DU Photographers...need advice on scanner for slides and negatives...help.

[masmdu]

I'm looking for a scanner in the $150 range that handles slides and negatives well.

From what I've read online the lower end $79-129 canon, hp, and epson scanners dont cut the mustard for slides and negatives.

If anybody has any experience in this area and could make a recommendation I'd be happier than I usually am.

Thanks in advance.

(factory referbished scanners are OK too)

[Deja Q]

1. Epson Perfection 3170 Photo...

6400x3200 DPI and costs $199. I'd read only good reviews on its ability to scan negs. I've used it extensively and have had fantabulous results. (I'm gay so I'm allowed to say "fantabulous"... :-) )

For scanning negatives, you WANT the higher DPI. You can easily get a 8x10" pic from a negative from the 3170 thanks to the high res. (though I'd been able to do 11x14 using my old HP 2400dpi scanner...)

Avoid HP and Microtek, period. :puke: Microtek makes junk, often malfunctioning right out of the box, and I had two HP scanners break down within a year's time period.

Of course, you'll never do better than a scanner meant for scanning negs/slides exclusively, but those cost a tad more then $150...

Epson. You can't go wrong.

[masmdu]

2. "Fantabulous"...LOL:)...Thanks

Ill check it out.

[masmdu]

3. any opinion on the Epson Perfection 2400?

[Deja Q]

5. Same thing, lower DPI, less software... I just read a review...

It is 2400x4800 DPI.

I'd recommend, as this is a scanner, to buy whichever model at Best Buy and pay the $30 or whatever for the extended warranty. I did for my HP scanners and, as a result, got $400 in credit - which I applied to the new Epson scanner and an upgraded video card. :9


http://reviews.cnet.com/Epson_Perfection_2400_Photo/4505-3136_7-20077919.html?tag=pdtl-list

http://reviews.cnet.com/Epson_Perfection_3170/4505-3136_7-30527152.html?tag=pdtl-list

Cnet and zdnet had virtually identical reviews, including ratings (7.2 and 7.5 respectively). Amusingly, user comments differ on both sites. I don't understand why users reported the 3170 so badly. (The negative comments have no commonalities amongst them. If lots of users report the same problem, then it's time to raise your eyebrow. And as for the user who whined about OCR quality, OCR software that's bundles is crap for any brand and I've used many. Only ABBYY FineReader does a decent job at OCR...) The 2400 also appears omre highly rated because it's an older model and has been out for some time. The 3170 is comparatively new.

http://reviews-zdnet.com.com/Epson_Perfection_2400_Photo/4505-3136_16-20077919.html

http://reviews-zdnet.com.com/Epson_Perfection_3170/4505-3136_16-30527152.html?tag=pdtl-list

Zdnet claimed that bright colors lacked saturation.

Zdnet's big complaint on the 3170 is slow speed for higher optical resolution. All I can say to that is "Well, duh" - higher resolution takes more time and is worth it. They also nitpicked the included s/w package, but Adobe Photoshop Elements 2 is a good product, I bought that separately some time ago for $100...

But if you can spare that $40, the extra resolution and ease of use with scanning negs is well worth it. (3200x6400 makes a gigantic difference in quality.)

[masmdu]

4. kick...Anybody else?