HP PhotoSmart S20 Photo Scanner

by HP

Product Details

Product Manual [749kb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 11.6 x 8 x 3.9 inches ; 9 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 9 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B00001OPJ7
• Item model number: S20
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
  • #20 in Electronics > Camera & Photo > Printers & Scanners > Slide & Film Scanners
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 4, 1999

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

An excellent all-around photo scanner for personal use, thelightweight Hewlett-Packard PhotoSmart S20 photo scanner captures richand exceptionally accurate colors and detail in both bright andshadowy areas. A snap to get started and remarkably easy to master,the HP PhotoSmart S20 is the perfect scanner for allowing everyone,from beginner to pro, to achieve quality images from 35mm slides, filmstrips, and photos.

The HP PhotoSmart S20 scans multiple images from35mm filmstrips (positives or negatives) in one operation, scanspanoramic images up to five frames, and photographic prints up to 5 by7 inches. It scans 35mm filmstrips and slide mounts at 2,400 opticaldpi, and scans photos at 300 optical dpi for fine detail. 36-bit coloroutput provides richer color while retaining the delicacy of pastelsplus great shadow depth and detail. Exclusive HP PhotoSmart S20scanning software lets you optimize and enhance your photos; you canrotate and crop images as well as adjust size, color, clarity, andexposure. Utilize the histogram, densitometer, and clipping alarmtools to dexterously make subtle and precise alterations.

You canuse Microsoft Picture It! (included in the package) to organize yourphotographs for easy retrieval, create photo Web pages for theInternet, and send your photographic creations in e-mail messages tofamily and friends. The Hewlett-Packard PhotoSmart S20 scanner's USBinterface enables PC users easy installation and effortlessplug-and-play.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

57 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Easy and great scan quality, January 12, 2000

By 

Mistress Blue "black and white taoist" (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: HP PhotoSmart S20 Photo Scanner (Office Product)

After wistfully wanting a slide scanner but knowing they were out of my price range, I jumped at the chance to get one under $500. Normal scanners just don't have the resolution to do slides or negatives. I was expecting a lot of hassle, as is typical with periperhals, but this little scanner was really easy to set up and use. It lets you make corrections to contrast, color level, brightness, etc., before you actually scan. I take a lot of slides and can finally make prints from them easily on my printer (before i had to pay big $$ to have slides printed, since they have to make a negative and then print from that, resulting in major quality loss). I also take a lot of black and white portraits, but don't have a darkroom. I can finally tweak the image just like I'm developing it myself with chemicals.

Scanning is fast and the results are sharp and colorful. It's pretty amazing for the price.

56 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kudos to H/P, February 2, 2000

By 

R. Lade "prophoto" (Palm Beach, Florida) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: HP PhotoSmart S20 Photo Scanner (Office Product)

Thank God for H/P! I do a lot of photography and being a purist (using film and a darkroom) I resisted the move to digital imaging mainly because I couldn't find what I needed without a second mortgage on my condo. I needed to be able to scan negatives mainly because the scan quality is higher resulting in better print quality. When I saw the S20's bang for the buck, I knew that my digital imaging time had come. This scanner is the greatest thing since sliced bread as far as I'm concerned. And knowing H/P quality to be what it is, I bought my S20 with every confidence and not a second thought. My faith has been well-rewarded. I couldn't ask for more for what I have invested. Anyone planning to scan photos, slides, and negatives need look no further than the S20. Thanks H/P!

75 of 77 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Top quality professional-level scans, May 4, 2000

By 

Digilante - See all my reviews

This review is from: HP PhotoSmart S20 Photo Scanner (Office Product)

Although the cost of this scanner is still prohibitive to some, the fact is that this is a professional-quality film scanner at an excellent price.

Initially I purchased the much cheaper Epson Perfection Photo 1200. It had dead spots along the scanning array - turned out the entire batch of a few hundred scanners was faulty. I then decided to splurge and got the HP S20, and I have not looked back.

Installation is tricky - so be sure to read the instructions in the (VERY POOR!) manual. Once you have that going, the rest is a breeze. The included software is fantastic in that it's analysis of the image and automatic adjustment of colour, balance, exposure, etc, is dead right 9 out of 10 times. Under- or over-exposed slides and negatives are no longer an issue. I love the exposure control, which allows to adjust exposure separately for light, medium, and dark regions - most scanner software only has a single exposure control. This allows you to make excellent repairs to a face that came out too dark in a sunny picure.

Resolution of course is spectacular - a bit too spectacular perhaps since every single microscopic dust particle gets duly represented on the scanned image :-) Seriously though, the results of blowing up about a fifth of a slide and printing it as a full page on an HP PhotoSmart P1000 printer were excellent.

The scanner is a bit noisy, and also very slow - especially at the high resolutions, as can be expected. Slides, negative strips, as well as photographs are dealt with relatively easily.

The only problem that I see is that the scanner is unable to scan a single frame of a negative (only strips of two or more). This is an issue with slides when you want to scan the maximum frame area - i.e. scan the slide without the mount. I think the solution will be to buy a slide mount that is easily re-openable, and use a craft-knife to cut out a larger viewing area.

In summary, if it is convenience and speed you want, then perhaps this is not for you - however if scan quality is the overriding priority and you take your hobby seriously, then this is it.