CanoScan 3200F (Canon Canoscan 3000F)

Member Name: Peter_P

Product:	Canon Canoscan 3000F
Date:	18/01/04 (896 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: see review

Disadvantages: see review

The CanoScan 3200F is the successor to Canon's 3000F - and, aside from some modest restyling, it looks pretty similar. The changes under the hood, however, are more significant. This scanner has been designed with speed in mind. It boasts a USB 2 connection and an ultra-fast scanning engine that can scan an A4 page at 300dpi in under 20 seconds.

Unusually for a budget scanner, the 3200F can scan film transparencies. It's a fiddly process, though. Removing the protective cover from the underside of the scanning hood reveals a small area of the hood with a reflective coating. Rather than shining light through your transparencies, light is reflected through them. Film must be seated in the adapter supplied, and frustratingly there's no option to scan anything but 35mm film.

However, if you want to digitise loads of old slides or negatives, this could be the perfect solution. Within the film area, you can scan at up to 2,400dpi. Scans are sharp and clear, colours near-perfect and tonal balance good. The rest of the flatbed manages 1,200dpi, and results are equally impressive.

Canon's ScanGear CS software gives you control over settings such as colour balance and resolution, and offers features such as 'De-screen', which removes annoying moire patterns from scans of magazines or newsprint. There are additional controls for reducing dust and scratches and correcting faded or grainy images.

The scanner comes with a large bundle of software, including OmniPage SE OCR software, for turning text scans into editable word processor files. ArcSoft PhotoStudio 5.5 helps polish up pictures, and Ulead DVD Picture Show 2.0 lets you create slide shows from your images.

Aside from the film adapter's fiddliness, I can't find fault with this scanner. With more features and better quality than you'd expect for the price, it's a truly fabulous buy.

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