High Speed, High Performance. The resolution of the LiDE 80 scanner reaches up to an exceptional 2400 x 4800 dpi for film and photos with 48-bit color depth for over 281 trillion possible colors. Yes, trillion. You can scan in photos fast and easily, plus you can now digitize all of your favorite 35mm film negatives with the included Film Adapter Unit. The USB 2.0 Hi-Speed* connection lets you scan images fast, with previews available in under 10 seconds. Scan multiple photos at once to save even more time on large projects. "Multi-Scan mode" automatically scans all the pictures placed on the platen glass in a single pass, preparing a separate image file for each. It will even adjust any slightly misaligned photos. Additionally, the LiDE 80 scanner automatically removes many of the scratches and dust particles typically found on older photos
A film scanner that allows you to easily preserve negatives, the Canon LiDE 80 is a remarkably slim unit that's ready to meet big expectations. Don't let the 1.5-inch height fool you--Canon's Z-lid design allows it to perfectly accommodate originals up to one inch thick.
48-bit color and a 16-bit grayscale provide rich tones and clear contrasts; the 2,400 x 4,800 non-interpolated resolution handles the rest with clean, crisp detail. USB 2.0 interface means there's a single cord that supplies both power and connection, as well as a speedy transfer of data.
Bundled with the scanner is an impressive array of software for both Windows and Macintosh OS systems that will allow you to convert, smooth, and organize your images in a variety of ways. Perfect for home use, the Canon LiDE 80 is backed by a one-year warranty with Instant Exchange service.
What's in the Box
Canon LiDE 80 scanner; power/USB 2.0 cable; instructions; setup poster; warranty information; Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0 CD-ROM; CanoScan Setup CD-ROM, including ScanGear CS (Windows/Mac), CanoScan Toolbox (Windows/Mac), Arcsoft PhotoStudio (Windows/Mac), ArcSoft PhotoBase (Windows/Mac), ScanSoft OmniPage SE OCR (Windows/Mac), NewSoft Presto! PageManager (Windows) and NewSoft Presto! BizCard (30-day trial version, Windows only)
1 Excelent Scanner
I've been nothing but satisfied with this scanner. My old Visioneer scanner broke, so I bought this one to replace it since I've always been a fan of Canon products (they last), and it seems to be the right choice. It's super compact, only runs off of one USB cable, and scans wonderfully. I use it for scanning in drawings and negatives for graphic design. And with the compact design, it would be easy to carry around with a laptop for scanning on the go. And at this price, it's a wonderful deal.
2 NOT FOR MAC
Never had a product that claimed to be compatible with Mac that is SO incompatible that it's a joke. Don't waste your money on this if you're using OSX. It's a truly lousy piece of equipment, and the software is terrible. I'm giving mine away.
3 Terrible Negative Scanning
I bought this thing to convert some of my negatives to digital. First off you have to use a clumsy Fare 2.0 module which plugs into the scanner and fits on top of the negative into the 35mm film adapter. This is not a good idea becuase you can only do one negative frame at a time. Also it doesnt seem to push down on the negative to make it flat. Negative scans are horrible, its comparable to a 1-2 mega pixel digital image.
Regular photo scans are not to shabby. The image detail seems good enough but the color accuracy is off. Only thing saving the color is Photoshop Elements.
4 Believe It Or Not . . . I Like It.
Well, It looks like I'm going to be the disagreeable odd-ball person on this review page. I like this scanner. Mainly I like its size and weight. Thin-line is perfect for my desk and the scanner is quick and efficient. I use the advanced features for scanning, cropping the image rather than using the default of scanning the whole bed.
I find the colors to be true when compared to the original photograph. If you scan at a high resolution with any scanner, you should be happier than anything of a low resolution. So, read the features and the implementation of them and you'll be happy, too. The Canoscan was the right price for what I needed. I wasn't into capturing slides, so that wasn't important to me. There were cheaper models, but I passed them up. There were more expensive models with features I didn't need.
The bundled software comes with an OCR program which I've used repeatedly for scanning textbook pages. Another plus for the price.
Because this scanner is so portable I can move it around and simply plug it in to the front USB connection on my PC whenever I have the need to use it.
No problems with drivers, etc. I'm using Windows XP.
5 Good scanner for the money
I bought this scanner on sale for about $90 so I could scan negatives and film. Pros: It installed easily on my HP WinXP machine, it is satisfactory in speed, it scans negatives well, its small, and it does not require a separate power block. Cons: Its a bit noisy. I would not recommend it for the photo professional, buts its certainly a good amateur scanner and is also quite portable.
6 Great Scanner - NOT for Mac OS X
I recently bought this scanner. Its a great device. Small, light, produces good scans. The drivers and software provided for Mac OS X are pathetic. I have had many other Canon products before (printers & cameras) and they have always had good software. So, I am really astonished.
This scanner is less than 10 days old and I am strongly considering returning it for one with better Mac OS X support.
7 Excellent scanner, abysmal operating system...
I purchased the LiDE 80 from another vendor about a year ago. Worked fine for 11 months and then I started to get some relatively minor errors from the software. May have to do with upgrade to Windows XP SP2, I don't know.
I called up the Canon Tech Support people (they are nice and very knowledgeable), and they told me to uninstall and then reinstall the scanner. Okay, fine. I do this for hardware all the time.
However, ever since, I have been unable to reinstall the device, either with drivers from the OEM CD or from the Canon website. My operating system simply does not accept these drivers--when I install them, it is like nothing happened. The hardware installation wizard DOES NOT work for this scanner, presumably because the drivers are not "digitally signed" (translation--Canon didn't pay Microsoft a lot of money; that's okay with me as this would propagate into the price of the scanner, however it still needs to function properly to have any value).
So basically I am stuck with a piece of equipment that is useless to me. My computer is a Dell that is only 6 months old--this should be able to work.
In conclusion, the scanner is very nice when it works but the operating system is lousy...
8 high-pitched squealing
I returned this scanner after trying one scan. The high-pitched squealing it makes while scanning is very irritating. Installing the software added many megabytes of junk to my hard drive. Cheap but no bargain. Spend over $100 for a decent scanner.
9 Despite USB2.0, this scanner is really really really slow!!!
SCANNER IS SLOW: Since it's a USB2.0 device, I didn't really think much about how long it would take to transfer an image to my computer. The answer is: A really long time. The scan itself happens quite quickly, but the actual transfer takes about 100 seconds per 3x5 photo at 300dpi.
SUPPORT SUCKS: I thought something was wrong so I sent a note off to their email support. I explained that my USB port was functioning perfectly, but I got some stupid canned response back that, more than anything, demonstrated that they just didn't read the email. I replied asking for a more thorough readthru of my note and they simply never wrote back.
SCANNING NEGATIVES IS DIFFICULT: I won't bore you with the details, but basically, somebody important left the room when they were designing the software for scanning negatives. The fundamentals are all there, but you're forced to preview each frame, even though the negative frame holder is held in a fixed area. It makes bulk scanning cumbersome for no reason. I've heard others complain about this little gaff.
OVERALL: The image quality is good. If you're scanning the odd photo or negative, it's a good choice. If you want to scan a lots of images, this thing is just going to frustrate you to death.
10 Not worth the money
Pros: Small and compact. Powered through USB. Does great with 35mm negatives.
Cons: Poor scan quality.
I bought this scanner along with the Epson 2480 to test. Although tedious with scanning 35mm film, the color and scan quality is great. But for scanning pictures and other items, the scan and weak, and the color washed out (greens come out too yellow, blues much lighter in comparison with the 2480 which I would give 5 stars for scan quality). There is also a horizontal banding in the scans which is very noticable when the image is printed.
I would recommend this only if you wanted to scan film and didn't really care to have a high quality scan of anything else.
11 Awesome Design. Fast, Good Scans. Poor Film Scanning
Good:
This unit is an industrial design gem
Speed increase is very noticable over my older CanoScan N1220U
Software for Windows XP is decent (lots of options)
Includes both TWAIN and WIA drivers
No transformer block/AC cord to deal with
Bundled with USEFUL, quality software such as Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0 and ScanSoft OmniPage SE
Bad:
Scanning film negatives is a PAIN IN THE ASS (scanning one at a time and FORCING you to do a preview first - very tedious and time consuming)
A bit louder than my older CanoScan N1220U during SOME processes
Overall, scan quality is good and I think Canon put together a fantastic package.
12 2400 dpi mode
For the money the Canon LiDE 80 is ideal for most users. The scanner will scan at 2400 dpi, but only in the mode the really matters, film (negative) and slide (positive) mode. The Canon LiDE 80 does this to prevent you from generating a large, and most of the time unnecessary file. For most users 300 to 600 dpi is all you need correctly digitize your image. If you want full control, you need to invest to the next level of scanners which will probably triple in price.
13 Good Device, Lousy Software Installation, NOT 2400dpi!!
I had much the same experience as Outis Nihil (below). The software package is apparently designed for OS 9. There is a separate OS X folder with installation drivers for each separate package, rather than the all-in-one installation driver for OS 9. In order to get the scanner to function under OS X, OS 9 installation is required, then you need to download the OS X driver upgrades from the Canon USA website. This allows direct scanning via Photoshop; I haven't tried anything else at the time of this writing. This is not revealed in their instructions, which are pretty much useless.
Also, as mentioned, 1200 dpi is apparently the maximum scanning resolution, which makes their claim of 2400dpi not merely deceptive, but very simply a LIE. This claim needs to be retracted immediately from all their literature.
The imaging results are very good and I'm happy with that. For that reason and the great price I've decided to keep the unit. Time will tell if the hardware is long lasting. The metal lid is a bit thin (admittedly contributing to the device's lightness and portability) but will easily be nicked, scratched, or dented over time with even moderate use.
Hardware: B+, Software: D
14 Great hardware for the price, terrible OS X software
The image quality is very, very good for a scanner of this price. The size is convenient, the use of USB 2 for power is convenient, the scanner looks good. It's fast at 300 dpi, slower at 600 dpi, and remarkably slow at 1200 dpi.
Two issues, however. First: the box says max resolution of 2400 x 4800; the software shows a max resolution of only 1200 dpi. Yes, 99 times out of 100, 1200 dpi is plenty; but why market as 2400 dpi then? Second: with the exception of the included copy of Photoshop Elements 2.0 (a great deal), the software for OS X is horrible. The installer requires classic to run; and the installer is not necessarily successful in running. I downloaded an update to the drivers, and that was set to run in classic, even though it will only run in native OS X (not classic). I ended up having to install the CD, download the update, and copy the install script from the CD to the correct location in the update to get that installed, and then make an alias in one of the library folders. Compare this to the process for installing a digital camera: just plug it in. So while I'd recommend this as a nice home scanner for the price (don't expect the quality of a professional scanner), I'd also recommend that Canon do something about their installation software.
15 Pretty good film scanner
When I bought it I didn't even know (or care) that the scanner could scan film but the other day I found some negatives at the back of a drawer and decided to try scanning them. I have to say I was quite impressed. Scanned at 2400 dpi, digital prints up to 5"x7" are almost indistiguishable from the photographic prints. I find that the images from scanned colour negatives have an overall bluish cast but this is easily corrected.
I have found the scanner's small size and lack of a power cord to be a real advantage; it is handy to be able to tip the scanner on its side and store it out of the way when it is not in use.
16 I tried it all - PC, MAC, USB 1.1, USB high-speed, color...
I'm pretty impressed with this little guy, but eventually decided it's not for me because it's just too fancy for my needs.
PC (XP Pro): Installation was pretty easy - I didn't try to do it from the Canon-provided CD because sometimes that adds icons where I really don't want them. So, I downloaded the driver from the Canon website. I also downloaded the software and at first tried to use that directly, but I must have been doing something wrong because it wasn't behaving. I wasn't interested in wasting my time with it, so I uninstalled it and just used the "Import" function of Photoshop, and everything was a snap. I have USB 1.1 on my PC, and the speed was fine - at first it seemed slower than with high-speed USB (see below), but I retested it, and it's about the same - fast!
Mac (X 10.3): Installation was very easy - again, I downloaded the driver from the Canon website, and this time just went straight to Photoshop and used the "import" function. The Mac interface of the software is so much more superior than the PC version, I can hardly express it. Everything seems just so much more organized and works from the first push of the button. There was zero fiddling around. My Mac has high-speed USB, and it was fast on two accounts - the computer found and initialized the scanner very quickly, and the scanning itself was also very quick. As mentioned above, USB 1.1 wasn't much slower! This is a very fast scanner.
Black-and-white text scanning - I was surprised that I had to go up 300 dpi to get decent resolution (like that of a photocopier), but a black'n'white letter-sized document at 300 dpi is still less than one MB, so not too bad. Scanning was quick.
Color scanning - I can get very decent resolution even at 75 dpi, with fairly true colors and contrast.
Documents which contain both black-and-white writing and a photograph - to get decent (photocopier) resolution of black-and-white text in color mode (so that the photograph is also captures), surprisingly I had to up the resolution to about 200 dpi. There was some fiddling around and testing for this particular type of document.
Preview feature of the software: I ended up using my Mac more because the software interface is so much better and my Mac has high-speed USB. The good feature of the preview function is that the document is scanned fairly accurately, and you can box the area of interest, press scan, and the import window remains put, so you can box a second area without having to preview again, and press scan a second time. Two documents result in Photoshop. The two scans can be in different functions, too, one in black-and-white, and one in color. This feature is absent in the PC version of the software - one press of the scan button, and the preview is gone. If you want another scan from the same page, you have to preview it again. Another good feature is that images can be rotated 90 or 180 degrees during the scan, and they can also be cropped, which is one less thing you might have to do in Photoshop (same on PC). Lastly, the scanner is "smart" - it will automatically detect the size and box the item that's being scanned, saving you time (same on PC). The bad feature is that the preview isn't accurate - the black-and-white is pretty bad, to be honest, compared to the actual scan (same on PC). The preview in color can have some false stripes, perhaps as a result of glossy paper, but those don't appear in the actual scan (same on PC). The bottom line - the interface is user-friendly, especially for the Mac, but the preview isn't always that accurate.
I like the lack of a power cable, I really don't need another one of those. I like the expanding lid for fat documents, and it goes pretty high. I like the overall look of the scanner - matte chrome, beautiful. I like the lack of buttons that can be accidentally pressed. With respect to design, a really simplistic and beautiful piece of work, reminds me of some of the Apple items.
We all have our non-traditional scanner uses - I scanned in some fabric swatches, both flat and textured, and this scanner did a better job capturing their look than my 2 MP digital camera - I was impressed! I hope you, too, find non-traditional uses for your scanner.
This scanner is totally beefed-up, which is why I'm returning it and buying a LiDE 30 instead. If you use max resolution for a color letter-sized document, the file will be more than 100 MB! I have no use for such monstrosity, and I prefer to use close to the lowest resolution possible to obtain the results I want. It also comes with all these film attachments, which I absolutely have no use for and cannot comment on. Overall, very impressed with the low-fiddling-around-with factor and the excellent Mac software interface. Review of my new LiDE 30 scanner will be coming soon (after the Labor Day sales).
17 Fast, easy, portable
Scope of use and review: I use a scanner primarily for OCR and for capturing black and white photos.
After several years of good service, my HP 6200C has turned into a nightmare: for some reason it began to require a 15-30 minute battle, after which it sometimes did scan -- and sometimes did not. So I bought an HP 3970, only to find another nightmare with the software: I took the HP 3970 back. In fact the HP 3970 was such a disappointment that I struggled to keep working with my HP 6200C for a few months, despite taking 15 minutes or more to get it to scan.
I am extremely pleased with the Canon LiDE 80. It is fast and very easy to use. The OmniPage SE OCR software that comes with it does a very respectable job. And the scanner easily fits into my laptop bag for travel -- plus there are no power cords to haul along. The fact that it uses LED rather than a bulb also is a plus -- one less maintenance problem to worry about, one less thing to worry about in travel. I have already done more in a month with the LiDE than I was able to do with the HP 6200C in the last six months.
18 Easy to use - horrible quality
I made the decision to get the LiDE 80 based on a comparison of reviews for different brands. I had considered getting another HP but the reviews for the one I was looking at were not at all good.
The LiDE 80 is easy to install and use, but getting crisp detailed scans of photos? Forget it. After every scan I have to adjust the contrast, the saturation, the sharpness, or a couple other settings. Every scan has a foggy, milkly, diluted, faded, out of focus (insert description of choice) quality to it. I'm losing so much detail it's not even worth the time it takes to scan my photos. I've played with the scanner settings hoping to get some kind of improvement but it's just not happening.
I was previously using an HP 3300c and I never had to adjust to my scans in a graphics suite to get good results. I'm going to pack this piece of junk up and get the HP 3970 like I should have done in the first place.
I'm giving the LiDE 80 2 stars simply for how easy it is to install and use.
19 Great and Easy to use.
Old scanner(4yrs. and it died) was a general HP not for pic's or slides. Decided I want to copy my pic's & slides onto CD. This scanner works great with a great price. And it has a nice software package. Cannot compare to a high price scanner but I am very pleased the the results that I am getting from my pic's, old negatives and slides. I am using the software with W98SE and I have the scanner plugged into a Belkin hup. I also have the Canon printer i860 which does very nice pic's.
20 easy for computer dummies like me
Short and sweet I'm just a guy with a computer no fancy computer job no fancy education in computers. I read the manuals but they are not my cup of tea. This scanner took me about 2 days to really get the hang of it. Which was a short time compared to what most of this stuff takes for me. If your like me just go to cannon on your menu open canno scan tool box, click save and start there.
21 Re:- Using 4-hub USB adaptor
I plugged my LiDE 80 into a cheap 4-hub USB adaptor and it is producing excellent quality scans.
My only reservation is that scanning via the single-touch button produces a reddish tinge, whereas scans to the computer seldom needs adjustment, but if they do, the desired result is easily obtained via Adobe 2.0 (supplied with the scanner).
Hope this helps!
22 Lack of information about scanner
I have a Dell with only two USB ports. Using one for ethernet and the other for a Belkin 4 port USB hub for printer and digital camera. I was disappointed when I got the message that the LiDE 80 wouldn't work with a hub but had to be plugged directly into a USB port on the tower. I did not see any information about this in the product information I reviewed before I purchased the scanner. Now I must unplug the hub from the back of the tower and plug in the LiDE 80 before I can use it. A major inconvenience since the Dell tower is in a computer desk and has to be pulled out to reach the USB port.
23 Works well in Mac OS X 10.3.4 Panther
I just bought this scanner for use with my G5 tower, and despite reading reviews to the contrary, it works brilliantly with OS X 10.3.4 - no problems whatsoever. I downloaded the latest CanoScan scanner driver (v7250) and CanoScan Toolbox (v4130) and within a few minutes of installing the software I was scanning with no problem at all. Scanner performs well considering its size, weight and one-cord convenience. This scanner should be ideal for all but the most demanding applications - highly recommended!
24 Works great with Mac OS X
I'm not sure why the other reviewer is having so much trouble with Mac OS X (or why Canon support would tell him he had to use Classic). I've been using the LiDE with Mac OS X for a few months now using the CanoScan Toolbox X application. It was a bit of a hassle to find the software downloads from Canon's site, but once they were installed, the scanner works great with OS X.
25 Not worth the frustration for a mac user!
I spent 5 hours on the phone with tech support. They finally admitted without classic there is no real way to get this to work. This is not acceptable!!! The scanner scans great for my PC, but is dead on my mac.
26 Lide80 with a Mac
I have an iMac with OS 10.3.3 operating system. The scanner works well with the machine once you get through some start up difficulties. If you have programs that run in the classic mode, OS 9.2, then you must turn off the 9.2 system or the scanner will not work. Canon spells this out in the installation directions, but it is a bit of a chore as you have to open System Preferences click on OS 9 and stop OS 9. Then you can scan. As they point out, just hitting quit on the active program isn't enough. If you don't use any old programs, then there is no problem, but most of us do have them. As soon as you use one, OS 9 starts up automatically, and then you have to go through the stop procedure again if you wish to scan. Also, When I first try to print what I have scanned, I am told the printer is off line and I have to stop it, and then restart it to get the print. As you can see, Canon has a few program bugs they need to address. I emailed Canon to see if they have any fixes, but in two weeks they haven't bothered to answer.
27 The most amazing piece of equipment I've ever owned
I'd give it 10 stars if that were possible. It does everything you ask it to do without any backtalk and it has a wonderful price tag. From now on, everything I buy will be Canon-made.
28 Great Scanner For The Amateur Photographer
I just purchased this scanner to replace a slow, unwieldy HP 5300C. After 1 week, here's what I think.
===============================================================
PROs:
1. Slim form factor.
2. Good quality photograph scans. Maybe not for a professional, but for us amateurs, it rocks!
3. Very quick scanning
4. Negative scannning possible with included adapter.
5. Canoscan software definitely a cut above the norm
6. Windows XP installation is fast and simple.
-->a. Install Canoscan Drivers and software, reboot THEN
-->b. plug scanner into nearest HighSpeed USB (USB 2.0) port
-->c. You're good to go!
7. Full Photoshop Elements 2.0 included
================================================================
CONs:
1. A bit noisy
2. Some software supplied as "SE" or limited versions
3. Scanning Kodak APS film pictures can be tricky due to the
nonstandard print sizes.
================================================================
A final piece of advice - make sure you acquire the latest Canon software from the Canon, USA website.
29 Works great so far and at a great price
Nice compact size, and has offered all I've needed in scanning so far. The resolution could be better, but is working for me so far and I'm a picky descriminating person. It comes with good scanning software and is overall about as good as more expensive scanners that I've had that haven't held up for very long.
30 Not built for speed on Macs.
I really like this scanner. It makes pretty scans, its small and convenient, requires only one cable, and looks great. A great little home scanner for the non-professional photographer.
One caveat - USB 2.0 is not supported on Macs. Sure, you can connect this scanner to your Mac via USB 2.0, but you will get no more than the 12 Mb/second that USB 1.1 is limited to. I bought this for my Mac, upgraded via a USB 2.0 PCI card, then tested the scanner at various resolutions on both ports only to find that the scan speeds were identical, to the second. Then I found the fine print. Hopefully Canon will get their act together and release a driver update that supports Mac USB 2.0.
So, great little scanner for the money, but they lose a couple of points for the lack of Mac USB 2.0 support.
31 Fast and Convenient
The Canoscan LiDE 80 is easy to use for a variety of applications and the USB Hi-Speed (no longer USB2) interface is super fast and convenient since it not only is the data link, but supplies power to the scanner. If your power hub is as congested as mine, you'll appreciate this bonus. The LiDE 80 comes standard with a film adapter unit so you can scan 35 mm film or unmounted slide film. although the literature claims the film scanner runs at 2400 x 4800 DPI, I don't buy it. My Nikon fim scanner is 2900 DPI and gives MUCH better scans of 35 mm film. No contest. Then again, it was quite a bit more (4X)expensive than the LiDE 80 and only scans film...
The LiDE 80 includes software for automatic retouching of scratches and dust - and it also now has grain and fading correction. I tried these features on color photos taken over 50 years ago and was pleasantly surprised with the results. Overall, this is a nice package that goes well beyond the typical bargain scanner.
32 Good Scanner, Poor OS X Drivers
I got this scanner to replace a 1220U for the Film scanning and decent OS X drivers. Unfortunately the drivers on the CD are really bad, but the ones on-line (Tool Box 4.1.3 and LiDE 7.2.1.0 as of this writing) are better, so download them first. PhotoShop Elements is a great bonus but the OmniScan SE is a "classic" only app. Not Canon's fault but still disappointing. Also the film tray is for negatives, not slides so be aware of that. Otherwise it is a nice scanner, light weight, compact and combines USB and power in the same cable (down with AC adaptors!). Mac OS X people get the drivers from the website first.
33 Nice for amateur photographer
Slick CanoScan LiDE 80 works well with documents and pictures where 600 dpi resolution is more then enough. Hi-quality full color slide scan with minimum 2400 dpi resolution - this is a real challenge for newly introduced CIS technology. IMHO Canon made it satisfactory with new LiDE 80 model. I don't want to go digital with my Canon Rebel Ti camera, but for inexpensive photo enlargements, graphic works and WEB design projects I need a good scanner, otherwise digital dark-room with powerful Adobe Photoshop post-processing will be unavailable for me. I do my photofinishing in Fuji minilab, "Frontier" can dump my digital images on CD-R in bulk (1840x1232 JPEG with 300 dpi resolution, price ~6$ per roll) - that's all you can get from advanced minilabs today :-(. As alternative, you can buy professional Nikon Super Coolscan with 4000 dpi - it will cost you 10 times more than SOHO flatbed scanner and you'll never be able to capitalize this investment in our "digital" future.
Today with CanoScan LiDE 80 I am in control of my pictures!
Software bundle is adequate and Elements 2.0 is a real bargain for Adobe Photoshop novice.
