48BIT USB 2.0 WINDOWS/MAC

User Reviews about Microtek ScanMaker 5900

I am a computer Technician and it took me a full day sorting out the errors that kept the software from working, I had to get into the registry and clean out All references to the software, and after many tries, finally got the software loaded in Safe mode, and finally working. The scanner works great, better than I really expected, so far. Does great for my slides and negatives. Quite surprised at the quality afetr working on them in my Digital Image Pro 9 Photo software. I did not load any other software sent with scanner only the ScanWizard 5. -- Great Scanner, but poor software !

I bought this scanner used from a closeout warehouse distributer for just a few dollars. For what I paid, it gives excellent results. Optical Character recognition works flawlessly, the max resolution (2400dpi) is so high, I haven't even come close to using it yet (honestly, what can you do with an 50MB JPEG?), and the built in film/negative/slide adapter is helpful. However, I would not recommend this scanner to a serious (or even serious amatuer) photographer. Normal scanning requires quite a bit of play to get good color results, and I'm finding it's better to make a semi-flawed scan at high resolution and fix it in Photoshop, than to manipulate the settings on the scanner. The biggest disappointment (like some other reviewers have said) is the negative scanning. While it works, I can't seem to get either tones or colors right--scans appear washed out and "soft" no matter what the settings. However, this is a nice function to play with and the results can again be improved with PS. Other complaints are noisy operation (I use Epson scanners at my school's lab that are whisper silent compared to the Microtek) and the bundled Scanwizard software, which is clunky and quite slow. While it hasn't crashed my OS yet, it definitely hesitates for a few seconds after nearly every operation.

Overall, a great scanner for photos, text, and everyday use, especially if you can get one at a decent price. If you want part of a digital darkroom, go with Canon, Epson, or HP. I would even recommend buying an older version from one of these manufacturers with a lower max resolution (say 1200 dpi) as the only time I can imagine using 2400 is to make wall-size blow-ups from a 4x6 photo. -- Excellent for those on a budget.