Epson Perfection V850 Pro the review - the final verdict

Epson Perfection V850 Pro final verdict and a summary of the review!

It is now time to summarize the review. A review that I feel have been an detailed examination of the Epson V850 Pro capability. and even thought I do have some extra material that i will post later (as a silent update). This review might not live up to all readers expectation in regard of professionalism but I hope it will help as many potential buyers as possible to decide if the should buy the Epson V850 Pro.

Quick Verdict! Yes the V850 is a competent scanner that will suit many users needs in particular when it comes to medium and large format film scanning. It will also be more then sufficient for scanning 35mm film for moderate size prints and web use but for serious 35mm scanning, get a film scanner! However if you already own a V700 or V750 it will not change your life in any revolutionary fashion, in this case I suggest you buy yourself some better film holders and maybe a 2nd set to get better productivity.

Should I buy this scanner? The answer is not that easy and can be many.

If you shoot medium and or large format film and not already own a top quality scanner then YES this is a great scanner for all larger film formats and allow you to make fairly large high quality prints.

If you already own a scanner in the caliber of Epson V700/V750, Canon 9959F or even Epson 4990 then the answer is more like well..... not really unless you are ready to pay a premium for a minor improvement.

If you are planing to scan mainly 35mm film and wants the best quality get a film scanner like the Plustek OpticFilm 8200i Ai or in case of loads of mounted slides the Pacific Image PowerSlide 5000 or better still a 2nd hand Minolta Dimage Scan Elite 5400 all in about the same or less price level as the V800/V850. And the Nikon Coolscan 5000ED with slide feeder would be a dream machine for slide bulk scanning at high quality (However now it starts to become expensive.)

How much better is the Epson Perfection V850 Pro compared to the V700?

The scan quality and sharpness is just slightly better, however It is visible only at pixel peeping level.
Scan speed is on the paper about 15% faster but in reality not noticeable faster (Except for the first scan where lap warm-up time is almost eliminated on the V850/V800).

LED lights: Will help to enhance the lifespan and decrease the power consumption of the V850 / V800 (Compared to the V750 / V700) if will also virtually eliminate the warm up time.

Scanning Speed:V700
High-speed mode: 4800 ppi Color: 12.3 msec / line Monochrome: 12.3 msec / line

Scanning Speed:V850
High-speed mode: 4800 ppi Color: 10.8 msec / line Monochrome: 10.8 msec / line

Productivity Some reader have been pointing out that the NEW V800 Photo and V850 Pro comes with film holders that have a lower capacity in regards of numbers of film strips that can be loaded (Exept for the holder for slide film in frames which can be loaded with the same amount as the V700/V750).

This is a point that only counts in regards of the V700 which is delivered with a single set of film holders. In the case of the V850 Pro you will get two full sets of film holders that make it possible to get a nice flow in production. The dual set of holders is a great benefit since you can now load the second holder with film during the waiting time while the other film is scanned.

Film holders then?

The new film-holders delivered with the V850 pro is a step forward and does have a better height adjustment feature than the V700/V750 version.
The new holders does also have a better mold with more stiffeners and thicker plastic than the old ones. All film-holders except the one for framed 35mm slide-film are equipped with AN inserts, this is a good thing in some respects as it helps to keep the film flat, the negative side of it is that there is two more surfaces to keep clean and dust free!

Sadly the new film-holder for MF film (120/220 film) is designed with the wrong measurements that renders it useless, Epson have been informed about it but no official solution have been announced up to now. (I will update this section when they have.) Meantime read this review of the betterscanning.com film-holder.

The optional (but free with 850 Pro) fluid mount accessory showed up to be the same one previously delivered with V750 and still lacks possibility to height adjustment.

Further questions can be sent to - stockholmviews [at] g m a i l.c o m - I will try to answer all emails and will publish the most interesting ones here.

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