I saw a brief mention of this scanner in a magazine and it lists for only $200. It is a film slde scanner. I am not aprofessional, but more or less an advanced hobbiest. Do you know anything about this scanner? Have you seen any reviews/tests, etc.? I usually print images from my Nikon Coolpix 800 on a HP Inkjet 952c printer with great results at 200 dpi. What kind of results might I expect from an 1800 dpi film scanner? Thanks for your help.

-- Jack McLaughlin (johnmc@cstone.net), August 24, 2000

Answers

I bought an 1800u scanner in the UK a few weeks back and use it mainly to scan 35mm colour slides taken over many years. It is excellent value for money compared to a Nikon Coolscan 3 at B#550, for example, and can produce equal results (to 1800dpi) on many slides, or if you persevere with gamma adjustments, and other settings. It is not very good, in my experience at resolving shadow details (which just come out black, or highlights (which can all come out white, but this could be due to my limited knowledge of how to adjust the settings to best effect. I only view the results on screen and do not print anything out. On most slides the difference between the 1800u and a Nikon Coolscan 3 is minor compared to the difference between either and a professional drum scanner. I've raised my opinion of the 1800u since preparing an input for the following site, where at least one other contributor gives his views on the 1800U:

http://www.photographyreview.com/reviews/film_scanners/ (Detailed reviews by individual users)

-- Arthur Dowdeswell (arthur_dowdeswell@hotmail.com), November 02, 2000.

Arthur,

Just to confirm, I don't think it has anything to do with your ability to adjust the settings.

I too have attempted to get output comparable to the view I get of the slide through my slide viewer, but alas, it falls short in the shadow detail area.

Actually short is not the correct word, this scanner has a long way to go, but then again, pay little, get little. I am going to purchase a better one, but this time I am taking my slides with me and I am going to insist on a demonstration.

Regards,

-- Andrew Buxton (andrew@opticsandlight.co.uk), January 11, 2001.