Can someone recommend a good scanner?

cayenne

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Mar 28, 2012
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Can someone recommend a good quality scanner for not only documents, but also for pictures, 35mm film and slides?

I have some old photos I want to scan and use PS to repair some of...etc.

What's a good scanner?

I've been looking at the Canon CanoScan 9000F MKII Color Image Scanner, and wondering if this is a good choice to make?

Thanks in advance,

cayenne
 

dcm

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Apr 18, 2013
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Depends on how many you plan to scan and the sizes. I have a few thousand old family photos, negatives and slides I am scanning for archival and sharing with family members. I also have 10K+ film images of my own.

I looked at Canon's offering a few years ago and chose to go with the the Epson V750 (12 slides, 4 35mm film strips, medium format, and large format). Canon's tray capacity/support was more limited. The Epson supports Digital Ice to eliminate dust/scratch from film/slides - Canon's FARE is similar. I am quite happy with the decision for my high volume scanning. If my volume was less I would have considered Canon's offering.

The V750 has a few better features than the V700. Looks like the V850 trays hold fewer slides and film strips at a time and have a similar feature delta over the V800, but they are otherwise similar. I use Firewire on my V750, doesn't look like they now offer it on any of these models now. They do say USB 2.0 High speed. I might have upgraded if USB 3.0 was available on the V800s since I'm less than half done.

I use VueScan to do my scanning. It has the best combination of workflow/features for my purposes. YMMV
 
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cayenne said:
Can someone recommend a good quality scanner for not only documents, but also for pictures, 35mm film and slides?

I have some old photos I want to scan and use PS to repair some of...etc.

What's a good scanner?

I've been looking at the Canon CanoScan 9000F MKII Color Image Scanner, and wondering if this is a good choice to make?

Thanks in advance,

cayenne

I picked up a used Epson V700 doe $100 locally about a year ago. Its good for scanning photos and larger format negatives, but for 35mm slides, its just OK. A dedicated slide scanner might be better if you have a large number. You can probably find a used slide scanner, finish your job and resell it. I have only a few hundred old slides that were never really great, so my V700 is fine for those. I've a ton of old 120 B&W negatives from the 1940's that it does very well with.
 
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cayenne

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dcm said:
Depends on how many you plan to scan and the sizes. I have a few thousand old family photos, negatives and slides I am scanning for archival and sharing with family members. I also have 10K+ film images of my own.

I looked at Canon's offering a few years ago and chose to go with the the Epson V750 (12 slides, 4 35mm film strips, medium format, and large format). Canon's tray capacity/support was more limited. The Epson supports Digital Ice to eliminate dust/scratch from film/slides - Canon's FARE is similar. I am quite happy with the decision for my high volume scanning. If my volume was less I would have considered Canon's offering.

The V750 has a few better features than the V700. Looks like the V850 trays hold fewer slides and film strips at a time and have a similar feature delta over the V800, but they are otherwise similar. I use Firewire on my V750, doesn't look like they now offer it on any of these models now. They do say USB 2.0 High speed. I might have upgraded if USB 3.0 was available on the V800s since I'm less than half done.

I use VueScan to do my scanning. It has the best combination of workflow/features for my purposes. YMMV

Wow..that's VERY nice!!

It appears the new version of that is:
http://www.amazon.com/Epson-Perfection-V850-Pro-scanner/dp/B00OCEJMG8

That is a bit rich for what I"m needing right now, I don't need to do a lot of volume, but I do want quality. I was hoping for something in the $200-$300 range if possible.

I was looking at something like this:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AGV7TQG
vs what appeared to be a comparable Epson:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002OEBMRU

I had an old, cheap-o Epson NX430 that went tits up after only a short lifetime, and was a bit hesitant on the Epson brand....reviews of many of theirs seemed to say "flimsy"..but then again, you're talking a whole magnitude of level higher in price and quality too I'm guessing.

Hmm.

I want something to give me a nice quality, but no need for heavy volume...and hoping to not break the bank on price either.

Thanks for the reply...and look forward to yours or any other folks' suggestions!!

C
 
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cayenne

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kphoto99 said:
To add a question, does anybody makes a scanner similar to Epson v600 and up that has a network interface.

I have an office scanner (not good enough for photos) that can send the scans to FTP, email, or USB stick, but I would like a photo scanner that does the same. I don't need ICE features.

So far, it seems only the cheaper ones are network/wireless capable....
 
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LDS

Sep 14, 2012
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dcm said:
I use Firewire on my V750, doesn't look like they now offer it on any of these models now. They do say USB 2.0 High speed. I might have upgraded if USB 3.0 was available on the V800s since I'm less than half done.

Firewire is dead, even Apple moved to Thunderbold and now USB-C. I'm not sure a scanner is so fast in scanning data and processing - especially at higher res - it can take advantage of USB 3.0 or Thunderbolt speeds... guess USB 2.0 is enough, older model offered fireware also because USB 1.x was really too slow even for a scanner.
 
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I'm still using a Epson Expression 1600 from 2000 on Firewire, so I can certainly commend Epson on durability, at least in their pro line.

One thing I would recommend is picking up Silverfast as your scanner software. It's so much more sophisticated than what comes in the box. The way it works is that it does a quick prescan, then it gives you all of the tools you're used to for RAW processing. You make your adjustments and then run the final scan giving you perfect results. I've used it for over 15 years now and it's well worth the cost.
 
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cayenne

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mackguyver said:
I'm still using a Epson Expression 1600 from 2000 on Firewire, so I can certainly commend Epson on durability, at least in their pro line.

One thing I would recommend is picking up Silverfast as your scanner software. It's so much more sophisticated than what comes in the box. The way it works is that it does a quick prescan, then it gives you all of the tools you're used to for RAW processing. You make your adjustments and then run the final scan giving you perfect results. I've used it for over 15 years now and it's well worth the cost.

Thank you.
Is the "Silverfast" software only for the Espon, or will it work with the Canon scanner(s) I'm considering as well?

Thanks in advance,

C
 
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cayenne said:
mackguyver said:
I'm still using a Epson Expression 1600 from 2000 on Firewire, so I can certainly commend Epson on durability, at least in their pro line.

One thing I would recommend is picking up Silverfast as your scanner software. It's so much more sophisticated than what comes in the box. The way it works is that it does a quick prescan, then it gives you all of the tools you're used to for RAW processing. You make your adjustments and then run the final scan giving you perfect results. I've used it for over 15 years now and it's well worth the cost.

Thank you.
Is the "Silverfast" software only for the Espon, or will it work with the Canon scanner(s) I'm considering as well?

Thanks in advance,

C
It works for most major scanners and is priced according to the difficulty it takes to create the scanner interface. Here's the product page:

http://www.silverfast.com/product/en.html
 
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mackguyver said:
One thing I would recommend is picking up Silverfast as your scanner software. It's so much more sophisticated than what comes in the box. The way it works is that it does a quick prescan, then it gives you all of the tools you're used to for RAW processing. You make your adjustments and then run the final scan giving you perfect results. I've used it for over 15 years now and it's well worth the cost.

Which version? They list three versions, and have a matrix comparing the versions, but they don't describe the differences.

For example, do I need "SilverFast Multi-Exposure", or "Expert Mode"?

Which version do you have?

Thanks
 
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LDS

Sep 14, 2012
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hgraf said:
For example, do I need "SilverFast Multi-Exposure", or "Expert Mode"?

It looks multi-exposure is something interesting- it should improve DR if your scanner supports it, but really features should be explained better, and the site graphic itself is a bit "outdate" and finding tech info not so easy.

Is this software is worth its price, especially from the plus version onwards, when used with some lower end scanner? I don't question its performance with high-end ones, for example I have an Epson 2400 Photo, and often I was not satisfied by Epson software result scanning slides - sometimes are OK, sometimes they are not, luckily a demo is available, hope it will allow for a good test before buying.
 
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cayenne

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Ok, I'm getting ready to pull the trigger.

It would appears that the consensus here is for Epson over Canon.

I'm looking at either

Epson:
http://www.amazon.com/Epson-Perfection-Negative-Document-Scanner/dp/B002OEBMRU

or this

Canon:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AGV7TQG

So, I'm trying to decide. I'd originally been leaning to the Canon...since my last all-in-one that crapped out on me was an Epson...but I'm now leaning towards the Epson standalone.

Any more thoughts before I pull the trigger between these two?

Thanks in advance,

cayenne
 
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cayenne said:
Ok, I'm getting ready to pull the trigger.

It would appears that the consensus here is for Epson over Canon.

I'm looking at either

Epson:
http://www.amazon.com/Epson-Perfection-Negative-Document-Scanner/dp/B002OEBMRU

or this

Canon:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AGV7TQG

So, I'm trying to decide. I'd originally been leaning to the Canon...since my last all-in-one that crapped out on me was an Epson...but I'm now leaning towards the Epson standalone.

Any more thoughts before I pull the trigger between these two?

Thanks in advance,

cayenne

I have the Canon, and I don't have the Epson, so I can't comment on "better".

That said, I find the Canon is fantastic. It's quick, the scans are exactly what I was looking for. Works great for non photography work to. The autoscan button scan a documents straight to PDF, very useful.

TTYL
 
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cayenne

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Mar 28, 2012
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hgraf said:
cayenne said:
Ok, I'm getting ready to pull the trigger.

It would appears that the consensus here is for Epson over Canon.

I'm looking at either

Epson:
http://www.amazon.com/Epson-Perfection-Negative-Document-Scanner/dp/B002OEBMRU

or this

Canon:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AGV7TQG

So, I'm trying to decide. I'd originally been leaning to the Canon...since my last all-in-one that crapped out on me was an Epson...but I'm now leaning towards the Epson standalone.

Any more thoughts before I pull the trigger between these two?

Thanks in advance,

cayenne

I have the Canon, and I don't have the Epson, so I can't comment on "better".

That said, I find the Canon is fantastic. It's quick, the scans are exactly what I was looking for. Works great for non photography work to. The autoscan button scan a documents straight to PDF, very useful.

TTYL
Does it seem a pretty solid built unit?
How about the software that comes with it? I've heard gripes and complaints about that..do you use what came with it, or just import straight into Photoshop, or what?

Also, are you using Windows or OSX? I'd heard that some users had problems when they upgraded OSX to Yosimite and it broke the drivers being used with the Canon.

Thanks in advance!!

cayenne
 
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greger

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Jan 1, 2013
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I bought the CanoScan 9000F mark ll on sale at London drugs 6 months ago and I really like it. Upgrading my iMac's
Operating system caused the scan to printer button and scanner software to no longer work. I can still use the scanner
Program to scan to PDFs and then print. Haven't tried to scan negs or slides yet but am sure it will work flawlessly.
I would do a Google "Canoscan 9000 F mark ll problems" and see what others have to say. I hadn't found any bad reviews in the short time I looked.
 
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cayenne said:
Does it seem a pretty solid built unit?
How about the software that comes with it? I've heard gripes and complaints about that..do you use what came with it, or just import straight into Photoshop, or what?

Also, are you using Windows or OSX? I'd heard that some users had problems when they upgraded OSX to Yosimite and it broke the drivers being used with the Canon.

Thanks in advance!!

cayenne

1) I consider it pretty solid, and very well built.
2) I only use the software that came with it. Works well enough for my purposes (35mm and 120 neg film scans, have done a few 35mm slides as well).
3) I save the scans as lossless compressed TIFFs, often in full 16bit, and load those into LR for post. Sometimes I do go to PS from there for the odd thing (i.e. dust spot that wasn't automatically removed, spot from bad drying, or crease in a negative).
4) Mac, whatever the latest OS is. Honestly with my Mac I've never paid much attention, when it says there is an OS update, I just update, have never had a problem, might have been lucky there.

TTYL
 
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cayenne

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Mar 28, 2012
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Ok...after much consideration and research (much of it here, THANK YOU).

I pulled the trigger on the Epson V600...should be here this weekend. I seemed to think that both of the units were similar in functionality and fidelity...the Epson *might* have some edge on some qualities, but way really pushed me over...was that Epson seems to have better driver compatibility across operating systems AND different versions of the OSes....

So, looking forward to getting the unit in this weekend!!

Thanks to all!!

C
 
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