Buying a slide scanner is a major investment for home and businesses. Here is a review to help you buy the best slide scanner that will suit your needs.
Among the different types of scanners, a slide scanner is basically the one that is built to scan 35mm slides and film negatives. If you have stored slides of photos, then using this appliance you can make digital copies of the photos. The market is flooded with a variety of slide scanners and all claim to do the required kind of job. A proper comparison between different models and their prices would help you get the most out of your buy.
Features of Some of the Best Slide Scanners Available
Canon CanoScan 9000F
Loaded with 9600 x 9600 dpi (dots per inch) optical resolution (which can be enhanced up to 19,200 x 19200 dpi), and 48-bit color, this equipment has been appreciated by several consumers. It is regarded to be one of the high-end scanners which offer features such as auto scratch and dust removal, auto fix problems of grain, fading and backlight. Also, it does the scanning with a white LED which saves energy, and it has a zero warm up time. Not to forget, it proves more useful when it comes to scanning older pictures. If you work specially deals with enlargement and high resolution printing, then this device is the best buy. It comes with a warranty of a year for service and support, and included accessory is a film adapter. Approximate price – $172.72
Epson Perfection V300 Photo Color Scanner
This slide scanner offers 4800 x 9600 dpi optical resolution, with an added benefit of Digital Dust Correction Technology. Thanks to the device’s high-rise lid (180-degree lid), you can easily use it to scan stuffs starting from books to 3D objects. According to most users, this device does not get warm up like most other scanners, and it is also quick in its operation. More importantly, most people appreciated the ease of use of this scanner. The Epson Easy Photo Fix technology restores faded color photos to life. The LED technology makes the machine a less power consuming one, and it is also mercury free. This device comes with a film holder, Hi-Speed USB 2.0 cable, CD-ROM software, and AC adapter. Approximate price – $99.99.
Nikon CoolScan V LS-50 ED Film Scanner
If you are looking for a device that can be used for all sorts of scanning purposes, then this might be the right buy for you. It has an HD optical resolution of 4000 dpi, and for the whole scan process, it would take a mere 38 seconds of your time. Apart from working on slides, it also works with film strips, APS films, etc. An important feature this device has is its image correction technology so the user gets accurate results; thanks to its Digital ICE4 Advanced suite of image. The device also lacks warm-up time or risk of heat damage, and this has been ensured by the device’s LED illumination technology. Additional features include one touch button for scan and preview, plug-and-play USB interface, and a one year limited warranty. Most people enjoyed working with this scanner because of its speed, precision and superior quality output. Approximate price – $2999.99
SVP FS1800 Silver Digital Film And Slide Scanner
The most important selling point for this scanner is its conversion of slides and negatives into digital images in 5 seconds, and that too with a one-touch access button. It offers Auto Exposure and Color Balance. Its most important feature is that it can be worked with without any computer or application software thus, making it one of a kind slide scanner on the market. Not to forget, the scanner is enabled with the feature to produce images larger enough to be printed on a A-4 page. Also, the user can edit the images, preview them and even playback. Approximate price – $69.95
Pacific Image Power Slide 3650 Film/Slide Scanner
With an amazing speed of non-stop scanning of 50 slides at a time, the Pacific Image Power Slide 3650 Film/Slide Scanner provides 3600 dpi optical resolution. It has a 48-bit data conversion and the scanner is enabled with auto focus function, and Dmax 3.8 dynamic range. And the cumulative effort of all these features can be seen in the form of vivid images captured from the slides. The machine has features that enable editing of images as you wish and organize the images with ease. Here, you can view the slide image before scanning. For this, the Power Slide has an inbuilt mini light panel. The interface is USB1.1/2.0 and FireWire (IEEE1394). Approximate price – $755
Plustek 7600i AI Optic Film
Plustek 7600i comes in the list of professional slide scanners. Compared to other Plustek scanners, this one has been built with an improved software, which features the ability to deal with dust and scratches on the images to be scanned; thanks to its infrared feature. As the name suggests, it has an optical resolution of 7200dpi, works with a color depth of 48-bit. The technology used in this device to minimize image noise is the SilverFast multiple sampling function. The USB 2.0 Hi-Speed ensures quick transfer of the scanned data to the computer. Not to mention, it has also been rated as an environment friendly equipment, and energy efficient too. Approximate price – $405.38
Reflecta DigitDia 5000
The Reflecta DigitDia 5000 offers a scanning speed of 90 secs, with a capacity of scanning 100 slides. Apart from the 3600 x 3600 optical resolution, the scanner has an improved USB 2.0 connection. The scanning can be performed directly from a magazine due to its capacity of 100 slides at a time. It also features Digital ICE technology, and a scanning mode of 48-bit. It is compatible for CS/Universal/Braun and LKM Magazines. The machine is enabled with a scanning preview of 15 secs. It features a color depth of 48-bit, and dust and scratch removal technology. It also comprises the Adaptive color restoration (ACR), and is compatible with Mac OSX 10.3 – 10.6, and Windows 2000, XP, Vista and 7. Approximate price – $995.10
There are a variety of other slide scanners available, apart from the ones described above. All these scanners vary in their features and performance. The efficiency of a scanner depends on the kind of job it is assigned. In search of the best slide scanner, it is easy to be lured by so many of such products advertising themselves. However, not all of them perform as they commit. A comparative analysis of these devices is the key to a smart and reasonable bargain.
