UK - where do you buy your scanners?

[Rob_5419]

I've been dithering on this for ages and I still haven't decided.

Guess that January is almost here, I might go shopping for my first Fisherprice scanner!
This will be a new step for me, and I'm looking at the Epson V750 to do whole plate scans.

I haven't seen any in my local photographic shop. Do people buy these off a high street store like Dixons/Currys/Jessops, or is there another source in the UK?

Thanks for any help.

[katie cooke]

Online will almost always be cheaper than the high street, particularly the three places you mention. My scanner (a 4990) came from amazon.co.uk, because it was about 10 per cent under any other current price at the time. Search around, compare prices, and don't forget to factor in delivery charges. If you are wary of buying online, a credit card will give you the extra consumer protection.

[Justin Cormack]

I've been dithering on this for ages and I still haven't decided.

Guess that January is almost here, I might go shopping for my first Fisherprice scanner!
This will be a new step for me, and I'm looking at the Epson V750 to do whole plate scans.

I haven't seen any in my local photographic shop. Do people buy these off a high street store like Dixons/Currys/Jessops, or is there another source in the UK?

Thanks for any help.

I bought a Nikon scanner for 35mm from a local photographic shop (Nikon dealer) who keep them in stock at a reasonable price and I know I will get good service. I doubt the same applies to Epson though as they are more a consumer electronics company, though it might be worth trying Jessops.

[Paul O]

Hi. I bought my V700 from Amazon UK - next day delivery and straightforward returns policy too.

[Rob_5419]

Thanks for the suggestions - I'm slowly looking these up.

No doubt had I queued outside the Scottish Curry's and endured hypothermia unlike the poor women souls who stood outside from 5am, I might have pegged a bargain.

Still chasing up these leads..

Katie and Paul - what kind of afterservice do you get from Amazon UK? I see the prices in Amazon Com are cheaper. Is there a problem buying it this way?

Justin - that's pretty much it. Scanners are mostly consumer electronics company and the last time I set foot in one of those stores was probably for a coffee grinder.

Other suggestions still welcome of course since it'll take me another year to decide.

[Andrew_4548]

Rob,

Amazon should be OK for afterservice - I know it's not strictly the same situation but someone from work bought a Nikon DSLR and went to work in China for a couple of years. Whilst out there, the camera failed on him. Nikon in China wouldn't touch it as it wasn't bought out there and Nikon UK wouldn't play ball as it wasn't in the UK at the time... As the camera was out of warranty, cheekily, he thought he'd nothing to lose so rang Amazon to ask about repairs etc but semi hoping that he could pay the extra and move up to the higher spec model. They looked up his original order details and automatically desptched another one to him, asking him to send the broken one back when he got chance...

Not bad for service I think the replacement went wonky as well but I haven't heard from him in a while so don't know how he got on with that one (at least the second one was in warranty )

Andrew

PS how's the wet printing going with the RH stuff? I haven't had chance to use mine in anger yet - the darkroom needs clearing first...

[Justin Cormack]

You could always buy a really cheap disposable one to do print scans rather than neg scans. Then you wont mind when it breaks.

Mind you the one in our office is too cheap and nasty and has colour fringing on B&W prints.

Having bought a scanner for 35mm I really dont want to buy one for LF - thats the cost of some nice lenses.

[katie cooke]

Hi Rob. The problem with ordering from .com is that you'll almost certainly get whacked by import duty, and the excise hostage fee that goes with it...I'd probably not risk it, unless the price was hugely different.

[Kuzano]

Guess that January is almost here, I might go shopping for my first "FISHERPRICE" scanner! This will be a new step for me, and I'm looking at the Epson V750 to do whole plate scans.

Don't overlook the Tonka MagnaScan, sold at Toys R Us around the country. Purchased from China and the casing is a lead based polystyrene.

I buy my Epsons however either off the Epson site when they are running rebates. Or I check the Staples, since they offer excellent rebates from time to time, and have a very good return policy. I would buy from eBay, but only when I find an Office or Imaging supply vendor, with 6,000 plus, or more, feedbacks at 99.999% positive. However, you have to be careful because uninformed bidders are driving prices over discounted and rebate retail prices.

[Kuzano]

Don't overlook the Tonka MagnaScan, sold at Toys R Us around the country. Purchased from China and the casing is a lead based polystyrene.

The lead in the polystyrene casing is only a problem if you have a penchant for gnawing nervously on the corner of your scanner while waiting to see the results at the resolution of 12 DPI -- the scanners capacity.