Are you looking for a dedicated photo scanner that’ll give you excellent results without breaking the bank? Here are three that deserve your attention – the Canon CanoScan 9000F and the Epson Perfection V500 and V600. All receive high ratings by users and reviewers.
But before you rush out the door to purchase one, keep this in mind. If you have a high volume of prints and slides to digitize, you’d be wise to consider using a local lab. It simply takes too long on a flatbed scanner to process a large collection. If you don’t have a local lab, check out ScanMyPhotos They’ve been around for 22 years and have impressive reviews.
If you’re still determined to buy a photo scanner, you might take a moment to read Guide to Desktop Scanners by Imaging Resource.
After some careful research here are my top three picks:
Canon CanoScan 9000F ( Amazon $213.33 , B&H $174.95
“While Canon’s CanoScan 8800F and Epson’s V600 battle it out in the sub-$200 flatbed film scanner sweepstakes, Canon has quietly trumped them both with its highest resolution film flatbed ever: the CanonScan 9000F…[it] delivered credible results. We were surprised by how well our slides were captured with detail in both the highlights and shadows.” Imaging Resource Complete review
Epson Perfection V500 (Amazon $139.99, B&H $139.95
“Epson has knocked one out of the park with this scanner. It offers high-quality scans for both prints and film and features an LED light source that eliminates warm-up time. Like almost any flatbed scanner, the V500 can handle all-purpose scanning, but it’s focused on photos. This makes it most appropriate for anyone (short of a professional photographer) who needs to scan a backlog of prints and film (including slides) to digital format.” PCMag.com Complete review
Epson Perfection V600 (Amazon $199.00, B&H $170.95
“The V600 fits in Epson’s line between the less expensive Editors’ Choice Epson Perfection V500 Photo, scanner and the more expensive Epson Perfection V700 Photo. Despite the evenly spaced model numbers, it’s much closer in price and capability to the V500, but it offers some important extras. In particular, it includes Digital ICE—the hardware-based approach for digitally removing dust and scratches—for both prints and film. The V500 includes Digital ICE for film only…[the V600]offers more than acceptable scan quality and speed, and compared to the V500, it offers additional flexibility for medium format film plus Digital ICE…” PCMag.com Complete review
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Photo by iStockphoto
I had an Epson 400 (I think) and burnt out the bulb scanning over 1,000 slides. Even at that, it was a savings. Cost too much to fix so bought an Epson 600 and it is even better. Love it. I’m an Epson scanner person.
@ellenlandreth. Thanks for your comment. Good to hear your positive report on the Epson V600. DIY may not be as much of a saving as you think. If you factor in the number of hours it took times your fee, it could well be more than sending the slides to a lab. And the time your spending hunched over a scanner could well be spent on marketing your business. Just a thought.
Thanks for sharing your scanner research, it saved me a lot of time. I am going with the Canon.
@Mary. You’re welcome, Mary. I hope the Canon works out well for you.