Hi David,
I bought one of these scanners to replace my failed Microtek 120tf to continue scanning MF and larger (old 616) negatives. I also purchased Better Scanning's MF holder and the glass/liquid mount holder.
Resolution is a thing with me as I still have and use Minolta's ScanElite 5400 (working under Windows 7).
Since it is known that negative height also affects resolution, I also purchased a AF resolution target from Lasersoft. This is where things get interesting!
Scanning B&W negatives, the scanner resolution exceeds 3200dpi. Silverfast uses only one of the three channels (probably the green) for monochrome. When the target is scanned as color, the resolution drops below 2500dpi. I then scanned the center part of the target and opened the image in Photoshop. Here, I found that each of the three channels were higher in resolution the when all three are combined. I then then did some pixel peeking and found that the three channels were not in registration and looked like they were projected through a prism and offset in the vertical direction. Now, if some came up with a way of re-registering all three channels we would have a great scanner!
As such, I seldom need go above 1600 and when I do, it goes straight to the Minolta (which does indeed resolve 5400).
I have been using Silverfast since 2004 and have upgraded the versions to Studio. When scanning, I use the batch mode, scan 16/48 bit HDR and then finish off the lot with HDR. A great way to process.
Silverfast 8 is not a product yet. I got it as an upgrade from 6.6 due to my purchase of the scanner and there it sits! Not ready for prime time as I think they had an idea and needed to sell the incomplete product to fund the developement!
Bob Rapp
bobrapp43@gmail.com