Canon Canoscan 9950f scanner sharpness versus Epson V500

I just received this old Canoscan 9950f scanner. I planned on using it to scan 4 strips of 35mm negatives at once, but sadly the seller didn't include the appropriate negative holder.

Using the large format 4x5 negative holder I was able to scan a 4x5 negative, a medium format negative and a 35mm negative to test the sharpness of the scanner. I then compared the 2400dpi scans against the same negatives scanned with my Epson V500. I converted the negatives to black&white, since I couldn't get a decent color calibration out of the Canon scanning software. I'll have to look into that later.

As you can see, the Canon scanner delivers slightly sharper scans than the Epson V500. Note that this cannot be generalized, since sample variation between scanners can be quite high. The most critical aspect is the height of th negative above the scanning glass. I tried to optimize this with the Canon scanner, but the default height of the combined large/medium format holder seems correct. Scans using the slightly thicker Epson holder on the Canon were less sharp, as were scans made with the negative directly on the glass plate.

If I manage to get a hold of the 35mm 4-strip negative holder and I can achieve a scan without any auto-exposure using the supplied canon software I will certainly keep this scanner.

The scans below show a 100% detail section at 2400 dpi of a large format, medium format and 35mm negative. Each time the Canon scan is on top and the Epson scan is at the bottom.