HP Scanjet 4890 Photo Scanner (L1952A#B1H)

HP Scanjet 4890 Photo Scanner
  • Up to 4,800 x 9,600 dpi resolution with 48-bit color
  • Built-in adapter for up to 16 slides, 30 negatives, 4 medium format frames, or 1 4x5 film
  • Remove scratches, restore faded color, and correct red eye with easy software
  • Copy, enlarge/reduce 10 to 2,000 percent; Hi-Speed USB 2.0
  • Adjustable lid accommodates bulky items

If you intend to use the scanner for digitizing 35mm slides, be aware that this scanner has some problems. If you load the slide holder with 16 slides, the preview scan may only recognize 8 or 10 of these, and you have to try to manually recover the others. This may or may not be successful. This is especially a problem with slides that are relatively dark, but the same slides were scanned without difficulty by my old Epson scanner.

A second major problem is that the preview scans present as tiny thumbnail images which are too small to properly evaluate or modify using image editing software. I could find no way of enlarging the thumbnails, and the online HP technician confirms that there is no way to enlarge them. I regard this as a serious problem. At least for me the scanner does not function satisfactorily as a slide scanner, (the principle reason for which I bought it), and I have returned the unit.

Buy HP Scanjet 4890 Photo Scanner (L1952A#B1H) Now

I really need an HP scanner because that is the only brand that does a good job on 3-D objects. My old HP 5300-C scanner was a wonderful device with great software. I finally wore it out after 5 years and 100,000 scans.

The 4890 was the only HP I could get my hands on. As far as I can tell, the scanner works great, but the software is a DISASTER! You can not set up this scanner to scan the same area over and over again without wasting a great deal of time doing a preview and setting your scan area each and every time. What this means is that there are now two stepst to scanning an item rather than one. This is not trivial as it more than doubles the amount of time needed to scan an object, a very serious flaw if you have a lot of scanning to do.

I went to HP''s live chat to ask if I could use the old 5300c software to run this unit, but was told that would not work. If you only have to scan an item once in a blue moon this scanner will work fine for you as the time wasting software will not impact you very badly, but if you do a large amount of scanning, you must avoid this scanner due to the incredibly poorly written and inefficient software. Unfortunately, due to the amazingly bad software, this unit is going back for a refund.

On a side note, unlike other reviewers, I had no problem loading the software and getting the scanner up and running.

Another complaint about this scanner is that it is actually a bit slower than the five year old 5300c model. It hesitates briefly several times during the process of scanning. The difference in scan time is not great, maybe an extra 10 seconds per page, but combined with the disasterous software issue it all adds up to a lot of wasted time.

Again, the software is so bad that this has to go back for a refund I am sad to say. I had high expectations for a $200 scanner from HP after having such great success with my prevoious one.

Read Best Reviews of HP Scanjet 4890 Photo Scanner (L1952A#B1H) Here

Don''t by this scanner if you expect anything close to 4800 dpi.

I bought this scanner with the intention to scan my slides.

I was not able to get the resolution I expected from a 4800 dpi scanners.

The result was only marginally better than the result I got

by projecting the slides and taking images using my 3 MPix digicam.

By using the "slanted edge" method I measured a resolution

that rather looked like a 1200 dpi scanner.

Also when using the slide adapter the result become even

worse since the slides become more out of focus.

Got no help from HP support. The reaction to my measurements

was basically "that''s the way it is"

Also: The software user interface is kludgy and hard to work with.

This is not what I expected from HP, my previous experience of

HP-products is quite good.

Want HP Scanjet 4890 Photo Scanner (L1952A#B1H) Discount?

I just bought this scanner today to replace a 5 year old SUPER great HP6300C scanner that broke.

I had purchased an Epson 4490 and what a P.O.S. that was. It never did work...made a terrible racheting sound on my first scan and Best Buys told me it was defective. It was cheap light and felt like it was made out of cardboard! Well, anyway I today bought this HP which I should have to begin with, but I read bad reviews on it and good on the Epson. Well, just like you can''t believe critics on movies (when they say bad it is good, etc), you can''t believe some of these reviews on the HP scanner since I found the scanner to be great with all the same features of my old one. My only complaint is that it takes more steps to complete now than the exact same scanning I used too make on my old 6300C, but not much. Why HP had to tinker with the Precision Scan Software of the old 6300C is beyond me! The 4890 is quiet, and fairly quick and makes good scans of photos which is why I bought it.

Software is easy to use, but not as quick in the preview mode as the old 6300C. A little clunky there, but still works well. I like being able to alter the scanned image with all the color sharpness contrast tools BEFORE saving it. Plus, I have it saved to Adobe Photoshop just in case there is more tweaking.

All I wanted to say is this is a nice scanner! I even got on line and had a live chat with a woman from HP and she helped answer some questions. Good Job HP with the tech support. Don''t buy that crappy Epson...go with HP. This makes my 3rd HP scanner in a little over 10 years. I use the scanner ALOT. Sure got moneys worth out of the other 2. I scan thousands of photos each year sell them on eBay.

I bought this scanner to digitise my old slides. The scanner however cannot do the job : the scanned slides are out of focus (even more with the slide adapter) and the colours are dreadfull (blacks). These cannot be corrected in Photoshop.

The software is also not userfriendly (selection and deselection of frames, frame selection not corresponding with final scan, settings that change in between scan...). I used a cheap Afga scanner before that had much better scanning software...

Scanning one slide with 4800 dpi resolution takes about half an hour...

My advise : do not buy this high resolution scanner if you intend to use it for scanning slides and films...

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