Canon CanoScan 4200F Flatbed Scanner

I had looked at retail stores and online stores for a flatbed scanner and was unable to find one that was reasonably priced and could do a good job with scanning images. My main reason for purchase was for document scanning which doesnt require much.
When I found this one on amazon I was pleased. It has good resolution and was very reasonably priced AND I got free shipping.
I am very pleased with my purchase. I have scanned documents, pictures and negatives and all look wonderful. I would recommend this scanner to anyone looking.

PURCHASED THE SCANNER A WEEK AGO AND RECEIVED QUICKLY. EASIEST SET UP FOR WINDOWS XP I HAVE EVER SEEN. I USE MY SCANNER FOR SCANS OF COINS I SELL ON EBAY. I WAS STUNNED THAT A SCANNER UNDER $100 COULD BE THIS GOOD. KUDOS TO CANON! AND KUDOS TO AMAZON.COM FOR THEIR USUAL SUPERIOR SERVICE!!!!

This made beautiful scans but one year of service is hardly acceptable. It wasn't like I was scanning every day either. Started making a horrible noise and a call to technical support made me conclude that I had to just toss it.

I just wanted a simple, no frills scanner so that I could archive a few hundred old photos that have been lying around forever, without having to pay a fortune for the privilege. Not being a computer person, I was hoping I would find something that I would actually be able to install and operate without having to rely on the kindness of too many friends and relatives. This scanner has suited all of those needs admirably. It is quite reasonably priced, I was able to get it hooked up and running in less than half an hour without having to call anyone to explain the instruction manual to me, and the quality of the photos I've scanned has been great. The PhotoStudio editing and effects tools have been a lot of fun so far too, and very easy to figure out. I can't speak for anyone who needs a super high-tech high-power best-quality-or-death kind of scanner, but for anyone like me who just, well, wants a scanner to do scanner stuff with, this is a great product.

I bought this machine specifically for scanning photos, particularly 35mm film. After reading several positive reviews here, I had hoped I would be able to save myself the expense of buying a dedicated negative scanner. I should have known better.

If you're looking for something to scan negatives and you're at all fussy about the results, don't waste your time with this machine. Scans are covered with scan lines and noise, and are lacking in sharpness. Colors seem accurate, but that's not much consolation given the poor scan quality.

I question whether scans from this machine could even make decent 4x6 prints, never mind 5x7's, and forget about 8x12's. After seeing the scans, I didn't bother wasting any paper to find out.

And yes, I spent hours messing about with the settings hoping I could squeeze out a decent scan, but to no avail. Perhaps this machine does a decent job of scanning regular documents; I don't know, since I didn't buy it for that purpose.

Granted, if you're just looking to print 4x6's, and can do with sub-photolab quality, then you might not be too unhappy with this machine.

The only reason I'm giving this product two stars is because I'm really not sure how the document scanning looks; and since many others give this machine a good review, I figure it must have at least something going for it (besides the price). Then again, they did say it was good for scanning negatives...

If you want to scan negatives or slides, you'd be best off getting a proper film scanner. I've yet to see a flatbed that can produce comparable results. If you're in the market for a film scanner, I would recommend a Nikon Coolscan V (pricey) or a Polaroid Sprintscan 4000 (cheap, if you can find one - try eBay).