Epson Perfection 2480 Limited Edition Photo Flatbed Scanner with Feeder (B11B172171)

Rating:
Summary: Digital imaging made simplified!!!
Review: I just bought this scanner, and have only used it a few times, but I'm already blown away by how easy this is to use! Since my first two kids were born before digital cameras, I have boxes of photos to "digitize". This is making very quick work of it. I like the fact that it even accomodates the older square photos from when I was a kid. It has a color restoration feature on it for these older photos, and so far, so good. It quickly and easily converts back to the standard flatbed for bigger photos. I would definetely recommend this to anyone with a large amount of hard copy photos they would like to preserve.

Rating:
Summary: Stacks and Stacks of Photographs Scanned...
Review: I've scanned over 3,000 photographs with this scanner and its automatic feeder. At the highest resolution, it takes about 45-seconds to scan each photograph. It sucks it in, previews the image, scans the image, spits out the photograph, and sucks in another to start the process all over again. It will save each photograph with a file name you specify automatically - all you do is load a stack of photographs and walk away. The feeder will hold about 25 photographs at a time, but you can add more to it to keep it "full" for continuous feeding. I load it, walk away, and then come back later to place more photographs under the ones already in the stack. While it'll hold 25 photographs, I've successfully scanned over 150 by adding to the stack before it's completed its job. Since you don't have to continuously monitor this scanner it's amazing how fast a large stack of photographs will turn into digital images. I load it and about every 15 minutes I add to the stack. Besides the automatic feeder, it comes with a normal lid that you can switch between. The lid has a built-in light for scanning film and slides (I haven't used this feature yet). It also comes with a "stand" to store the lid or the automatic feeder when it's not attached to the scanner (you can see both in the photograph I posted here). If you have a lot of photographs laying around that you want to turn into digital images - this is the scanner for you. I'll post further information if I run across any problems.

Rating:
Summary: Wow! Great Photo Scanner!
Review: I've tried scanning in all my hard copy photos over the years, but the process of doing so on a traditional flatbed scanner has made the process nearly unbearable.

It's about time that one of the big players released a scanner with auto-feed capability to scan photos effortlessly at a reasonable price.

The scanner itself produces very nice scans and is a compitent piece of hardware. The real gem however is the feeder lid which has made scanning my collection of photos a breeze. No jams, no damage to the photos, and no hassle. Just drop a batch of up to 25 photos in the feed mechanism and go have a snack while the scanner does all the work. The included software does everything you need it to do - adjust color, crop, rotate, or remove red-eye - all with an easy to use interface.

Only downsides were that the installation process was a bit messy (it does the job, but seems to be 4 software installation processes in one) and that the auto-feed mechanism can't accomodate 5x7's.

If you have a bunch of photo albums around and want to take your memories digital, this is the scanner for you.