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#1 2005-08-31 7:11 pm
- GodzFire
- Sniping UT players, one headshot at a time
- From: Parts Unknown
- Registered: 2003-06-04
- Posts: 57
Need advice on which scanner out of three to buy. Please help!
Hey all. I am hoping I can get your thoughts, comments, and feedback with any information you might have on the three following scanners I am considering. I am going to be getting it for solely digitizing my family's photo history. This includes scanning, restoring, and archiving. The main point I want in the scanner is excellent picture detail. I can Photoshop the pics back to life once I have them scanned, but first need one which will give me perfect source material. Here are the three:
Epson Perfection 3490 - SPEC Page
Epson Perfection 3170 - SPEC Page
Microtek ScanMaker i320 - SPEC Page
Price really isn't an option because I've been watching eBay and could find a deal once I figured out which was the one to get. The 3490 was just released in August, and has a high dpi for a low price. The 3170 in reviews I've seen said the image quality is excellent. The i320 was deemed the best of the bargain scanners by MacAddict in their Oct 04 issue.
As you can see, three good candidates, one tough choice. Any and all feedback appreciated. Thanks all!
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#2 2005-08-31 8:04 pm
- Czachorski
- Member
- Registered: 2002-12-20
- Posts: 5587
Re: Need advice on which scanner out of three to buy. Please help!
This is a review I did of the HP 5500c a couple of years ago. It is a little stale, but I bet HP makes a newer and better of these with the auto-photo feeder. This looks like the current incarnation of the one I have. The auto-photo-feeder has proven to be an excellent time saver, as I can drop 30 photos in it and hit the scan button and walk away. I have scanned about 4,000 photos with it, and it was used extensively to convert all my old family photos sitting in boxes to digital. In one weekend, I did about 2,500 photos, and in one day, I did about 1,200. When crusing at full speed, I was doing 100 scans an hour with the feeder, including scanning, importing into iPhoto and cropping in iPhoto. I would check into this type of scanning option for your project.
Tracking the Tech
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#3 2005-08-31 8:20 pm
- dv
- Negusa Negest
- Moderator
- From: Minneapolis, MN
- Registered: 1999-08-30
- Posts: 18092
Re: Need advice on which scanner out of three to buy. Please help!
I've always been a fan of the Canon LiDe series. Small, decent image quality, cheap, and excellent software.
"Now commences the process of cutting off the head, which generally takes from an hour to an hour and a half by an expert workman with a sharp blade." -Reuben Delano, Wanderings and Adventures
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#4 2005-08-31 8:53 pm
Re: Need advice on which scanner out of three to buy. Please help!
Going by the specs of the 3 you listed, I say either the Epson Perfection 3170 or the Microtek ScanMaker i320.
The Epson Perfection 3490 may have similar capabilities to the Epson Perfection 3170 but the 3170 is faster and comes with Photoshop Elements.
The Microtek ScanMaker i320 has FireWire as well as USB 1.1/2.0 support and comes with Photoshop Elements.
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#5 2005-08-31 9:09 pm
- jonahfish7
- Member
- From: Lakeland, FL, USA
- Registered: 2000-08-08
- Posts: 529
Re: Need advice on which scanner out of three to buy. Please help!
Anything by Epson is very good. Don't waste money for a flatbed with a 35mm adapter because flatbeds can't do justice to slides like a dedicated slide scanner can. There are numerous sites that explore the inherent advantages that a dedicated slide scanner has over a flatbed.
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#6 2005-08-31 11:21 pm
- MtHowitzer
- Member
- From: New Mexico, USA
- Registered: 2004-01-15
- Posts: 375
Re: Need advice on which scanner out of three to buy. Please help!
I vote for the Epson (either one, most likely the 3170) as well. I've had one for almost a year now and have never had a problem w/ it. I used to have an HP and was never happy w/ the quality and had several small annoying problems using it. I think it probably comes down to personal preference. I'm glad to hear Czachorski liked the HP and obviously used the hell out of it. I was a huge fan of HP for a long time but have since become less enchanted with their products.
Never underestimate the predictibility of stupidity
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#7 2005-08-31 11:28 pm
- bloomsday
- Mmber
- From: edge of ledge
- Registered: 2001-04-13
- Posts: 4040
Re: Need advice on which scanner out of three to buy. Please help!
avoid HP.
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#8 2005-09-01 12:50 am
- MacAddict4Life
- Member
- From: Castro Valley
- Registered: 2000-04-24
- Posts: 2797
- Website
Re: Need advice on which scanner out of three to buy. Please help!
I've been VERY happy with my Epson Perfection 1200U, even now so many years after buying it. I use it rarely, though.
Avoid Microtek! My dad tried them, as did the Journalism class back in high school... all with little to no success. Go with either Epson.
The 3490 appears to include the Transparency adaptor, so no separate purchase needed. However if you plan to scan a lot of negatives, you'll want one with auto-feed. Still, if prices are close, I'd get that. Otherwise, they seem pretty identical. Oh, it looks cooler.
http://www.ernestphillips.com/
"Of all the habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indespensible supports." -George Washington
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#9 2005-09-01 2:08 am
- allan
- Member
- Registered: 2000-09-19
- Posts: 1084
Re: Need advice on which scanner out of three to buy. Please help!
This one seems like a decent one:
http://www.macaddict.com/issues/0507/rev.canoscan.html
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#10 2005-09-07 9:59 am
- GodzFire
- Sniping UT players, one headshot at a time
- From: Parts Unknown
- Registered: 2003-06-04
- Posts: 57
Re: Need advice on which scanner out of three to buy. Please help!
Anyone else?
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#11 2005-09-07 10:19 am
- peepl_r_dum
- Member
- Registered: 2005-05-18
- Posts: 505
Re: Need advice on which scanner out of three to buy. Please help!
I'll echo MacAddict4Life's statement. Avoid Microtek. I have one and it's horrid. The glass has come apart from the casing, the drivers are really iffy and the software is horrible, automatically starting up every time I log in. There is no real reason for it and it doesn't show up in the 'startup items'. The only way I've found to disable it is to disconnect the scanner. Even then I was having issues.
HP is good.
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