Acer top-notch warranty replacement
Written: Jun 04 '01 (Updated Jul 09 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Fast, inexpensive, good quality scans. Great warranty support.
Cons: Pricey film holders, 35mm only, possible reliability issue.
The Bottom Line: Outstanding value and top notch manufacturer warranty support make this scanner worth a look.
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| slabhead's Full Review: Acer ScanWit 2720S Film Scanner (35 mm) |
SEE BELOW FOR ANOTHER UPDATE:
Original ePinion:
This scanner has the potential to be a fantastic bargain. I got mine new from ubid.com for about $275 delivered and fired it up right away. Although it comes with a SCSI card, my computer is already SCSI equipped and installation couldn't have been easier. (Alright, a USB connection would have been just as easy...)
I did a couple of test scans with both color negatives and slides. Both tests proved that the condition of the film is very much the deciding factor in the quality of the end result. 2700dpi yields images that have more pixels than a 2 megapixel digital camera, though not necessarily right down to the film grain. Speed is as specified -- full resolution scans take about 40 seconds per frame. Image quality was excellent, although you might have to do some color tweaking.
My excitement was extinguished when my testing was complete and I scanned my first "official" film strip. The scan process got about 50% complete then something mechanical broke in the scanner which has rendered it useless. I am working with ubid on the problem and will report back the results.
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UPDATE:
It turns out that Acer has a 48-hour replacement policy on all film scanners under warranty (discovered this at their website). I called and explained the problem, and they immediately FedEx-ed a scanner and are providing the return shipping of the defective unit. This was an unbelievably painless process and a pleasant surprise.
So....unless the replacement scanner has similar problems (in which case I will again update this ePinion), I can absolutely recommend this product.
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2nd UPDATE:
I've been using this scanner for about a month now, with no problems. Kudos to Acer for their quick warranty replacement.
Other comments:
1. Slides are definitely easier to work with than negatives, at least as far as getting the colors right. With the right amount of tweaking, negatives will look pretty good, but slides will look unbelievable. This is true for every film scanner I've tried, but it's something to be aware of.
2. This scanner is very picky about the film trays being loaded correctly. DO NOT FORCE THE TRAY INTO THE SCANNER OR YOU WILL BE SORRY.
3. At first, your negative scans will look grainy. Don't panic. In my case, I'm actually seeing the film grain which gets blurred a bit in a real print. I used Photoshop to blur things a bit, and the finished product is superior to a scanned print of the same image.
All in all, I'm very happy with this scanner, especially for the price. $275 delivered is, as far as I can tell, unbeatable for film scanners.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 275
Interface: SCSI
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Epinions.com ID:
slabhead
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Location: Atlanta, GA
Reviews written: 6
Trusted by: 0 members
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