Epson Photo - Technology

Dual Lens System

The Epson Dual Lens System is a double lens scanning application that enables super resolution (6400 dpi) scanning of 35mm, 2 1/4", and 4"x 5" medium format film. High resolution (4800 dpi) scanning is also available for transparency and reflective scanning. Depending on the resolution selected, the lens carriage will switch and the appropriate lens will be set in place.

How does it work?

The Dual Lens system consists of two lenses with different optical resolutions:

6400 ppi (pixel per inch) Super Resolution Lens for film scanning with supplied film holders.
4800 ppi (pixel per inch) High Resolution Lens for reflective scanning and film scanning.

When you select the type of document you want to scan using the Epson Scan driver, the scanner will automatically switch to the required lens.

The ‘Super Resolution Lens’ is used when the ‘Film (using the Film Holder)’ mode is chosen. All film holders can be used in this mode, as they all correspond with the 5,9” width the lens can support. Digital ICE can also be used with this lens.

The High Resolution Lens is used when the ‘Reflective’ or ‘Film (using the Film Area Guide)’ is selected. You can also scan documents up to A4 size e.g. for archiving, with the Film Area Guide at up to 4800ppi optical resolution. When using the Film Area Guide setting, Digital ICE is not available.

Which scanners use the system?

The Epson Perfection V700 and V750 series scanners use the Dual Lens System.

What is this technology and how does it work?

When the Perfection V700 and V750 series scanners were first envisioned by the Epson designers, they had the following requirements in mind:

Address the needs of photo enthusiasts and high end amateur photographers
Offer flexible film and photo handling and provide exceptional high resolution scans
Combine high flexibility, productivity, quality and high resolution scans at an affordable price
Provide a scanner with a small footprint so it could be placed in a small digital ‘darkroom’ at home

In addition to these requirements, the Perfection V750 Pro was designed to:

Address the needs of professionals and high end amateur photographers, aspiring to the same quality as professionals
Offer even more professional image quality and productivity and more improved professional tools

The designers also identified that:

Most film sizes are less than 5,9“/15cm width
Scanning an A4 image at 6400 ppi (pixel per inch) creates data that most computers cannot handle
The footprint of a Dual Lens System is smaller than with a single lens system with 6400 ppi resolution

The designers found that by implementing a Dual Lens System a film scan with a resolution of 6400 ppi could result in superior scan quality, whilst keeping the both price and footprint small.

The two different lenses of the Dual Lens System

The table below shows different document types being selected using Epson Scan and a 3D view of the corresponding lens position of the carriage.

	Document Type in Epson Scan	3D Bottom view of Carriage
Super Resolution Lens Mode	Film (With Film Holder)
High Resolution Lens Mode	Reflective Film (With Film Area Guide)

Illustration of the rays path and the maximum size of the scannable area with the Super resolution lens.

Illustration of the rays path and the maximum size of the scannable area with the high resolution lens.