I've been using a Linotype Saphir Ultra 2 for several years, with very god success. Scanning at 1200 dpi, wiht a bit of Genuine Fractals, it works for good BW prints up to about 11" square.
I too was interested in newer technology, and got the Minolta dimage Multi II (Scsi) for about $500 a year ago. Its better than the Linotype, but not by very much.
I haven't used the Epson, but did checkout the Imacon 343 (not cheap at all - about $5k), and it really is superior. It scans without glass (less cleaning needed) and can give you 3800 dpi, or about 27" square print without Genuine Fractals or serious re-ressing (just changing to 240-300 dpi to print). So too, the scanning quality was significantly higher - not night and day, but noteworthy. If you want, I could email or post s&les of the differences.
The one downside of the Imacon is that it really doesn't do slides very well - they have to be de-mounted. But good MF scanners are not easy to find in any case.
Geoff