Canon CanoScan 9000F Mark II Colour Scanner

I haven't had this long, but it's already been a steady workhorse and everything I expect of a Canon product. Excellent results, easy to use (though on a Mac I'd recommend not using the default Quick Menu and stick to Scan Utility, as the Quick software isn't very reliable).I've tried using the auto dust removal, and it does a pretty decent job, removing dust without degrading quality, but it doesn't remove everything. I prefer to do this by hand anyway, so not a negative for me.I'd also recommend not using the auto detect for crop either, as it isn't the most accurate, though a lot better than some other scanners I've used, and a lot better than previous Canon scanners.It may seem like I'm pointing out faults, but not really, just recommendations - there are workarounds that I stick to and as a result produce brilliant scans, which is what I bought it for. Ability to scan so many different types of original is the main reason I bought this as an update to an older scanner, and it is faster too. The PDF feature works very well too, automatically creating multi-page PDF files - great time saving feature.Quick word about aftercare - mine developed a fault just over a month after purchase, so outside of Amazon's replacement service. So I contacted Canon. Spoke to a very knowledgeable chap who walked me through a way of hopefully correcting the fault, but also sent details of the service centre too, just in case. Glad to report the fault was correctly diagnosed and sorted via the phone, so about an hour after finding the problem I was back up and running again. (That hour includes searching through Amazon trying to find what to do in case of a fault.)

This is a great scanner. For me, the relevant features are (1) it's CCD based, so gives sharp clear scans even when scanning something that won't lie flat on the glass, (2) the light is LED based, so it doesn't need a long warm-up for each scan (which was common for CCD scanners that used a fluorescent lamp), (3) image quality is excellent. Extra bonus - the power brick is built into the scanner, so there's no external brick, just a basic mains power cable.The only software I care about is the driver - I have my own software. There seem to be two drivers installed (normal for scanners) so when you try to scan, you get two choices for the device that refer to the same hardware - one WIA and one other (probably TWAIN). One day I may research why properly. Anyway, WIA seems to offer the exact same basic settings no matter the scanner. The other (probably TWAIN) driver offers a useful range of options for getting a good scan - more than I need, still clear and easy to use.Possible downside - this is a far larger device than any CIS scanner, or even than other CCD scanners I've used in the past (the lid is bulky because of the support for scanning negatives, which I don't need). And it does require mains power, again unlike CIS scanners, which are generally USB powered. This scanner cannot match CIS scanners for convenience, but gives far better results, and is faster than other CCD scanners I've used because of the LED light.The 9600dpi quoted resolution is only for negatives. The limit for scanning A4 pages seems to be 1,600dpi (not double-checked), which is still far more than I'm ever likely to need.Basically, this is AFAICT about as good as consumer A4 flatbed scanners get. There are other kinds of scanners that may be better (especially more convenient) for some jobs - particular a good duplex page scanner is better for scanning multi-page double-sided documents quickly, but with limitations because they can only scan what they can feed through between the sensors.

I'm finally getting round to digitising the vast array of slides, photos, negatives, documents etc. I've been collecting over the years and which are cluttering my house and which never get looked at. I was hoping that my current multifunction HP printer/scanner would do the trick but found it very clunky and not particularly good quality despite using an excellent Mac scanning app instead of the HP software. Quality is important so I looked for the best home use scanner I could afford.In short, purchased this Canoscan based on reviews and so far have been very impressed. Make no mistake, this is a bit of a beast size and weight wise but the results have been excellent and the Auto Scan feature along with the Mac version software provided is very quick and easy to use.What has really impressed me is the results from this test. I sprinkled 5 photo booth pictures around the glass without aligning them in any way and pressed the Auto Scan button. It found them all, produced separate scanned images for each photo and aligned them all vertically. This means that although there is no auto feed capability, I can scan maybe 6 photos at once and leave the Canon to sort them out. Brilliant.The slide scanning has been equally easy using auto scan, the supplied holder and easily removing the normal white plate.So far, very much recommended if quality and ease of use is what you are after and the size, weight and cost are not so important.

Expensive for what it can't do. No wifi and yes I think the imaging is perhaps not as crisp as it should be, but it sharpens up fine and does the job. It is the best looking scanner I could find, that I don't mind having sat on the side. Scanners can look like mini coffins so I wanted something attractive. Epson scanners are good but their recent range are all black and just look depressing. This scanner looks stylish.