Question Epson v850 vs Epson GT-X980?

[mr19th]

I have learned that the Epson GT-X980 is the same as the Epson v850. The only difference is that the GT-X980 power is not the same as the v850 that was built for America.

Is a GT-X980 safe to use in America with the American power?

Just trying to figure out, besides the time in shipping, why they're so much less.

Thanks,
Sean

 

[Aeacus]

Found this from reddit and looks like X980 original power brick should work fine regardless where you are (Japan with 100V, USA with 120V or Europe with 240V),
link: https://www.reddit.com/r/analog/comments/18tr9sz/epson_gtx980_v850_power_adapter/

why they're so much less.

Products produced in-house (for the same market where company is), usually costs less. E.g no need to pay shipping and translate the display/manual/software language into other languages.

With that scanner and if you buy that Japanese version, be alert that it may only come with Japanese manual/software. Unless you understand Japanese, you may have issues using it. But then again, cheap price and you'll figure it out (eventually, maybe).

 

[Ralston18]

How much money would be saved by purchasing (as I understand your post) from overseas?

Would that amount cover the costs of packing and shipping if the printer needed to be RMA'd?

Printers are not a leading profit item - it is the inks and toner where profit is made.

However, the shipper has nothing to lose by boxing up any handy printer and shipping it to you. Maybe a printer that was just RMA'd back to them.

And long distance shipping is prone to delays and damage enroute. If the package even shows up.....

In agreement with @Aeacus - there could well be problems with a printer shipped from another country. Some problems fixable or otherwise can be circumvented. etc.. Or, using power as an example, simply made moot.

Overall, purchasing from an overseas vendor involves more risks and may not save anything.

My recommendation is to purchase locally if at all possible.

 

[Aeacus]

Printers are not a leading profit item - it is the inks and toner where profit is made.

Epson GT-X980 isn't a printer. It is just plain old A4 scanner and nothing more.

Found e-bay listing with some specs,
link: https://www.ebay.com/p/25016681323

No idea why this plain old scanner is sold for nearly 700 bucks.

IMO, far better would be buying e.g Canon TS9520; which can: print (colored images), copy, scan, wireless functionality, works with Alexa etc. And costs 300 bucks,
amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Canon-Wireless-Scannier-Printing-AirPrint/dp/B07G685PX1

I have Canon TS8352 for myself and it works butter smooth, while filling all the requirements for my home office.

 

[NedSmelly]

No idea why this plain old scanner is sold for nearly 700 bucks.

The V850 isn’t a plain old scanner. It’s one of the last remaining scanners available new that are capable of scanning photographic film at high resolution and high transmissible density - all the way up to 4x5”. Price is high because there’s no real competition.

 

[Ralston18]

Epson GT-X980 isn't a printer. It is just plain old A4 scanner and nothing more.

Found e-bay listing with some specs,
link: https://www.ebay.com/p/25016681323

No idea why this plain old scanner is sold for nearly 700 bucks.

IMO, far better would be buying e.g Canon TS9520; which can: print (colored images), copy, scan, wireless functionality, works with Alexa etc. And costs 300 bucks,
amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Canon-Wireless-Scannier-Printing-AirPrint/dp/B07G685PX1

I have Canon TS8352 for myself and it works butter smooth, while filling all the requirements for my home office.

Not sure how or why I went down the "printer" rabbit hole. My error - apologies.

However, my general thinking remains that purchasing locally (even if more expensive) is a better option than purchasing overseas.

Thanks for the correction.

 

[Aeacus]

Not sure how or why I went down the "printer" rabbit hole. My error - apologies.

No worries. It's easy to think that the scanner is also a printer since at current day and age, it is unheard of anyone buying just a scanner, where there are all-in-one printers out there that most people buy.

It’s one of the last remaining scanners available new that are capable of scanning photographic film at high resolution and high transmissible density - all the way up to 4x5”. Price is high because there’s no real competition.

When looking at it's specs closely, yes, i can see it having high DPI scanner in it, 6400x6400 DPI, vs Canon TS9520 having only 1200x2400 DPI scanner.

However V850/GT-X980 isn't only one in it's segment, for it's price to be high. There are others, at much cheaper price, with similar, same or better DPI scanning function.
E.g:
$500 - Pulstek OptiFilm 8200i with 7200 DPI, link: https://www.adorama.com/icdp8200iai.html
$350 - Epson Perfection V600 with 6400x9600 DPI, link: https://www.adorama.com/iesv600.html
$89 - Canon Lide 400 with 4800 DPI, link: https://www.adorama.com/icacsl400.html

 

[NedSmelly]

However V850/GT-X980 isn't only one in it's segment, for it's price to be high. There are others, at much cheaper price, with similar, same or better DPI scanning function.
E.g:
$500 - Pulstek OptiFilm 8200i with 7200 DPI, link: https://www.adorama.com/icdp8200iai.html
$350 - Epson Perfection V600 with 6400x9600 DPI, link: https://www.adorama.com/iesv600.html
$89 - Canon Lide 400 with 4800 DPI, link: https://www.adorama.com/icacsl400.html

I have gone down this rabbit hole very deeply in the past and very familiar with all these scanners.

Plustek 8200i only scans 35mm. And it has very poor build quality.
V600 has poor D-max and 35mm resolution. Same with Canon Lide. Those quoted 'resolution' numbers mean nothing as they barely manage 800-1000dpi in reality.
V850 is desirable for its medium format and large format scanning. The only competing products are the Epson 13000XL (at 4x the price), Plustek OpticFilm 120 (which is a dumpster fire in quality - I own one), and very old very used Nikon Coolscans / Flextights.

V850 is the one practical choice for prosumers/pro film photogs who want film scans that don't look like trash.

Going back to the OP - I'd pay full price locally for a V850 because there are reports of film plane inaccuracies that can't be corrected with film holder height adjustment, so you might need to exchange the units due to build tolerances.