Epson Perfection
Test Review comments: The Epson Perfection Photo scanner is possibly the best desktop flatbed scanner we've tested, rivaling even professional scanners costing thousands. It's the first Epson with firmware and hardware that incorporates the impressive Digital ICE technology developed by Applied Science Fiction for reducing or eliminating the effects of dust, scratches, tears, and creases in both prints and film automatically. The scanner also comes with Easy Photo Fix, Epson's proprietary equivalent of the Applied Science Fiction Digital ROC plug-in for restoring faded print and film color and the Digital GEM plug-in, which reduces the effects of film grain patterns. The Perfection scans in 48-bit color with an optical resolution of -by- and an optical density (Dmax) of 3.8, according to the companyāthe highest in its class. The silver-and-gray unit, at nearly 15 pounds and 5.3 by 12.0 by 18.7 inches (HWD), is built like a tank: large, solid, and heavy. Its rounded cover, which is also thick and heavy to accommodate the built-in transparency adapter (TA), remains upright by itself when fully openedāa welcome touch. The TA covers a 6- by 9-inch area and allows scanning of up to 8 35-mm slides, -mm negatives, 6 medium-format (2.25 by 2.25 inch) frames, or 2 4- by 5-inch frames. The scanner is PC- and Mac-compatible, has a front power button, a single programmable one-touch button, and offers USB 2.0 and FireWire connectivity. Setup and installation are fast and problem-free. The interface offers three scanning settingsāAutomatic, Home, and Professionalāand for even more control and precision. With the Perfection connected via USB 2.0, we scanned our 8- by 10-inch test photo at 300 ppi in only 17 secondsāmore than twice as fast as with a $180 (street) Microtek ScanMaker i300. Scanning film is much more time-consuming, but scan resolution is usually many times higher. Read More