----- Original Message ----- From: Albert Fekson Subject: Re: flatbed scanners
> >>I have a 2450. Is that close?<< > > William, > > I would love to hear your opinion. Most flatbeds have problems scanning > negatives, Epson seems to have solved the problem. The reason I am > interested in Canon model is due to the fact that it has software similar to > ICE, so dust and scratches will be less of a problem. So far I am pretty pleased with it. I have it hooked up via USB. My last fltbed scanner went through the parallel port, and was WAY slower. I haven't tried scanning Kodachrome with it yet. To me, this is the true test of a scanner, as Kodachrome has just about the darkest D-Max of any film made. IF you can scan it without getting banding or noise, the scanner is good. I think the 2450 is 48 bit depth, so I am hopeful. The 2450 was actually designed to be able to scan film from the start. There are no Rube Goldberg attachments to film scanning. You remove the white backing piece from the lid to expose a cold light source and tell the software what you are scanning. The scanner comes with 3 plastic plates to hold film in the correct position. The 35 film plate holds 2 strips of 6 negatives, the slide holder will hold 4 mounted slides, and there is another holder for 4x5 film or 120 film. It will hold 1 sheet of 4x5, or 1 6x9 (or smaller) negative. It might do 2 645 negs at once, but I don't have a 645 film strip handy to check. I have heard of some people having focus problems with the 2540, but I haven't encountered any. Scan speeds are not all that fast on my rig, but fast enough. I haven't actually timed it, so thats the best information I can give. Sorry. Scratches and dust are the bane of any scanning system. Most scanners seem to use a point source to illuminate the negative (my old HP Photosmart was one), and like a collimated enlarger light source, they show every scratch or dust speck. The 2450 uses a diffused light source. I don't know if this will make a difference or not (probably not), but the scans I get seem easier to deal with than the ones off my Photosmart. I have minimal experience with Digital Ice, and it's ilk so I will let others comment on how well it works. William Robb
