Microtek ScanMaker S400 Flatbed Scanner

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: Another reviewer praised this scanner because it scanned photos well. I would concur, but other than that this scanner is a bust. It is clumsy to use and the controls are not user friendly. Despite claiming to make use of USB 2.0 technology it is excruciatingly slow, even with plain B&W low res text. It is virtually useless for scanning multiple pages of text into, for example, a .pdf file because after each page you have to tell it what you want it to scan again. And whose idea was the black background on the lid? Since it is difficult and time consuming to set up and scan you often end up with scans that are bordered with black rather than white. Endless pixels of waste that have to be cropped and also sacrafice some of the quality of the scan. I plan on donating the scanner to the Goodwill and I kick myself for not returning it while I had the chance

Rating:
Summary: Average
Review: I bought this scanner because I was looking to scan negatives, and I was attracted by the low price and high scan resolution. Of course, you get what you pay for. In this case, it seems that I paid for Photoshop Elements 2.0 ($35), and a $100 scanner. The scans are quite sharp, and it comes with a lit adapter for negative scans. The downside is that the scanner is excrutiatingly slow. A 4800 dpi scan (4 times the resolution a film developing place puts on a photo cd) of a single image from a negative strip took nearly 10 minutes to scan. It was slow, but a very sharp and clear scan. A smaller scan (1200 dpi, roughly 1000 x 1500 image, about equivalent to a photo cd) took 5 minutes to scan the image.

The other flaw is that the negative holder has no "feet," so if your scanner is not even, it will slide across the glass while you are scanning. Putting the back of the scanner off of the desk leant it back, and kept it in place will enough, but it's unfortunate that I had to make such a gimmicked solution. Again, though, you get what you pay for. For less than $150, it's hard to find a 9600 dpi optical scanner. Verdict - flawed, but nice image.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Scanner For Film To Digital Processing
Review: I've been holding out on a scanner for quite a while as I've been mainly concerned with digital cameras and skipping the step of going from film to digital. While out shopping I was browsing through the scanner department when this modern high tech looking scanner caught my eye. I went home and researched the brand and found out that they basically invented the scanner and have a long history as I was concerned if they would be around tomorrow if I had a problem with it. Going back to the store I found that they had one left in stock and quickly snatched it up. Bringing it home I found it extremely easy to setup and use.

The customers that bring me film images to scan in and create digital scrapbooks of their families and friends. The color quality that the scanner produces is far superior to what I had expected. The optics of this scanner are perfect for anyone who photos and wants to be able to quickly and easily take a photo and be working with it in the computer; whether it be to edit the photo, post it online or print it out. All in all I couldn't be happier! And ohh, it just looks so sleak!