removing small scratches that plague old - and new - photo negatives. I use older Apple equipment for the power, not to mention the convenience in file naming using the Automator utility provided with OSX I also have a V600, which I use for smaller sized film (6x6cm, 35mm, etc), but when it comes to big negatives there is little to match the V850 for regular folks on a budget. My only regret is that there is not more detailed information concerning how the unit can be used. That said, the accompanying Epson software is great, especially when it comes to color correction.

Dan2024

Originally posted at

2024-03-01T19:00:00

Excellent scanner. Does everything I want!

whitingman

Originally posted at

2023-12-16T19:00:00

It would not scan negatives

J S.

Originally posted at

2023-09-21T20:00:00

Epson does not seem to support Mac OS. The last review I can find for Epson Scanners was 2 years ago, before M1 and M2 Macs. My Perfection scanner will not connect through a USB Doc or Hub. No direct cable is available to Thunderbolt or USB3.

Artwrist

Originally posted at

2023-05-30T20:00:00

I bought this scanner 2 weeks ago and I now wonder what took me so long.

Skyking5884

Originally posted at

2023-03-07T19:00:00

Fine scanner. But the bundled Silverfast (considerably more elegant and full-featured than the Epson Scan option) and the x-rite color calibration software are incompatible with newer Mac operating systems. (Shipped with 2012 versions on CDs!). And Epson refuses to remediate these antiquated parts of your purchase.

Joma

Originally posted at

2023-03-04T19:00:00

Had 2 and they were excellent. I just wore them out after 7 years . Got my 3rd one now.

Ken F.

Originally posted at

2022-11-21T19:00:00

died in a little over a year with moderate use. cannot recommend, thus, regardless of how it performed.

nightrider

Originally posted at

2022-11-07T19:00:00

I purchased the V850 about one week ago for a large photo scanning project...After testing and tuning, I have concluded that using this scanner will be a waste of time!! I ran through multiple test cases and found the quality to be marginal and the color compromised. Perhaps it works with scanning documents but not with photos!!

Steve B.

Originally posted at

2022-03-29T08:55:52

Arrived on time exactly as shown in the end, it?s a great product works better than I expect.

JIM K.

2021-09-22T20:00:00

The product allows high quality scans. The students are pleased.

shazaam

Originally posted at

2021-08-13T20:00:00

Trying to install software to a Mac. I entered the serial number for the product, exactly as on the product. It says invalid serial number. There is no 800 number to call. What do I do?

Unhappy_jim

Originally posted at

2021-07-01T09:03:38

Excellent scanner. Does a nice job scanning photos and negatives. The silverfast editing program is the best I have ever used. Coupled with the Epson scanner the results are outstanding

Wendell D.

2021-06-29T20:00:00

I'm happy with the scans, however I don't like the negative holders for 6x7 format. Most photographers that shot 6x7 film cut the negs in strips of three, The holders that came with the V850 don't work. You have to scan two frames then flip the negative to scan the third frame.

GN P.

Originally posted at

2021-06-12T20:00:00

I bought it for personal use to scan through my grandparents slides. Took about a day to get up to speed on all the components, calibration, computer Interface software etc but after that it is outperform my expectations.

Scottsdaleking

Originally posted at

2021-06-02T20:00:00

I owned the V800 scanner for several years and had quite a bit of experience with it. I recently purchased this V850 model of that scanner. It does everything that I could ever want a scanner to do - and it does it FAST. It is much faster that the V800 and I had thought that was the ultimate scanner! I am at this time going through and scanning all of my old negatives. (I have many thousands!) I can scan three strips at a time by the time I have my second holder loaded the scanner is most of the way done with the first batch. I highly recommend this scanner to anyone needing a high resolution scanner that can do reflective and transparent media.

Speedy1938

Originally posted at

2021-05-12T20:00:00

We purchased the V850 recently as an upgrade for our V750 and F500 Scanners, which were great, but we wanted the latest scanner because of how much film we'll be scanning in the next few years. Epson scanners get the job done at a professional level. Thank you.

John W.

Originally posted at

2021-05-05T09:59:15

great scanner!!

SOPHIE P.

2021-05-02T20:00:00

I needed a scanner that would scan 4X5 negatives, as my V600 does not and my beloved old 4990 finally died. This is the one, and it does a good job. The slide and negative holders are a big improvement over those that came with the V600, though the V850 does not scan 35mm as sharply as my Konica Minolta Scan Dual IV. Still, I am very pleased.

sbsharpe

Originally posted at

2021-05-01T20:00:00

I bought the Epson Perfection V850 in 2014 almost exclusively for scanning medium format negatives, but also as a scanner for general use. Overall, it has performed very well. I use it with the supplied Epson software for general use, and find that entirely adequate, but limitations with the bundled SilverFast software led me to use VueScan for negative scanning and the combination of both works well. The quality of reproduction is good, not up to drum scan standard, but completely satisfactory for most uses. I have not tried the wet scan method that is likely to enhance the scanning performance of the V850. I do not as a rule use any of the noise and dirt reduction systems available with this scanner's supplied software as I find they are too broad in effect, preferring to scan as clean a negative as possible with minimal processing and do spot repair of specks, scratches and dust with Photoshop. The equipment is reliable as shown by several years of use, constructed to good consumer standards. Like some others have noted, I do find the negative holders for 120 film to be poorly designed with some difficultly loading and aligning 120 strips, although once properly seated the scanning process works well. The plastic film holders do attract dust and require a clean with a lens wipe or a good blowing between uses to keep the dirt to a minimum, but are fine with those provisos. Apart from the seating issues with 120 negative film (not present for other film sizes), I find the negative and slide holders to be easy to use and all are well adapted to the scanner. They are of adequate construction, all plastic. Paper and printed photograph scans also work well. Black and white and color reproduction is good if you pay attention to the scanning software settings and choose the best for the type of film you are using. You will need to spend some time to master the best settings for this scanner, although immediate use results are probably good enough for most people. Resolution is good too, with lots of options for bit depth and hence resulting file size. I've not tried other scanners in the Perfection series so I cannot compare, but I do use a dedicated Plustek 35mm negative scanner for that type of film. The V850 simply cannot match the quality of the Plustek, although it is far faster to operate and can scan multiple sets of 35mm negatives at once, a point in its favor. Overall, a very useful piece of equipment to those of us photographing with film.

RichardtheScanner

Originally posted at

2021-04-12T20:00:00

Got the scanner up and running. No problem. Installed the software. Um..problem. Not the version of SliverFAST it comes with. Mentioned in another review. Maybe that will get taken care of. Installed the x-rite i1Profiler software. After x-rite points to Epson, Epson points back to x-rite I've got that figured out. However, I've got a profile what the heck do I do with it? The scanner color is way off. I'm scanning art which needs to be spot-on. The biggest issue is there is no user guide that says start here. Do this for that. I thought maybe I need to point the SilverFast to the ICC profile, but I don't have the correct version installed and it doesn't look like I can do that for what is installed. And the scanner is way off in color and since I'm scanning art it needs to be accurate. So now I've got to chase down how to use this darn thing correctly. Frustrating. So Bobby, if you're going to give me any advice, send me links or documentation to solve my problem. I've already called tech support. You have no idea what simple documentation can do for how you (Epson) preceived. I'm pretty technical, but not in scanning nuances. Can I recommend this product? Not yet. Can I rate it? Not yet. I'm not making any recommendations until I'm up and running and how well the support is that I hope to get. I should not be this hard to get up and running with a scan that is accurate in color. Right?

Elle1

Originally posted at

2021-04-01T08:08:12

Great product, very satisfied!

JOE D.

2021-03-30T20:00:00

Bought this a month ago mainly for digitizing slides and camera film strips. Does the job just hope I don't wear it out too soon...I have thousands of things to digitize. Just wish the scanning bed was a bit bigger....the pages I scan are a bit bigger than the scan area, so I have to leave some blank spaces. I can fix the film scans in Photo Shop.

Jeff77

Originally posted at

2021-03-06T19:00:00

Bought this about a month ago to scan family slides, negatives and photographs. I have had a chance to work with it for a while now and am 250 slides into the collection. So far, it is exceeding my expectations and my abilities. I find the various videos available to be helpful and am learning every day. Lots of software to make your photos better.

Jmiddle

Originally posted at

2021-02-20T19:00:00

I installed the software and went to register the scanner with the serial number US5W023389 and got an error stating that it was the wrong serial number. I tried several times with no luck... Until I tried US5WO23389 -- see photo of original SN & you'll realize why I typed a 0 instead of an O.

wjb3

Originally posted at

2021-02-01T19:00:00

I am a new Epson user. I purchased the V850 to replace both a flatbed and film scanner that both bit the dust after 15 years. The V850 meets all my needs. However, the film holder for 35mm slides sucks. I could not get a crisp scan using that holder. I found I need to place the slide directly on the bed to get a decent scan.

Rock B.

Originally posted at

2021-01-29T19:00:00

Bought the scanner primarily to convert a very large number of slides but found some very old negatives that came out beautifully. I thought I would only ever use the slide holders but because of all the old negatives of all sizes I managed to utilize every tray so was thankful for having them. I find scanning slides the easiest and more productive and with the 2 slide holders provided increases productivity substantially. I found the Silverfast program to be confusing at first but once I got familiar with it I found it to be very powerful and productive with more features then I can properly use. But even an amateur like me can take advantage of most of it.

RoyG1

Originally posted at