Sorry for the late reply, I have been reading the replies with great interest and I've been researching all day. I think I'm more confused now than I was before!
I've been looking in to scanners recently as I'm moving over to film although I'm struggling to find anything in budget for 35mm and Medium Format, however for 35mm the following grabbed my attention;
http://www.filmscanner.info/en/ReflectaProScan10T.html
https://www.scandig.com/filmscanner/reflecta/reflecta-proscan-10t.html
http://www.filmscanner.info/en/ReflectaRPS10M.html
https://www.scandig.com/filmscanner/reflecta/index.html
There appears to be mixed revies on VueScan and SilverFast with people moving between camps, SilverFast looks horrific cost wise when you move up to 35mm & MF Scanners.
It'll be good to see people opinions to see what else is out there for dedicated scanners.
The RPS 10M appeals as it can scan a full roll of uncut film. Does anyone know if this would speed up the workflow?
The reason I check the scanner settings for each negative is because negative density varies according to the details of the shot. I could use standard settings for an entire film but that rather obviates the point of going to the trouble of using film in the first place.
I guess that makes sense. I know that with silverfast you can preview all the shots, set the sliders etc as you want for the first frame and start scanning it, whilst it's scanning you can prepare the settings for the next frame.
First, are you certain that you'll never want to go larger than 35mm? If 10x8 is your maximum print size, and you'll never need to crop much, then you should be fine. But if you do decide to go larger, then realistically, an Epson flatbed will be the best choice as offering the chance to scan larger negatives. I've used Epson flatbeds since I started scanning (so take that as either hopeless bias or user satisfaction) and from the earliest models 35mm will give a reasonable 10x8 print.
You will get higher resolution from a dedicated film scanner, but the question is whether you will need to.
The big advantage to VueScan (apart from running with almost any scanner) is that you can save the raw scan data, and adjust parameters afterwards to improve the scan without needing to take the time to rescan. When I first started scanning 5x4 negatives, each scan took 4 hours (dropped by half when I increased the 512KB RAM on the computer) which meant that if I needed a small tweak in the scan settings, I was in for another 4 hour wait without VueScan.
I think a dedicated 35mm scanner is the way to go. I'm only really interested in that medium and all the projects I am working on have already been shot in 3:2 aspect. I don't see that changing anytime soon. What do you use to edit the raw scan files John? I'd like to stay away from longwinded workflows like photoshop if possible. I hear that when you scan RAW you don't need to tweak the settings for every frame, do I have that right? I'd be happy with a jpg output if it saves me having to add photoshop to the workflow.
If your just sticking to 35mm is might be worth looking for the Nikon Coolscan, the 4000 or 5000ED machines, used, I have an older Coolscan IV machine and it takes roughly 30+secs per image to scan at 2900dpi but speed is not an important thing for me.
SIlverfast is fantastic bit of software BUT it is not easy to use, I used to use it on one of my scanner when I ran OSX Snow Lepoard but when I upgraded to Yosemite it did not work any more so I got hold of Vuescan, its quirky to use and takes a bit of arsing around to get it to work as you want it, but for the price you can beat it and the added advantage is I can run all 3 of my scanners off it. With Silverfast you are one machine one licence.
I use vuescan so I can use it with any scanner I like. I have an old minolta film scanner.
Will the nikon scanners feed a whole roll of film or strips without putting them into a frame? Thats also what appeals to be about the Reflecta RPS 10M. What does the workflow look like with vuescan with a scanner of this type? Is it the same as silverfast where you can preview the strip, and scan one frame while you're working on the next?
Nikon 8000 and 9000 work well no longer new and on the used market for anywhere between £1500 - £2000
Minolta did a Dimage Scan Multi Pro which was i competition to the Nikon 8000, I can remember the last time I saw a Minolta.
Or if your feeling flush then the Hasselblad X1 and X5 Flextight scanners £12000 - £18500 which go up to 5x4, or there about, have seen them used but most of the older ones use SCSI connections so would be tricky on modern day computers.
Bit out of my price range that!
if you live near Middlesbrough to collect this would be a good buy if the bidding stay cheap and
IF it has all the film holders
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Scanner-E...962113?hash=item3f73c0e941:g:qB4AAOSw241YfNiC it will easily give a VG 8X10" print scan from 35mm
I'm watching that one on ebay. Bit of a trek for me to collect though so it'd need to be pretty cheap to make it worth my while (2.5hrs each way).
I am leaning towards the Reflecta RPM M10. It seems to get decent results and it'd save the hassle of dealing with frames. Software wise I am leaning towards Vuescan purely to keep costs down and it seems to have great customer service/support, upgrades, etc.
If I got the relfecta, the way I would like my workflow to go is:
1. Preview scan whole roll
2. Make selections of which frames to do a full scan on
3. Edit settings for first frame and set it on it's way
4. While that frame is scanning, edit settings for second frame
5. Rinse and repeat, once the scanner has done one frame it automatically advances the film to the next frame and does its job
Am I right in thinking that this is how it works? Excuse my ignorance. I was hoping to find a decent youtube tutorial for vuescan but I'm struggling to find one that uses a scanner with a film feeder rather than a flatbed or one that relies on the user to advance the frame.
Another thing that came up during my research is that IT-8 colour calibration seems to get you a lot closer to a finished product straight from the scanner. However, the calibration targets only seem to be available for kodak, fuji and kodachrome. I'm probably going to be using a lot of agfa vista 200 (at least in the beginning, because I also have to learn how to develop my own film and vista 200 is cheap so it doesn't matter too much if I screw up). Does the calibration have to be done with the particular emulsion you are using or not? I'm assuming the calibration is a once-only or at least periodic thing and once it's calibrated you're good to go. I am also planning on pushing the vista to 400 or 800 so I imagine this is going to screw up any film profiles as the contrast and colours will wind up different than normal. Is it hard to edit/create your own film profiles?