The scanner's probably fine, but I'm having massive software problems. I can scan a print and get an image on the screen, but it's not very intuitive or user-friendly. I tried using the Silverfast option rather than the Epson Smart (Dumb) panel, but couldn't find anything to click on to bring up Silverfast, even though its presence is acknowleged by the "find" utility. I managed to bring up the Silverfast help screen, which had directions on how to move Silverfast into either the Dumb Panel or Photoshop Elements, which comes with it. Well, Photoshop froze my computer--just a bell sound if I clicked on anything--so I killed it with the power switch. Cost an hour while Norton lollygagged through all the errors.

This is Perfection?

Has anyone else tried a 2450 and able to offer help? If you haven't bought one yet, don't!

-- Bob Fleischman (RFXMAIL@prodigy.net), January 28, 2002

Answers

You might try going to the "alt.comp.periphs.scanner" newsgroup and posting there. I use a Polaroid SprintScan with SilverFast, and Photoshop 6.0. Under File, Photoshop has Import. That is where SilverFast is. I don't think Elements would be much different, although I could be wrong as I've never seen or used it. Also, I might add, I'm using Win2K, P4, and 1GB ram, and even so, sometimes my system locks up. It's rare, but it happens.

-- Glenn Travis (leciaddict@hotmail.com), January 28, 2002.

I have the 2450. I don't use it for 35mm, but for medium and large format. I had problems with both the Epson and Silverfast drivers on my system (Athlon 1.4 GHz, 1.5 GByte, etc.) The machine will eventually lock up while using either of these drivers, and the displays simply do not work (they show up as plain gray blocks). My solution was to bypass all that stuff and use it with VueScan, available at www.hamrick.com . Well worth the money, and presents a common interface for lots of types of scanners. You may want to try it out, the demo version is free (but you have to buy it to really use it - it's only about $40 or so with unlimited updates).

-- Dan Kreithen (dkreithen@hotmail.com), January 29, 2002.

I have the 2450 and it works great; its quality is unprecedented for its price, and i've had no trouble getting it to work. Bob, I think once you get everything flowing correctly you will be very happy with your new scanner. Make sure you have installed Silverfast; In photoshop, go to file: import and choose silverfast (much better than the epson twain). prescan, select the photo, zoom in, adjust, than scan and your image is ready in photoshop. (I'm on a mac, using the 2450 with firewire, and using photoshop 6.0)

www.silverfast.com has some links for tutorials that will prob. be worth looking into as well.

good luck and let us know how you find the scanner once you're set up!

-Tempus

-- T.Fugits (tempusfugits@hotmail.com), January 29, 2002.

I use the Epson 2450 and Minolta Scan Dual II on a Power Mac G4 Cube/500 running Mac OS X. I don't use either of their supplied software packages: I drive both of them with VueScan instead. See http:// www.hamrick.com/ for VueScan information.

I've not had a single problem with the Epson .. it works just perfectly for me. I use it mostly for medium format film scanning, but have scanned everything from Minox format to 616 format film with it.

-- Godfrey (ramarren@bayarea.net), January 29, 2002.

Thanks to everyone, and especially T. Fugits (Thanks, Tempus) for the suggestions. Skipping through the Dumb Panel and Twain and on to Silverfast via Photoshop has improved my control over the system and my confidence that I will master it.

-- Bob Fleischman (RFXMAIL@prodigy.net), January 29, 2002.