HP Photosmart S20 Xi Scanner what do you think

[photonut1]

I am interested in this scanner and would like to know what your experiences are w/ it. I would like to mostly scan negatives and photos (from my Leica M6 ttl) and put it on CDs and to email to friends. This scanner is in my price range ($150) on ebay. Thanks in advance. Ann

 

[ttam]

> If your primary needs are to scan and email your Leica photos, the S20 will do fine. If your intention is to use your scans a digitally print them beyond 8x10, you > might find that it's maximum optical resolution of 2400dpi to be a bit limiting. Two major advantages with the S2 scanner lie with its simple to use interface AND > its ability to scan panoramic negatives and slides. With few (very few) exceptions, the other scanners are incapable of this function. If you do buy it, I would > make sure that you keep its rubber rollers clean as it uses them to transport the film strip during its scanning cycle. If they are not spotless, I afraid that any > dirt might be transferred to your film strip, neccessiting their subsequent removal or they'll be 'imbedded' into the film. As I mentioned before, its user > interface is simple to use, but if you want more controls over your scanning operation, I would highly recommend that you log onto www.hamrick.com and download a > trial version of their VueScan scanning software. Two advantages with VueScan are 1) that it fully support the S20 and practically all other scanners - film and > flat bed - so you have to learn only one interface and 2) it has dozens of film profiles and you select the one for the film that you want to scan. Doing so > renders all your scans to have the proper color balance and the few times that you need to 'touch' up you color balance is when your shots were done in 'mixed' > lighting conditions. The problem with VueScan is that its interface IS NOT intuitive, so make you read up on their user's guide. If you like it, buy their 'Pro' > version and you have a lifetime free upgrade to go with it. Rick updates his software VERY frequently - you can almost expect one upgrade at least once each month. > Tsun