Review: Epson V850 film scanner. Flatbed scanner for prints, transparencies and negatives

Review of the Epson V850. Scanner features, accessories and setup. Scanning software considerations and scanner icc profiling using included IT8.7 reflective and transmissive targets.
*** For the full very detailed review see:
www.northlight-images.co.uk/e...
Future videos will cover aspects of scanning and image preparation for print
VueScan software is available from
www.hamrick.com
It's been Keith's preferred scan software solution for over 15 years and supports almost any scanner you might own (Windows and Mac)

[@aurelgautschi4380]

Thank you for the detailed review! Very helpful!

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks - this supplements my original detailed [written] review from when the V850 was first launched a few years ago.

[@drwatsonismine]

Thanks so much for this! I am very interested in all the upcoming videos with it you mentioned because I have been trying to decide the best approach to scanning my past and current film images myself.

[@KeithCooper]

I think my approach will be a very selective one - picking just a few images. I know that I've been through that archive quite a few times and the grand plans always founder at some point ;-) The one thing I always say when asked, is that in any quantity it is utterly tedious...

[@drwatsonismine]

@@KeithCooper I’m sure you’re right.

[@williamlarson3623]

Thanks. Best 850 presentation I've seen yet. Ordering one soon.

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks - there is more detail in my original 2014 written review [when it was first launched]

[@Pittsburghestatesale]

Excellent presentation, just received my 850 and this was very helpful

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks - there is more detail in my original [written] review of the scanner from when it first came out www.northlight-images.co.uk/epson-v850-film-scanner-review/

[@Pittsburghestatesale]

Very good, I will read this today ... all the best .. @@KeithCooper

[@michaelmartinez6033]

Thanks for the video, Keith. I bought the v850 a few years ago and use Silverfast to scan 4x5 (bw, color, slide). It's been a great tool to have. Inkjet prints of the scans look great. That said, I've enjoyed seeing what can be done with dslr scanning. People have some good scanning options/tools now. Just depends what fits their workflow/temperment/budget etc.

[@KeithCooper]

Yes, that's very true. This video is meant as an update to my original V850 review. I don't have enough old film of enough 'quality' to explore this much more ;-)

[@davidmayer2082]

Oo. I am very excited for this series of videos, Keith! I own the predecessor Epson V750 and have used the Epson and Vuescan software for a wide variety of film, slides, and reflective material over the years. When it comes to scanning transparencies, its all about the scan settings and the post-processing, so I am eager for any tips and techniques you can share!

[@KeithCooper]

Some experimentation ahead...

[@hamshanksproductions7161]

I had the 750. I just about burst a blood vessel trying absolutely everything to get sharp results. I sold it. There was nothing wrong with it. But I had a Canon FS6000 ( 35mm)dedicated film scanner and was like night and day with results. But I was scanning MF. I used vuescan software. But not good enough. Another based review Keith. Regards

[@KeithCooper]

I've only tried this V850 in the range so can't say much about other models. I've some comparisons in the main written article, but it's hard to beat some of the specialist film scanners.

[@liveinaweorg]

Enjoyed that Keith. Looking forward to seeing more of the scanning reviews. I use the Epson Perfection 3200 for 4x5 and 5x7 scanning. It does a decent job and if I shot an Ansel Adams quality shot I would just pay for a drum scan. I use the Epson V500 for 120 film and a Nikon Coolscan V for 35mm. Vuescan for most of my scanning though sometimes I'll use the Nikon software on the Coolscan V.

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks - I've a half hour video tomorrow, covering a workflow for a B&W [35mm] negative scan to 17x24" print

[@liveinaweorg]

@@KeithCooper Perfect!

[@007jerkins]

VueScan is also available for Linux - it's my go-to software as well.

[@KeithCooper]

That's useful to know

[@PatrickDKing]

Always enjoy watching your videos. I got the Epson FF-680W to duplex scan the actual photos. I think the negatives of those photos may still exist at my mother's house. I'm wondering if it would be worthwhile getting something like the V850 and scanning the negatives as well, in terms of getting a higher resolution scan for future use like printing. I'd imagine for purposes of just getting a digital copy to back them up and share, either scanner would accomplish that.

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks Negative scanning is a lot more fiddly than photos to do well. There is no better impetus to curate your negative/slide collection than deciding to scan it at high quality ;-) Backing up is one thing, but high end scanning takes a lot of effort - depends on how valued the images are?

[@coopscoops9327]

Thanks, this is really helpful, and the written review too. How have the scans been with Kodachrome slides? I have had some poor results scanning Kodachrome with other scanners, especially slightly underexposed slides where it seems the scanner back-light just isn't strong enough and detail is lost.

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks - I only tried a few Kodachrome slides, which were all relatively 'good' ones, so not much help there I'm afraid

[@fingling8]

Hi, Keith. I enjoyed your video. I'm a one-day-so-far owner of a new-in-box Epson GT-X980, which was not cheap but remarkably easy to set up--even with a Japanese-only manual. Ed Hamrick assured me this is identical to the V850, although I didn't receive double sets of film trays. I am still unclear how to set up VueScan to batch the strips of 35mm film. I have chosen a random 1990s film my dad exposed, and Ed says how to tell the scanner to rotate-right, say, frame 3 ... But I can't yet determine if the scanner automatically finds the correct borders for all, in this first case, 10 frames, or if I must manually set them for each. I'll figure it out! Unlike you I intend to scan all dad's, my, and 'others'' (mom's, her parents', and unknowns images), so long as they're not horrible, as many are. I had had a plustek 35mm scanner, but a few Brownie negatives have been bugging me because I couldn''t scan them; now, only my strips of Super-8 remain inassailable. Your idea to scan entire neg-sleeve 'pages' to at least achieve an index is very helpful ... how many times have I mutteringly pulled a neg strip to recall what numerals it held? An index scan would let me see, "ah! 7, 8, 9, 10." As well as inform me which frames to skip forever. One more thing: I stuck in the Epson CD-ROM, and never interacted with any dialogue, but sure enough the scanner (and I'm in Linux Mint) worked at once.

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks - hope the scanning goes well. There's a bit more detail in the original [written] V850 review

[@amaimani]

I do own this scanner but working with it is very slow and time consuming. Recently I ordered scanning mount that can do same scanning but you take macro shots of your film/slides. It is from a company in USA called Negative Supply. Waiting to test it once it arrives.

[@KeithCooper]

Yes bulk scanning is not a fun job ;-)

[@ddsdss256]

Thanks! I recently got an Epson V600 as it can scan up to 4x5 negatives as well as transparencies and of course prints. It has the same 6400x9600 DPI, 48-bit Color or 16-bit Grayscale capability, Digital ICE, etc. as the 850, so I'm hoping it will be sufficient for me needs, as once I've scanned my film-based images, I'll not likely need even that sophisticated a scanner. My main question (besides if the 850 is worth the 5x cost difference--I'm not cheap but I do like value for money) is if the software that came with it (mainly EpsonScan, but SilverFast SE 8 is free) will be sufficient or if there's a better solution. The thing is, I only need it to produce RAW files as I'd expect to process those just as if they were digitally-derived. It would be nice to have some form of automated dust/scratch removal, as that's of course a PITA to handle manually. As you mentioned in the written review, an interesting book to read may come into play given the tedium of scanning (not to mention curation)!

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks - whilst the supplied Silverfast SE8 is well out of date it can still be activated if you contact them. My preference is for Vuescan - partly because I bought the perpetual version back in 2003 ;-) I'll have a look at using the supplied targets with it. I'm not holding my breath for a response about i1Scanner - I can use it because I've an 'everything-on' version of i1Profiler but I can't see how you'd get the supplied serial number into a modern copy of i1Profiler

[@ytuberization]

There are only a few market niches in industry as for a next-gen quality scanner for film negatives. I still hope that Nikon, Epson or another player takes this up and comes with a solid solution in future, as current solutions are old or of low quality. With the film community growing permanently, there should be a huge market. New Leica M6 released a couple of days ago is already sold out with a 5.000€ price tag. Scanner manufacturers are still in sleep mode…

[@KeithCooper]

Maybe - just not what I hear from talking to a few manufacturers [not an exhaustive survey, but illuminating]. I'd just want to see some real numbers for 'film fans' - along with demographics and actual market ($$$) potential for any high end scanning products. I've just seen too many [ _give me 1500 words on the topic_ ] articles in magazines and on web sites about the great comeback of film to take it much beyond an expensive niche...

[@ytuberization]

@@KeithCooper I agree. But Kodak for instance would not search for 300 new employees, if there would not be a huge demand. Same with Adox and Ilford…not so sure with Fuji. Let‘s cross fingers…☺️

[@Superbustr]

The issue is that your average person won't see the difference when posting their photos to instagram scanned with a cheaper scanner vs an expensive scanner. High end scanners are super niche and that is why it's more economical to just get individual frames scanned with the proper equipment at a photo lab instead of spending the price of a cheap car on a scanner just for yourself. I am surprised that the Epson V850 is still being sold new as it really is an expensive purchase and a purchase that I think very few people shooting film would ever make.

[@jameswalker7874]

I'd been looking into scanners for quite a while. Because I'm not made of money (or professional) I couldn't justify the V850. Instead I looked at the V600 and Plustek's cheapest - both similar prices. Anyway, to cut a long story short, my local camera shop got a used Plustek in. So I bought it, worked out just less than half the price of the V600. It's criminally slow, and worsened by the fact it does 1 frame at a time with manual input required to move the film carrier along. I've read your written review because I wasn't overly happy with the initial output. However, my scans seem to have the same sort of noise/grain characteristics as some of yours, so I conclude it's a film thing. I'm going to watch the series to see how you process them to see if I can get mine something like I'd imagined. It looks like the quality of the scans is similar to the Epson from what I've seen on your website. As you say, best intentions to digitise my archives. I'm in no massive rush, and just do it in the background while I'm doing something else. Probably take years to get it done! I have the SilverFast 8 SE Plus, not the best but it seems to do a job and has presets for most film brands/models. I wouldn't want to do any editing in it though!

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks - just posted the first look at scanning some old B&W film. I was trying some colour negs this afternoon - interesting colour responses... Next to have a look through the slides and see if any are less awful from a technical POV than I recall - all this stuff dates from long before I started working as a photographer.

[@Superbustr]

If you don't ever plan to print your photos poster size or larger then you won't see any difference between the 850 and 600. The 850 extracts more detail from your photos but is not necessary for 95% of most people's needs as most people view photos on small laptop screens or small phone screens.

[@johnward2964]

Keith, great video and thanks for posting but I completely disagree on your withering assessment of lenses from the 1980's and 1990's.....but that is a conversation best had with a couple of glasses of Shiraz in hand. Thanks again.

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks - that's not all 1980's lenses. My videos are shot on one ;-) There was junk then, just as now ;-)

[@tobyshawphoto]

Hey Keith, thanks for the video. Do you know if you can scan film borders with this scanner?

[@KeithCooper]

Not using the multi-slot film holder - Just the actual photo areas See the main [written] review www.northlight-images.co.uk/epson-v850-film-scanner-review/

[@eddalea]

Thank you Keith I found that video very informative. Although I won't be buying it (to dear!), but I'd recommend EPSON Scanners anyway as I've never had any problems with Epson Printers or my Epson v750 Pro. I bought the v750 Pro when it first came out so you can see I've had it many years abd still going strong. It's my go to scanner, but I must learn more about it as I have slides and negs to scan. I have all the assessories as well as a 'GELL' something or other!!! So long since I looked at it sorry to say. But I have used the rest. Are you able to compare the V750 and The V850 for differences? I shall check out your other videos and info too.

[@KeithCooper]

I've not tried the 750, so it would be no more than just comparing the specs... I believe the 850 has a different light source - not sure what difference it would actually make

[@anndonahue1349]

Thanks Keith! I was becoming frustrated with the Epson program so I will try VueScan. It looks like we pay for a license for it (probably a one time fee I assume?).

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks - I've used it for over15 years and never had to pay for an update. I've more details in the original [written] review: www.northlight-images.co.uk/epson-v850-film-scanner-review/

[@ronboe6325]

I have an old Epson 4870 flat bed scanner (the selling point for me at the time, was FireWire connection). That scanner and dust on my slides were the major motivation to move to digital. I should move it on - but who would have it? LOL

[@KeithCooper]

Ah, I still have a SCSI interface scanner which I use with a SCSI->Firewire adapter on an older Mac There are enough adapters out there and VueScan handles old kit very well.

[@frstesiste7670]

I've mostly used Epson Scan with Epson scanners. What I struggle most with is getting good color from negative color film. Any tips would be appreciated.

[@KeithCooper]

I do have some colour negs about - I'll look at it too

[@chiloschista]

Hello Keith, thank you for your impressions about this scanner. I bought it a few month ago, because in a senior raptus I started again taking pictures with large format film cameras. What I still miss is why Epson guys suggest to scan the films with emulsion facing up. This is the opposite to what good practice suggest, starting from darkroom enlarging: emulsion facing toward target surface. I asked Epson and they just answered to read the manual and follow instructions. I asked in a forum and the only guy who understood my question confirmed my position. I could only understand to scan with emulsion facing up is due to avoid Newton rings, because of contact from shiny film surface and frame plastic surface, but it seems an anti Newton rings glass already, isn't it? On a side note, Epson suggest to scan with the optional fluid mount with emulsion facing down. Any idea? Thanks, Riccardo

[@KeithCooper]

I've not scanned enough film of sufficient detail to know which way looks best. My own approach would be to actually try it and see - potentially scanning just a small part of the neg and at different height settings. The last place I'd ask until I'd tried it, would be any forums. Forum wisdom is often 50% right with no way of deciding which it is... Nope, I'd experiment first, ask second! Oh and if you can't see any difference, accept it ;-)

[@doog67]

@@KeithCooper Wow! Yours is the rationalist stance I claim to aspire to, but I choose theory over my own lying eyes soooo often. Rather be smart than right? Arghhh!!

[@KeithCooper]

@@doog67 As long as you're sure its the right theory ;-)

[@JamieBulloch1]

keith, did you get any proper response relating to the outdated software or do they not really care about bundled software?, btw i totally agree, i have been using Vuescan for many years, it's easily the most regularly updated scanning software out there, a no brainer, i did quite like the profiling cells though... Ijust wish i could afford the 850 scanner...

[@KeithCooper]

Not yet - I only asked towards the end of last week... Once I know I'll add an update to the written review

[@jw48335]

I own both Vuescan and Silverfast AI. The biggest difference between them for me was for 35mm scanning Silverfast is 3x faster, because it will scan multiple frames at once with each pass. Silverfast also does a slight bit better on ICE, a hair better on dense negatives, and I never could get the XAS autofeed to work reliablely on VS. That being said, Vuescan is fantastic software and the fact it is available on Linux is a unique advantage.

[@jpjast5739]

you mention prints but I didn’t catch anything on scanning old pictures say black and white darkroom prints from the 50s or so. Is there any resolution benefit to the v850 over v600 for prints (the manual ignores it). Everyone always talks about negatives, but often we don’t have the old negatives and are trying to produce the best scan by scanning the only available print in existence. What is the max scan resolution and bits you can get for prints on v600 vs v850. Epsom’s jargon is confusing. Thank you.

[@KeithCooper]

Ah, I don't know the V600 I'm afraid. I would scan prints at the maximum optical resolution and then resize downwards in Photoshop if needed for actual re-printing. Of course a lot depends on the quality of the prints, but I've made some huge prints of what were smallish contact prints. However I'd note that for print scanning, my old Epson Perfection 1200U works fine - it's not a job I'd go for an expensive scanner for. The V850 is much more for film, unless I was scanning large format contact prints for very big prints

[@CultureCityTV]

Can you scan A4 images? Basically we need to scan an a4 book and with images and text throughout and then format them into indesign and add pages, change pages etc. Would this scanner be suitable in your opinion?

[@KeithCooper]

Yes, but quality overkill I'm minded to suggest? For book scanning, I'd look at an actual book scanner - software incorporates page flattening and formatting. No idea what to suggest though, not an area I've investigated in detail

[@timothy790110]

Did you ever do a review of the V600? Im thinking of that to scan watercolors and oil paintings for reproduction.

[@KeithCooper]

No, that's quite an old one. My main [written] V850 review is actually from 2014 when it was announced. www.northlight-images.co.uk/epson-v850-film-scanner-review/ There's not that much difference between them if I remember correctly My No1 suggestion would be to use VueScan to drive the scanner

[@gjj9358]

if i scanned 120 negatives (4x4), based on this scanner's resolution, how large could the prints be? Before it becomes unusable? Thanks for the video

[@KeithCooper]

As big as you like, limited by the original exposure, the type of film and your print editing experience. Oh, and especially, the subject... What I mean is that there is no actual answer to the question other than 'pretty big' ;-)

[@plainbum]

What are the differences between the 850 and the Japanese model x980?

[@KeithCooper]

Sorry I've not seen the Japanese model - I suspect they are likely very similar, but see the specs, and what software/target is bundled with the Japanese one

[@plainbum]

@@KeithCooper what's crazy is it's about half the price of the 850. I'm pretty sure it doesn't come with the extra set of transparency trays but that's not a big deal to me.

[@insanelook]

Good review but I wish Epson would come out with an upgraded model to the 850V Perfection Pro with the latest connection like usb-c for example. I have the 2021 macbook pro 14" with 3 usb-c and need to be connected with an adapter unfortunately as I have the Epson V500 and is disconnecting / crashing all the freaking time, no idea why depsite updated the scanner with the latest firmware update.

[@KeithCooper]

A basic USB-C to USB-A adapter would be a good addition to the box. I've nothing that new to test the kit with though... The V500 is a 2007 model - does it work with software like Vuescan? Unfortunately - scanner sales are probably nowhere near the volume required to support significant new product development.

[@insanelook]

@@KeithCooper Never heard of that Vuescan, thanks for that, gonna have a look. I am thinking to upgrade my ageing scanner to V600 or V850 Pro Perfection, well, my V500 still does the job well depsite it's age but as I said is crashing all the time, I am wondering if it's not because of the age of the scanner which makes it crash all the time with the latest tech like my 2021 macbook pro. And yes you are right the market of scanners nowadays is not that important anymore, really wondering if the V850 Pro Perfection is the latest of it's kind unfortunately.

[@KeithCooper]

I've been a user of Vuescan for many years - it supports almost any old scanner you can find.

[@jw48335]

I own this and have used it extensively. With properly tuned film height, you will get ~2740 ppi optical resolution. It makes a dramatic difference tuning the scan height. I have also messed around with shimming the entire scanner bed to make it the optimum height, but you run into Newton ring issues that route. I use this for 4x5 and 6x8 film. Whether you are film scanning or scanning other items, Silverfast is a must-have software, as the Epsonsan software was never updated to 64bit and will face file size challenges due to that. Silverfast also does multipass to increase dynamic range capture. I do not recommend Silverfast for negative inversion - use Negative Lab Pro or Negmaster BR. The best scanner on the market for 35mm is the PIE XAs (4300 ppi) or XEs (4100 ppi) which yield > 20mp of real optical resolution and have superior dynamic range to the Epson. I use the XAS because it supports focus adjustment and whole-roll batch scanning. Does film resolve thatuch detail? Yes, Acros II out-resolves the 5DSR when the taking lens is of sufficient quality. You need lenses like the 40mm Sigma A though. I got 80mp optical resolution out of Adox CMS II using that taking lens and scanning using an A7R4 sensor shift composite for scanning. Anyway, bottom line is that I mostly use camera digitization now. The Olympus EM5ii + TTArtisan 40mm macro, a Valoi film holder, a copy stand, a Kinetronics StaticVac = 5 minutes for 64mp 4:3 tethered scans with almost no dust. That entire setup is cheaper than the v850 + Silverfast AI. I can't bring myself to sell the old scanning kit quite yet, but soon. Gonna go look up your article now. Great to see new coverage of a scanner. I would very much like to see film scanning technology evolve. It's a huge gap in the market, considering the resurgence of film. Kodak has hired 300 people in the last 3 months because they can't keep up with demand. At some point vendors have to figure out there's a market for this stuff once again and at least put a little R&D that way:)

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks for those very useful notes Unfortunately, despite the regular 'resurgence of film' articles I see, it's starting from such a low base that several suppliers/manufacturers I've spoken too have said there is not the volume to justify development of new higher end scanner products from a business POV. My V850 review was written not long after it first came out and long before I started doing videos. This is part of my going back to my 20 years of writing articles/reviews and seeing which could be updated with a video (or videos) I've got the scanner here for a while - that said, I'm not shooting any film for it! Perhaps time to do one about my [still fine] Canon FS4000 scanner

[@jw48335]

@@KeithCooper I think the vendors just aren't recognizing the demand. People are paying a rather silly amount of money to enable them to do camera digitization. I don't know that I've seen a comprehensive review on yt of the FS4000;) I know the Minolta 5400s have recent reviews. The resurgence of film has caused a crazy shortage of color film all year. At my local store its $15 for a roll of Fuji c200 at the moment, lol.

[@KeithCooper]

I guess I'm comparing film now with what it was when I last used it 20 years ago - the market may be growing, but for the larger companies it's still a small footnote - a vociferous one, but tiny from a [large] commercial perspective.

[@jw48335]

@@KeithCooper I would submit the film customer base has a different ROI calculation with a dramatically longer sales lifespan. Just look at the scanner you just overviewed. Thats essentially the same as the v750 that released in 2007 a decade and a half ago. The only thing they did in the 800 series was switch to an LED lamp. R&D should be easier to justify when the product cycle is well over a decade, or perhaps, perpetual even :-) I can't imagine they'd need to do much to update and release a v9xx series with dramatically higher resolution and 64bit drivers given today's technology. I suspect that old CCD sensor in the v850 is actually at a price premium now.

[@ytuberization]

@@jw48335 Could‘nt agree more, Jeremy. I also believe there is a substantial need for a new high-quality scanner for home needs (see old Nikons, Minoltas etc.) and labs (Frontier, Noritsu). Not only film is sold out: 5.000€ Leica M6 released two weeks ago is selling like hotcakes according to my Leica store. Interesting signal: Epson is currently doing some customer Surveys and asks for ideas & needs for future scanners.

[@thomaseriksson6256]

I used Nikon LS500 and I have the Nikon LS9000 for my MF cameras. I hate scanning because of all the dust. I need to build a dust free cover for it.

[@KeithCooper]

Time for a cleanroom ;-)

[@thomaseriksson6256]

@@KeithCooper I need to upgrade my flat for that and hopefully I can do that in 3 years time. I will keep the LS9000 and sell the LS5000.

[@thomaseriksson6256]

@@KeithCooper My idea is to build an airtight box with fans that suck the air out/in via fine mesh filters. Then you can insert film and suck out the air with the dust. but it requires more development

[@bobd5119]

I heard the film holders clink. Are they aluminum? The plastic holders on the V600 are embarrassingly fragile and difficult to load.

[@KeithCooper]

No, plastic See the original review for more detail: www.northlight-images.co.uk/epson-v850-film-scanner-review/

[@mumblinge5892]

Your detailed review is dated 2014. That's a bit out of date isn't it?

[@KeithCooper]

Not in the slightest ;-) - it's the same device, still shipped with the same accessories and software. All my reviews retain the original 1st edition publishing date along with updates. Reviews/articles on the site date back to 2003. I only started adding videos in mid 2020 - so I'm updating some of the reviews and articles with video versions, along with any necessary updates.