Imacon 848 vs. Epson 3200

Curious to see just how much better our Imacon 848 scans are than good "prosumer" flatbed scanner? We asked digital imaging expert Frank Petronio to make scans using his Epson versus our Imacon – he was shocked by the results – you will be too!

Epson 3200 scan. This scanner is a popular, highly regarded model used by many professional photographers. Frank made a 200 mb 16-bit RGB scans which was resampled down to 50 mb 8-bit RGB working images.

Imacon 848 scan. Each scanner processes color differently, so it’s hard to get an identical match without compromising one scan or the other.

Epson detail. The Epson does a pretty good job of capturing detail.

Imacon detail. Frankly, it blows the Epson away, capturing an amazing detail and tonal subtleties.

Epson shadow detail. Properly used, the Epson does a respectable job.

Imacon shadow detail. But again, you can see much greater shadow detail with the Imacon.

Conclusion? The Epson is still a very nice scanner, especially for only a few hundred dollars. But when sharpness, clarity and tonality are important, the Imacon wins hands down.

Frank Petronio says, "I always thought that a drum scan from a Heidelberg Tango (i.e. from Nancy Scans, etc.) or other high end drum scanner was the best possible solution. But now I’m convinced that Praus’s Imacon is by far the best scanning solution. Drum scanners require that you oil mount your film onto the drum, which then spins at 5400 RPM – one mistake and your valuable film is toast. The Imacon’s film handling is much safer and its tonal range and sharpness is at least as good as any drum scan I’ve seen."

Mike and Edgar have undergone specialized training by both Imacon and imaging guru Frank Petronio. They apply the same high quality standards they’ve used for their traditional work to the digital side.