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SCANNER RECOMMENDATIONS
This guide has been prepared to assist you with purchasing a new scanner. It is built in association with amazon.com. I have owned numerous flatbed scanners and film scanners and have studied these for many years. Most of the photos on my photography page www.donallen.net were scanned with one of my scanners. So this page is put together to pass some of my knowledge on to you. While there are numerous review sites on the web, most of them do not really recommend a best product. This page makes some recommendations based upon your specific needs. You can use the links below to get the super low prices from amazon.com. THANK YOU! |
All of these USB scanners are less than $100. If you have more than $100 to spend on a scanner, you should look in the next section for flatbed scanners that can also scan photos and slides with good quality.
Canon CanoScan LiDE 20 Scanner
The fact that you can buy a solid flatbed scanner for under $50 says a lot about the advances of modern technology! This USB interface scanner has a height of about 1-1/2 inches yet can scan documents and photos up to 8.5"x11/7" at (essentially) 600 dpi, which is all the resolution you should need for most documents. It weighs only 3.3 lbs and comes with some pretty good software including Arcsoft Photo Studio and ScanSoft OmniPage SE OCR. Another nice feature is that it uses the USB cable for power so you do not need an A/C adapter. It is actually not bad for photos, although the 600 dpi becomes a bit of a limitation for photos in my opinion. It also has limited depth of field so it will work best with flat objects (i.e. you may not be as happy when scanning results from a bound book when you cannot get the whole page flat on the scanner).
Visioneer One Touch 7100D USB Scanner
While Canon is a bit more reliable than Visioneer, this scanner does give you 1200 dpi scans for less than $60. The scan area is 8.5"x11.69" and it also has a USB interface. It weighs in at 8 lbs. The software is decent but it takes a little more time to learn than some of the other simple software packages.
Canon CanoScan LiDE 30 Scanner
Very similar to the Canon LiDE 20 but this one has an optical resolution of 1200 dpi. It has about the same dimensions and weight as the LiDE 20 as well as the similar software. This one is USB 2.0 (or USB 1.1) for faster scans. All for under $70.
Visioneer One Touch 9000 USB Scanner
This is a high speed USB 2.0 scanner for under $85. It has five one-touch buttons for scanning, copying, emailing, OCR, and one to customize. Scan resolution is 1200 dpi (optical) and it comes with software and a scan area similar to that of the One Touch 7100D. Note that the scanner will still work with a USB 1.1 port but will not be as fast.
A 1200dpi (optical ) scanner with a USB 2.0 interface. This scanner is fast, and can scan an A4 sized page in just 17 seconds. Well worth considering if you do a lot of scanning and hate waiting. This scanner has a film adapter so one can scan 35mm film and mounted slides with decent quality. Four customizable "EZ" buttons can be individually configured to perform commonly used functions. These can include scanning straight to a PDF file, scanning directly to a printer (copying), and scanning automatically to a ready-to-go e-mail attachment. The software is thorough and decent and includes Ulead DVD slide theatre (for creating slide shows and writing them to CD-R), ArcSoft PhotoStudio 5.5 (decent, but not great, photo editing software), and OmniPage SE 2.0 for optical character recognition (to convert scanned text to a file). For about $90 you get the scanner, software, and a USB cable (which not all scanners include). Definitely a great value.
Want 3200 dpi optical resolution for about $125? This scanner should catch your eye. It comes with a 35mm film/slide adapter. The quality is very good, although the dynamic range is not as large as many dedicated film scanners. It has 8 "Smart Touch" buttons for making most of the common tasks quite simple (scan, copy, email, etc.). The scan area is 8.5"x11.7" and it weighs under 6 lbs. Probably the most impressive feature (other than the resolution) is the fact that this scanner comes with a LOT of software including Adobe Photodeluxe 4.0, Ulead PictureShow SE Basic, Microtek ScanWizard 5, Kodak Digital Science Color Management, and Ulead Photo Explorer.
Epson Perfection 2400 Photo Scanner
The Epson Perfection 2400 from delivers high-quality scans at up to 2400 dpi (optical) and a 3.3 DMax optical density. Comes with one-touch buttons for scanning, copying, and email. There is a built-in 35mm film strip adapter that handles both negatives and slides (up to six negatives or four slides), with a 8.5"x11.7" scanning bed. Comes with Adobe Photoshop Elements, Epson Smart Panel with NewSoft OCR (optical character recognition software), and Epson TWAIN Scanning software. Weighs 6.8 pounds and sells for less than $150.
This scanner's features are similar to that of the Epson Perfection 2400 as is the quality of the scans. However, the software is a little better and includes decent dust/scratch removal capabilities. However, if quality is really important, I recommend springing another $10 or so for the Epson 3170 (see below).
Epson Perfection 3170 Photo Scanner
Incredible quality for less than $200. I performed detailed comparisons (using a Fuji Velvia transparency) of this scanner against a high end Scitex flatbed scanner (tens of thousands of dollars) and the image quality from this scanner was better! (I liked it so well that I bought an Epson 4870 PRO; see below). Resolution is 3200 dpi, Dmax is rated at 3.4, and this one scans both 35mm and medium format film (the transparency adapter is 3"x9" so it will do medium format panoramics too!). Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0, Epson, Scan, and Epson Smart Panel highlight the software (makes me wonder why anyone would buy just the software if they also need a new scanner when you consider the economics). Definitely one to have near the top of your list if you want excellent photo quality at a reasonable price.
Epson Perfection 4870 PRO Scanner
You can get the Epson Perfection 4870 Photo Scanner for under $450 but the fancy software that comes with the PRO version (which includes Silverfast AND Monaco EZColor) makes the difference well worth it. This one is under $600 which is still far cheaper than most scanners that can scan 4"x5" transparencies at 4800 dpi! As stated above, this is what I purchased based upon my Epson 3170 experience (see above) and it is an excellent scanner. Good enough that I rarely send my stuff out for drum scans anymore. The Dmax is 3.8 which is quite respectable and compares well with dedicated film scanners. The file size possibilities are huge (I usually scan my 4x5 chromes at 3200 dpi which produces files over 500 megabytes!), so this one comes with both USB 2.0 and Firewire capability.
Minolta DiMAGE Scan Dual IV (2891-301) Film Scanner
Minolta has an excellent history and reputation in the film scanner arena. This one is a 3200 dpi film scanner for less than $300. While it is a 35mm film scanner, it can support APS film with an optional adapter. Its computed dynamic range is 4.8 and it can produce 24-bit or 48-bit color. It has both film and slide holders and the software includes Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0.
A fantastic buy for about $500, this scanner has up to 4000 dpi resolution with 42-bit color. Interfaces are USB 1.1 or SCSI-2. The lack of a firewire interface is a drawback for some users, but SCSI-2 is well liked by most who use it. They should at least have added USB 2.0. Comes with Adobe Photoshop LE. Nice features include autofocus and automatic film type detection. Image quality if reputed to be quite excellent.
Minolta DiMAGE Scan Elite Scanner with Digital ICE
Despite its resolution of "only" 2820 dpi, this scanner produces excellent quality scans and comes with Adobe Photoshop LE. Dynamic range is 3.6 and it does 36-bit color. The Digital ICE (Image Correction Enhancement) is what really makes this scanner and good value (ICE is usually found in much more expensive scanners). Digital ICE is good for automatically removing surface defects like scratches, dust and fingerprints which saves a lot of time in retouching. Priced at about $750.
Nikon Super CoolScan 5000 ED Film Scanner
Nikon is arguably "king" of film scanners as their scanners have long been popular with pros that do not want to spend big bucks for drum scanners. This one is around $1000 and has a 4000 dpi resolution and a whopping 4.8 density range. Previews are done in around 11 seconds and full scans in as little as 20 seconds. 48-bit color is possible and image quality output rivals that of drum scans. Comes with digital ICE4 Advanced (digital ICE Image Correction & Enhancement), digital ROC (Reconstruction Of Color), digital GEM (Grain Equalization & Management), and digital DEE (Dynamic Exposure Extender). This one really sets the standard for most other manufacturers. However it comes with only a USB 2.0 (USB 1.1 compatible) interface. Firewire or SCSI would have been a nice option.
Nikon Super CoolScan 9000 ED Film Scanner
Now under $1900, it is hard to recommend any other medium format film scanner than this one as it combines the best in quality and price. Only the Minolta Dimage Scan Multi Pro Film Scanner can offer competition (and should also be considered) in my opinion (note that the main advantage of the Minolta is its higher resolution of 4800 dpi). The CoolScan 9000 offers 4000 dpi, 48-bit color depth, and fast scans and previews. It comes with digital ICE4 Advanced (digital ICE Image Correction & Enhancement), digital ROC (Reconstruction Of Color), digital GEM (Grain Equalization & Management), and digital DEE (Dynamic Exposure Extender). It also has a firewire interface (unlike the CoolScan 5000) but does not have a SCSI or USB interface. It can perform 35mm and medium format scans on both mounted and unmounted film. One can buy an optional adapter for medical slides. Another nice feature is its LED light source which generates little heat. Finally, it multi-pass feature can make up to 16 passes and virtually eliminate noise. Get these while you can, they tend to sell out as Nikon appears to limit its production.
Epson Stylus CX5400 All-in-One Printer, Scanner, Copier
For about $150, you can get a 1200 dpi scanner; a 1440+ dpi printer, and a copier that makes up to 12 color copies per minute and 15 black and white copies per minute. Has a USB 1.1 interface. This has individual ink cartridges so they can be individually replaced to save money. However if you only rarely use your unit to print (say monthly), then I recommend another brand as the Epson print heads can clog and ruin your unit.
Canon MultiPass MP730 Multifunction
A higher quality unit than the Epson, this one also has a 1200 dpi scanner but a better printer. It also has fax capability making this unit a true all-in-one machine. It uses the i850 printer unit with the scan engine of the Canon LiDE 30 scanner. And the price of about $250 makes one think twice about buying both the printer and scanner separately. Comes with individual inks and "intelligent ink management" to lower printing costs. Prints 14 color and 22 black and white pages per minute. A nice all-around unit at a reasonable price.
All information presented in this web page is the author's opinion only, and no warranties, guarantees, etc. are expressed herein. Descriptions are not warranted to be error free, complete, accurate, or reliable.
