Epson ff-680 vs ff-640 revisited

A follow up of my earlier comparison with some updated information about what Epson has done to fix issues with the 680. Also I compare these to a Perfection v700 scanner and talk about the scan qualities are different. A couple of tips to get better scans out of the 680 which will offer acceptable results.
Buy the ff-680 on Amazon here: amzn.to/2ZFJDfp

[@cwaynefox]

I"ve been testing the latest software release (2.19) and so far it doesn't appear to address any of my issues with scan quality or file sizes.

[@davidwebster2616]

Thanks for the 2nd video. 3 years after this video I'm looking at these 2 models. The FF-640 isn't readily available so It's good to hear they fixed some of those issues you described in the first video. Cheers!

[@donegal79]

excellent- thank you very much. I have the 680 and love it - it is an excellent document scanner producing searchable pdf's which is terrific for my purposes. Photo scanning is equally good.....not going to worry about excessively high details as these scans, as well as the originals, are there to provide memories and not to pore over detail which probably wasn't even there inthe original picture. Again, thanks for an excellent review.

[@snethercot9881]

Really helpful. Makes me want to scan at a slower pace - and have more control. The side by side comparisons are so interesting - I definitely want to avoid all that extra contrast. Thanks for the awesome resource video!

[@chrisstabile6156]

I just wanted to say thank you Wayne. This video is super helpful. After watching your first video in this series I was little concerned about getting this scanner. But the second video put my mind at ease. I really appreciated the time you took to make that second video. And this third one is the best yet. Such practical guidance and advice. Well done!!!

[@cwaynefox]

I appreciate the kind words.

[@toddd.8496]

Thanks Wayne! Fantastic review!

[@cherylkazee9936]

I can't thank you enough for this informative video. I have three lifetime collections of photographs to digitize, my sister's, my mom's, and mine. I was dreading months of non-stop scanning to immortalize these photos. Thanks to you I now have a speedier solution. You have a beautiful family, btw.

[@alejandroasenjo6866]

Wow, finally a hands-on, well-thought-out review and comparison of these scanners. Thank you!

[@cwaynefox]

Glad it was helpful!

[@wilddude7777]

Nice review! Haven’t heard the Bill Atkinson targets mentioned in quite a while! I use them as well!

[@OblateSpheroid]

Great job! It’s much more nuanced than I would have expected.

[@cwaynefox]

thanks

[@VivicaGsy]

I wish somebody would just tell me what scanner to buy at this point.

[@icemansillyhat]

Thanks Wayne, nice work. I wish I had found your video sooner. I had the 680 and scanned 1050 pictures from 4 albums. I took all the pictures out and put them back in before I realized the noise issues and discovered that I had to scan at 600 dpi and turn of the enhancements. I had to pull all the photos out again and rescan everything.

[@themaker1000000]

If you sew the noise issues only after you sew the video, there is no noise issues really. I printed photos both 300 dpi and 600 dpi with the enhanc on a3 photo paper. It’s come out amazing. If I had to choose agein still the 680. Enjoy your scanner.

[@antonwiren4154]

AMAZING review! World class. Stay golden ✨

[@biffy7]

Very well done. Thanks.

[@gregm.846]

Hi Wayne...very well done video and I mean that. A couple comments....I have an IX500 that I used for photos as well. The problem is I managed to drag something across the CIS (glass) and scratch it, most likely a rusty staple. That is why I'm here looking at new scanners (the CIS replacement is $300). My IX500 had a "enhance text" feature that totally screwed up the contrast in my photos. Blues were black and the pics just looked contrasted to death. Once i turned that off it was like night and day. I don't know what options are in this software but I do know at least I can get .tiff files out of it which I couldn't on the IX500. BTW, NAPS2 is a pretty awesome software that is free and open source. The folks at Raven Scanners tipped me off.

[@pf4773]

Such a nice review! Super helpful. On my macbook 15 retina pro I saw little difference between the three machines, though I acknowledge that it would be apparent in prints. I am planning to start scanning lots of photos and will be starting to also scan docs. I've ordered an Epson Perfection V600 for slides and negatives. I'm excited to get started with this project. Since these are personal memory photos I'm not going to be blowing them up for art purposes, so the level of sharpness looks fine. I may go with the 600 dpi per your suggestion. Your photos, by the way, are lush and beautiful!

[@cwaynefox]

thanks.

[@FrankMcClung]

Amazing review.

[@barbarawishart2300]

Thanks Wayne! This was great educational video!

[@cwaynefox]

Glad it was helpful!

[@johnmeyer9815]

I have a V700 and last year June 2020 I purchased an upgrade to the software that was included with the scanner. What an amazing piece of software the Silverfast Ai Studio Ver 8.8 is! And now I see they just came out with a new version 9. All the adjustments you can do with it, esp. dust and scratch (superior to ICE), and for film-brand of film used-auto color match, truly blow the Epson and Vuescan software out of the water. I also bought one of their targets to calibrate my scanner. Now I am getting amazing results, I went back and redid some previous scans. And I also had to open my scanner and clean the inside of the glass, what a huge difference. Great video, I might get a dedicated photo scanner if I do more photo work. Cheers

[@lawrenceraby6896]

Silverfish ai

[@adrewdio2694]

Thanks for that very informative review on methods, quality vs. quantity and how much time can be lost or saved at the expense of quality. Five stars for communication since many other users have no audio, blasting distracting music.

[@cwaynefox]

Thanks.

[@joshenders]

Thank you Wayne

[@Joanna_L]

Thank you

[@wazatna]

Best review, thanks!

[@cwaynefox]

Glad you liked it!

[@themaker1000000]

It appears from the photos you uploaded that the 680 gives more real colors than the 640. I printed on photo paper, a3 size photos. From the 680 'scanner and canon's standard scanner which are number 1 in terms of image, lenses etc. both came out amazing.

[@mikeag]

Thanks for the detailed analysis, sir! An fyi, because samsung color calibrates their OLED flagship phones, the differences were very stark and easy to spot while watching. 640 or 680... hard decision.

[@andresmsuarez5718]

thanks friendly review for average user.

[@johnyee671]

Great review. I install those FF680 scanners for a large retailer headquartered in Bentonville. You really provided a great review describing sharpness, exposure value from highlights, midtones and shadow detail. You covered the color correction software, etc. I would be curious about software for Mac and Windows. Thanks.

[@cwaynefox]

Sry, missed this. Not sure what you mean, I use the epson software to scan, then I import them into Lightroom to organize them, (mainly to put them in chronological order the best I can), then export them for upload to apple Photos.

[@e8dazawk61]

Thank you so much for this informative video showing various demonstration. reading several reviews and finding out its not doing many functions that I would need. Still trying to find the espon ff640 is Mac friendly and if I can set a bit 24 to have a 16×24 photo print.

[@cwaynefox]

epson is very Mac friendly. Not sure what you mean by the comment setting the bit to 24 (which is what it does, meaning it scans to 8 bit color. Has nothing to do with size with is pixel dimensions. In depth video here kzbin.info/www/bejne/nIPTiKKQeLOqqNE about scanning resolutions. To get to 16x24 depends on how large your original is. Don’t think you can pull it off with a 3x5. scanning at higher resolution (600 or 1200DPI) won’t gain anything ... can’t add detail that is not there.

[@jennifermedia6288]

hi there Wayne. do you know how to clean these to stop the lines appearing. I have just ordered the wireless version but still own the older version but has stripes on it. which is frustrating. Im glad you did an update video. I like this original scanner but need to know how the other one is like. can you do a cleaning video???

[@suethart5321]

Hi Wayne, many thanks for your review. I have just bought the fastfoto 680W. A question for you please? - When scanning batches of photos, is it possible to add more photos to an already saved folder? You know when you find a few more of that same holiday lurking in ANOTHER shoebox??!!

[@MonkeeKitty]

Hi Wayne, Thanks for the video, super interesting. I have a question. I just bought the Epson Workforce ES-400 ii & the specs are very similar to the Epson FF-680w? Do you know if the ES-400 ii can handle photos?

[@AprilAndrews]

I've been hesitant to pull the trigger on the 680 because I read reviews reporting that it scratches the photos - have you encountered that?

[@artmaltman]

Excellent comparison, thank you! Question: how do these scans compare to what I would get out of my HP multifunction printer?

[@cwaynefox]

Hard to say. The epson might have an edge if scanning old photos because the color restoration algorithms are quite good. Not sure if the HP has that option, and I’ve never tested any of the software packages out there that have have color restoration.

[@ltea8570]

Thank you! I've been scouring the internet for hours looking for answers to the quality of the epson FF680. The Amazon reviews are between terrible and terrific, and with some reviews citing damage to their originals and warped photo scans, I'm scared to buy one but I haven't seen any other recommendations for a paper-feeding photo scanner of merit. I used a Scan Snap iX500 at work for docs, and it scanned photos pretty nicely. If I think that of the Scan Snap, then will I be happy with the FF680? I have pictures from the 1890s in the hundreds, will the Epson hurt them? I just need some guidance in the field of photo scanning, of which I am a complete novice. I want incredible quality, and am happy to pay more for it, but I really want a paper-feeding set up. Is the Epson the best there is for this type of scanner? Help!

[@cwaynefox]

I’m sorry I missed this last month. I think I would be a little hesitant to use any auto feeding scanner on aged photographs like that, although with that many it will be time consuming to use a flat bed scanner. One problem is the ff-640 or 680 can have problems if the paper is a little too think or stiff. If they are smaller (3x5’s) then a flatbed scanner will do several at a time, and can even isolate and create individual scans of the different prints automatically.

[@nitush-gc2wz]

hi Wayne, thank you for your info. I was wondering if you could help us with a question about thr ff640. about 4 years ago we ordered it from the US, it took it half a year to arrive (don't ask...). when we tried scanning a few photoes, we realized that they were ruined with stripes all along the picture where probably the sensors were placed. this scanner has been back in the box ever since. later on, while reading reviews onlibe, we saw that we weren't the only ones with that problem. I was wondering if you noticed that and if so, is there a way to avoid it?

[@MrDahoox]

The stripes are often caused by a speck of dust on the sensor. The paper fuzzes over time.

[@tharg330]

Hi Wayne. I live in Asia and Epson do not sell the 680W here. Their sales people are suggesting I buy the DS-570W instead. This seems to be more of a document scanner for small businesses, but they claim it has all the same features as the FF680W. Do you know anything about that machine? What do you think? Is it a suitable option for home photo scanning? Thanks for the helpful videos!

[@cwaynefox]

sorry to take so long. It's unfortunate the 680 isn't available. I've done some research, but the only way to really know if it will work is to buy one. The share the same form factor, but it sounds like the 570 has been optimized for documents. It might work OK as long as the FastFoto software will recognize and use it. Otherwise I'm not sure it will be very efficient in scanning large stacks of photos.

[@stevekrouth5944]

i have the ff680. having a problem with the scans turning out more saturated and darker. I have unselected all adjustments, so it should get as close to the original as possible I would think but not turning out that way. any suggestions

[@cwaynefox]

Sorry to take so long to get back to you. I haven't seen this at all, but it could be a color management issue. Are you on Windows? have you looked at the scans on other devices?

[@timsawyer9034]

Hi Wayne-enjoyed the review. Have you experienced any "stretching" using the 640? I found that I had issues using the 640 because every once in a while, a portion of the photo image would stretch out. Couldn't find any solution to the issue. Any thoughts?

[@cwaynefox]

I have seen very occasional stretching, usually pretty minor. More common on the 640. I think I cleaned the rollers and it helped. but normally I would just rescan it and the second time it was fine.

[@timsawyer9034]

@@cwaynefox Thanks Wayne.

[@NeoNordstom]

Which is the best photo scanner out there? up to 6000 dollars

[@alistairforth6400]

I am having issue with the sequencing the photos i am on the latest software v2.1.13.0 can you please explain how to place so i have them in order. it seems when i put the 2nd batch it just doesn't sequence properly.

[@cwaynefox]

Sorry to take so long to get back to you. I cover this pretty well in this video ... kzbin.info/www/bejne/bJPCY2apgKagiJY

[@jcprah]

what software are you using to display those side by side?

[@cwaynefox]

I use a program called Screenflow to create my videos. I can place still images and position each as a track in the timeline to overlay them. You can do this in about any video editing software out there

[@3mcmacrocopy633]

So what are the changes you did to get a better image quality on the 680?? I can't understand the option you disabled :(

[@cwaynefox]

14:01 in the video. I'm testing the new software right now to see if this improves the 680 scan quality I should know in a day or two, if it helps I'll post an updated video, otherwise I'll just pin a comment to this video. I've already confirmed it doesn't address the problem with file sizes that I talk about in the follow up video on how to use the scanner. kzbin.info/www/bejne/bJPCY2apgKagiJY

[@DanHidalz]

@@cwaynefox Waiting for that comment, Wayne. If you find something just let us know!

[@zylixzylix2297]

Is there any degradation when Projecting the 600dpi on to a large tv screen?

[@cwaynefox]

I haven't tried that. I upload the 300 DPI version (of 3.5 x 5 scanned prints), and they look great on my 75" LG OLED TV. I guess it depends on how close you are to the screen.

[@henkdelange3107]

I have bought an Epson Perfection V600 Photo a month ago. The only problem I have is that while scanning glossy photos dark spot appear in light areas. It looks like the spots in the white area above the photo of the plane. It seems as if because of the glossiness it kind of sticks to the glass of the scanner. Dust removal and the ICE technology can't remove these. Now I remove them by hand in Gimp and that costs me a lot of time. I have ordered transparent sheets to put in between to see if the spots disappear. If not, I want to put flower on the glass to prevent the stickiness. Does anyone else have a solution for this?

[@cwaynefox]

I don't think putting flour on the glass is a good option. odd that it seems to "stick". Certainly a strange phenomenon. I assumed you've tried different settings and it isn't the software just trying to correct something with an enhance setting. I can't think of a good solution off hand, other than using a scanner like the 680 which doesn't use a glass. Let me know if you find anything

[@sarab1987]

I need a scanner and am looking at the 680 but people have been saying that after scanning hundreds of photos it is giving them a error of 'BUMMER'. Do you know anything about that?

[@cwaynefox]

I haven’t seen those reports but I’ve scanned about 3500 with mine so far and no issues.

[@zoomdar]

Hi Wayne, I’ve enjoyed your excellent videos on the Epson FastFoto 680W. From the time I’ve set mine up. I’ve had issues with white lines on all of my scans. I’ve read this is because of dust. I’ve thoroughly cleaned the rollers, and glass scanner with the supplied microfiber cloth, and have referred to the Epson tutorial video as a guide for cleaning. I’ve also turned on the “Reduce Lines and Streaks” setting in the software. Unfortunately, the results I get have not improved. I haven’t tried using a glass cleaner on the glass. The Epson (branded) recommended cleaner is sold out on their Canadian site. Have you tried Windex, is there another product you would recommend? Any other tips for resolving this issue.

[@cwaynefox]

Sounds pretty unusual. It should be quite easy to clean the glass. Even a little distilled water on a microfiber cloth is a safe option and should be fine. How big is the line? Any chance it's always in the same place?

[@zoomdar]

@@cwaynefox Hi Wayne, Thanks for your reply. Yes they are pretty consistently in the same place. The size of the lines is similar to a crease. I uploaded a couple of examples. kzbin.info/www/bejne/q5icipKribljgNE

[@cwaynefox]

@@zoomdar OK. Just checking they weren't from dead pixels in the scanner bar. The don't appear so. I think I would try a clean micro fiber cloth lightly dampened with a little distilled water. Windex isn't usually something you want to use on things like that. While it is glass it probably has some special coatings on it.

[@zoomdar]

@@cwaynefox Thanks for your input Wayne. I'll give it a shot.

[@wlklotz]

I just purchased this scanner from Best Buy on Saturday, and I am having the same issue with the white lines. I have tried troubleshooting with the software settings, I have cleaned the rollers and glass per Epson's directions and with the supplied cloth a few times, and there has been no improvement. it is very frustrating. I will probably be returning this scanner. Thank you Wayne for the in depth and informative videos. They are helpful, detailed, and appreciated.

[@GSIMONIN6]

If I receive a reply by tomorrow I will buy the 640 from you on Amazon. Is there a link for that?

[@cwaynefox]

no link to the 640, haven’t been able to buy those for several years now.

[@espressobuzz1253]

Surprised and disappointed by 640's tiny file size, even at 600 dpi. Under 1 mb. Is it compressing them too much? I'd be happy with slower scanning for bigger files. I ended up upsizing them in Topaz Gigapixel A.I. 1.5x, which got me to an acceptable JPG size.

[@cwaynefox]

Wonder why you are using File size as a metric, not too useful with jpeg. The compression level is probably around 70%, but there just isn’t enough detail in photographic color prints to really pull out that much resolution. Seems plenty for the average family snapshot, looks great when reprinted to the same size or even one size larger, no jpeg artifacts are visible. I think most people use a much higher setting and try to get more resolution than is even avilalble, and there really isn’t anything gained for the effort, especially if we’re talking about 1,000’s of snapshots (which is what all my videos on this scanner is targeted to.). I didi a video on scanner settings including comparisons of prints if you are interested.kzbin.info/www/bejne/nIPTiKKQeLOqqNE

[@benelleliv]

What's that giant piece of equipment behind you?

[@cwaynefox]

That’s an Epson p5000 printer.

[@docmike9916]

is the 680 compatible with Catalina yet?

[@TaylorTeets]

the FF640 is compatible with Catilina, so I'm sure the 680 is too.

[@cwaynefox]

@@TaylorTeets Thanks for replying. Was planning on testing it out this weekend.

[@daijoubu4529]

It's like adding digital noise back, looks like taken with an old digicam 🤣

[@mib20000]

Perfection V850 Pro Photo Scanner new one $1149.00

[@cwaynefox]

ouch. for snapshots a v600 should do a great job.

[@mib20000]

@@cwaynefox v600 is $229.00 yes way more affordable thanks

[@tomn8tr]

New software just posted today, curious what you think of the changes.... epson.com/Support/Scanners/FastFoto-Series/Epson-FastFoto-FF-680W/s/SPT_B11B237201#drivers

[@tomn8tr]

Well, turns it is just the document scanning software ScanSmart that has updated.

[@cwaynefox]

It appears as FastFoto software was updated from 2.17 to 2.19 recently. Very preliminary testing is showing much improved scan qualities, even with Auto Enhance enabled. I’m going to run a few tests and compare the Atkinson target and a few others to verify it actually helps. Unfortunately the files size bug is still there ...

[@TaylorTeets]

clearly the FF680 scans are not as clean or nearly as good as on the ff640, but yet they no longer sell the ff640 and it is only available as a refinished product. My ff640 just broke after 11,000 scans and I need to replace it. Why is it that nobody else is complaining about the scan quality on the new scanner? Did you just get a bad unit?

[@cwaynefox]

I thought it was a unit problem when I first got it, so I exchanged it at Best Buy where I bought the original. Scans were identical. It’s obvious from the size of saved files there are some serious software flaws going on. But unless you have used a 640 and then can compare them, most think what they get out of the 680 is OK. I’m not sure how to communicate with Epson about the serious software issues.

[@andresmsuarez5718]

11000 and dead ,thats scary for somebody with a budget like me.

[@TaylorTeets]

@@andresmsuarez5718 I bought another refurbished unit from Amazon with a 30day return option. That will force you to get your scanning done quickly! 😉

[@andresmsuarez5718]

@@TaylorTeets whats realibility of those? i only need for scan my family pictures (like 6000). maybe good for bussines documents, never have one of those. thanks

[@TaylorTeets]

@@andresmsuarez5718 it was just as good, if you can still get one. You can try it out (wink, wink) and return for a refund.