I took the liberty of snatching this off of the RCAAM list because it would seem to be applicable to so many people. Jason is a PACCIN member and frequent contributor so I don't think he will mind. I just included barebones information on the rest since I haven't contacted the other contributors and want to respect their privacy (the original post was part of a member’s-only list serve not available to the general public).

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On Thu, Mar 22, 2012 at 9:02 AM, _____________ wrote:
Hi All,
Our ancient scanner has finally bit the dust, so we're in the market for a new one. Does anyone have any recommendations for an affordable (like under $500) but reliable scanner that can do the "basic stuff"?
Thanks!
_____________


Jason Onerheim's response was:

The Epson V700 that a people recommended a few weeks ago is $520 new (http://www.adorama.com/IESV700.html).

The Epson V600 (and V500) are also good scanners (though much smaller) than the V700. The V600 goes for around $185, though it appears to be sold out at many places.

It will depend on what you are planning on scanning. If you will use it only for scanning small-ish photo prints and documents the cheaper ones will be fine. The reason the V700 is more expensive is that it will scan negatives.

Jason


A second contributor confirms Jason's comments:

B&H photo sells an Epson Perfection V600 Photo scanner that can
scan up to medium format film for $170.95. The V700 is a better choice
at $519.95. It can scan up to 8 x 10" film or transparancies.