ECLiPSE 2002 said:
I am seeking objective evaluation of the Epson 1670. PCWorld magazine
gives it a mediocre image quality rating while ZNET rates its image
quality as very good. Are they reviewing the same scanner?
Anyone out there have personal experience with this scanner/
I would appreciate any insights. I am debating buying it or the
Visioneer 7300 which are comparible in price and which ZNET gives a
high rating to also.
Thanks,
Mary
Without a reviewer having given specific criteria for his or her
appraisal of scanning performance, one cannot really know what that
writer may mean when he or she writes of "mediocre image quality." I
read that same review, and I also read the ZNET review which rated the
1670 more highly. I ended up buying the Epson 1670 and so far I'm very
happy with it. I wanted a scanner that was compatible with VUESCAN,
and, while I intended originally to buy the 3170, I realized I really
didn't need to spend essentially double the price (assuming my rebate)
for extra resolution I would rarely or never use. The 3170 makes sense
if you intend to do much scanning of negatives, as, frankly, the
negative scanning quality of the 1670 is inadequate. I tried it just
to see what results I would get, and perhaps extensive tweaking in
Vuescan might offer better results than my quick test scan revealed.
However, I have no need for negative scanning capabilities, and,
frankly, for reflective scanning, one rarely needs optical resolution
greater than 600 dpi, and IF one wishes to enlarge a small image, the
1600 dpi maximum optical resolution of the 1670 will likely be more
than sufficient for most needs. Aside from its mediocre (at best)
negative and transparency scanning performance, the 1670 offers very
good to excellent reflective scanning, with fine color accuracy and
sharp text and line drawing fidelity. Analyze what you really need and
consider whether you might be spending more than necessary for some of
the "super" scanners being marketed right now. So far, for example, I
get the sense from overall user opinion that Epson's new 4870 scanner
does not offer significant performance gains over the already
discontinued 2450, much less the 3200 which it specifically replaces.
I do not know anthing at all about the Visioneer model you're also
considereing. Good luck.
