Inexpensive. With no experience I was able to get a good scan with a well exposed slide the first time. It installed very easy with Windows98

The instruction manual is worthless. I was operating on intuition. Whether it is my inexperience or something in the unit I could not get a good scan with a less than good exposure.

For the price, I was able to get a scanner. Even if it doesn't work too well, for my purposes it is satisfactory. I simply wanted to be able to scan a slide, insert it in a presentation , send it to my kids or make a print. Even if it proves not so hot quality, when I want to I can move up, I can. If you want a inexpensive scanner, my experience has been good.

Customer Service

I have not tried customer service

Similar Products Used:

nONE

Cost

Quality of mechanics, inferior scans

Out of the box scan head jammed and made lots of grinding noises. Scans using my flatbed produced better focus, sharper colors, and crisper edges. When scanning B&W (grey scale) negatives application would freeze when producing final scan (preview worked fine). OK if you can accept mediocre results.

Customer Service

N/A

Similar Products Used:

Epson Perfection 610 flatbed

Price and specifications

2 samples did not work

The first unit I tried made a loud buzzing noise
when I tried to install the driver. The computer
locked up. New drivers gave the same result.
The second unit had parts of the scan mechanism
rattling aorund in the unit. Didn't try to power
it on. Two DOA give the impression that they
leave final QA to the customer. The one that
fell apart during shipping left me wondering
about longevity.

Customer Service

n/a

Similar Products Used:

none

Low Price for 1800 DPI scans

Supplied software drivers would not work with Windows ME. had to download updated drivers from PacificImage Web Page

The latest 2001 drivers are a must. It seems units are still being sold with the old drivers.
When it works it is great. Used in combination with an $89 Kodak personal printmaker, low cost scans and photo quality 5x7 prints are a reality

Customer Service

Used Web page. Good for updated drivers and FAQs

Similar Products Used:

Microtek X6 with slide scanner.

Cheap, compact. But doesn't deserve a value rating when it's so unreliable.

Rubbish quality, caused PC to lock up frequently. Locked up itself frequently.

This goes under the name 'Black Widow' Here in the UK. Bought it because it looked like a nice cheap way of getting better scans than a flat bed. It isn't.
The drivers lock the PC up, the device itself frequently jammed and full power down/reboots were needed to get going again. MY PC never shutdown properly when I had this thing connected to it. The quality of scans was hopeless, the lense was out of focus and their seemed to be a light leak somewhere causing a streak. It was hopeless with anything vaguely under-exposed and colour rendition was inconsistent and awful.

Customer Service

Non-existent

Similar Products Used:

A few flat-beds, Minolta Dual Scan II

With some practice it can produce excellent scans

Quality assurance from the manufacturer appears to be non-existent. ("Award winning ?" Get real...)

I also experienced a product defect nightmare. It took 4 units before I got one that worked for more than a few hours (buzzing noises accompanied by all-green or all magenta scans, "optical failure" messages from the sucky TWAIN driver..) The bundled software is crap; use Photoshop or similar and do a File->Acquire for better results.. My 4th scanner is working (so far) but doesn't have the sharp focus of the first 3, so I may try a 5th time.......... I envy those who've gotten theirs in perfect working order on the first try. It appears to be just good luck.

Customer Service

Tech support was very helpful and courteous. I found that you have to call them; email first didn't get a response.

Similar Products Used:

Microtek Scan Maker 3700 w/film adapter

Capable of very good scans

A few quirks in the drivers / firmware make it finicky if you don't understand how to work around them.

Having done extensive testing with this product I have found some really quirky behavior which can be positively maddening to the uninitiated. Most will assume these are hardware defects and will return their scanners unless they figure it out.. If you're experiencing all-one-color (or all black) scans, loud buzzing/grinding noises during scans, or the dreaded optical failure error messages and are unable to get satisfaction through the normal channels, email me. I just might have the solution to your problems.

Customer Service

Very good

Similar Products Used:

Quite a few, nothing in this price range

Cheapish
Easy to install

Poor quality scans from both slide & neg
Noisy
Needed much post-processing to get acceptable result

Poor. Returned it to shop day after purchase and got refund.

Customer Service

Not tried

Similar Products Used:

None

Cheap price for 1800 dpi.
Well built.
Easy to use.
Easy to install.
Good software package.

none so far...

If you need a good quality scanner for negatives or transparencies, this is an excellent choice, especially for the price. I have not personally had the problems others here say they have, so I can't complain at all. Installation was a breeze, and within 10 minutes I was scanning with great results...! Buy one if you want a big step up from a flatbed scanner...Resolution is superb. Some say that if you haven't got 3400dpi, you haven't got a REAL scanner...! Don't believe it...

Customer Service

not needed so far...Had to download the new driver for windows Me.

Similar Products Used:

canon 2710

Very Cheap, Works off 12 volts so you can use it in the car

Sometimes the scans come out green. Poor software. The twain driver is poor.

The scanner was broken when I got it out the box, I managed to fix it myself. Not the best scanner but the only one I could find that works off 12 volts so I can use it with my laptop to scan in my car (i am a press photographer)

Customer Service

Not used it

Similar Products Used:

Nikon Coolscan in the office. I brought the Pacific Image scanner to use with my laptop on location.