Canon Canoscan Lide 50

Canon was the first manufacturer to mass-market slimline scanners that draw all their power through a standard USB connection. This latest in the range plainly demonstrates that Canon still does it the best.

The Canoscan Lide 50 differs visibly from the Lide 30 only by offering four quick-task buttons at the front (Copy, Scan, File, Email) compared with the latter's three.

The lid is fitted with two hinges - Canon calls this a 'Z-lid' - which allows thick originals to sit on the scanning plate comfortably.

The entire unit is so thin that it can be rested on its edge using the special stand provided, but this isn't very practical: it's easy to knock over by accident and any originals you place on the plate just slip off.

Controlling the scanner in hands-on mode is easy, thanks to a Twain driver interface, but the real fun starts with the quick-scan buttons.

The Lide 50 automatically recognises what's on the plate and scans in the appropriate mode; if there are several photos, it'll scan them in one pass, then separate, crop and rotate them as necessary.

The dust-and-scratches filter is helpful if not perfect, while the sharpen and descreening filters are very good.

Automated optical character recognition scanning through Omnipage SE was a dream, with only colour support lacking.

Perhaps most surprising is that image quality is much better than you'd normally expect from a CIS scanner, let alone one which runs off USB power.

Our lab tests put it way ahead most sub-£100 consumer scanners, whether CCD or CIS-based.

Given that it's also fairly speedy and quiet, and considering the generous software pack included, we can't imagine anyone not wanting one of these at home.

Contact: Canon 0870 514 3723
www.canon.co.uk

Specifications:

• Flatbed CIS scanner
• 1,200 x 2,400dpi max res
• 48-bit colour depth
• Scangear CS, Canoscan Toolbox, Adobe Photoshop Elements 1.0, Arcsoft Photostudio 5, Arcsoft Photobase 3, Presto Pagemanager 6, Scansoft Omnipage SE
• 256 x 383 x 34mm (w x d x h)
• 1.5kg
• USB2 connection (1.1 compatible)