The Epson Perfection 1650 photo scanner is nothing short of sneaky. The scanner screams "cute", with its flashy packaging and its software bundle with more wizards than your local renaissance fair. But take a peek under the hood, and you'll find a speedy, 48-bit colour scanner with a maximum resolution of 1600 x 3200dpi and a nice pack of extras, including a film and transparency adaptor.
The software's default interface might be a bit too simplistic for seasoned scanning veterans, but if you're looking for semiprofessional scanning power at a bargain rate, the Perfection 1650 definitely fits the bill at AU$499.
The USB-only Epson, which is compatible with Windows 98, 2000, and Me, as well as Mac OS 8.5 and up, is a cinch to set up. Just attach the power and USB cables and pop in the installation CD and the software does the rest.
Once the scanner is up and humming, feel free to use the timesaving shortcut buttons, located on the front of the machine. The Start button launches the main scanning application, the Photo Print button scans directly to your printer, the E-mail button attaches images to e-mails, and the fourth button, Scan To Web, loads scanned images up to Epson's photo-sharing Web site.
Epson SmartPanel is the central software application, and its wizard-guided interface kicks off all your scanning tasks. The software is remarkably simpleâ€"almost too simple if you know what you're doing. Most tasks offer an alternative advanced interface, but the rest are stuck in cute mode. For instance, once a scan is complete, an inescapable, bubbly wizard pops up to help you save the scan; a garden-variety dialog box could just as easily do the trick. Epson Twain 5.5 is also included.
For handling your finished scans, Epson adds a collection of software from Adobe. Adobe Photoshop Elements is a limited version of Photoshop, but it still adds some real power to the Perfection's software package. It includes many of the fundamental tools and filters of full-strength Photoshop: layers, dodging, burning, and auto-contrasting are here, as is the outstanding interface. Adobe Acrobat Reader 4.0 completes this software package.
Despite its flowery exterior, the Epson really cooks when it counts. In our lab tests, it scanned a full-page, colour document in just over 17 seconds on average -- faster than most scanners in this price range. Greyscale scans took only 16.5 seconds. Slide and colour-negative scanning speeds were a little slower than those of the HP ScanJet 5470c, though still satisfactory.
The Perfection produced pretty impressive output, due in part to the scanner's unique smoothing technology. After scanning an image, the Epson slightly smoothes it, ridding it of that grainy look some scanners produce. This smoothing may rub out more intricate parts of the image, however; expect to scan at higher resolutions if you want to catch every bit. In our tests, the scanner excelled at catching exposures, most contrasts, and fine gradients. And though the scans were a bit dark, the colours were accurate. The Perfection 1650's slide scans had strong colour matching and high detail and focus, but its negative scans seemed a bit overexposed, slightly off-colour and were missing some of the finer details. Given that few flatbed scanners we've seen have scanned film successfully, however, this is typical.
The Epson's outstanding print and electronic documentation comes in handy for set-up and everyday use, covering basics, tips, and troubleshooting. It also has a section on getting the most out of the included film and transparency adaptors. Epson's vast online library offers even more troubleshooting documents, downloads, and FAQs. For further assistance, the Perfection 1650 photo scanner comes with a one-year limited warranty.
All told, the Epson Perfection 1650 photo scanner is a dream come true for those looking for a bargain in the semiprofessional scanning world. If you plan on mostly cranking through photos and documents, the Perfection 1650's output is extremely good, its performance peppy, and its price affordable. And, while it had a few problems scanning negatives, that's one of the few weaknesses in this overall strong package.
| Product: | Epson Perfection 1650 Photo Scanner |
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| Price: | AU$499 |
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| Vendor: | Epson |
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| Phone: | 1300 361 054 |
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| Interoperability: |
Windows 98/2000 Professional/Me; Mac OS 8.5 to 9.x. |
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| Futureproofing: |
A speedy 48-bit colour scanner with a max resolution of 1600 x 3200dpi and a nice pack of extras. |
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| ROI: |
Dream come true for those looking for a bargain in the semiprofessional scanning world. |
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| Service: |
1-year standard warranty. |
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| Rating: |
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2%
4%
