Scanning Old Photos with the Canon CanoScan 9000F Mark II

Have a box of old photographs, negatives, or 35mm slides? Turn your old photos into digital files. Learn how in this review of the Canon CanoScan 9000F Mark II color image scanner.

Do you have an old box of photographs and negatives hiding in a dark corner of your closet? Do you find 35 mm slides during your wanderings through the flea market? Wondering what you can do with that old photographic film in this electronic age?

Turn photos, negatives, and slides into digital files

Photography has been a hobby for me since the mid-1970s. Over the decades, my hobby has filled a box with 35 mm slides, negatives, and photos. When I decided it was time to make some money from my photos, I needed a color image scanner to turn those photographs into digital files.

After doing some shopping, I narrowed my choices to the Canon CanoScan 9000F MKII and the Epson Perfection V600 based on these requirements:

• Low price. I didn't have a lot of money to spend and couldn't afford a top-of-the-line professional scanner. Both of these scanners are priced below $200.
• High resolution. Many of the products available through the print-on-demand services such as Zazzle or CafePress are large. The Canon scans film at a maximum resolution of 9600 x 9600 dpi and the Epson at a maximum resolution of 6400 x 9600 dpi.
• Scan multiple formats. The Canon and the Epson digitize slides, negatives, photo prints, and printed documents. Files can be saved in JPG, TIFF, PNG, and PDF formats.

Digitize images with the Canon CanoScan 9000F MKII

The Canon CanoScan has more than met my expectations. The setup was simple and the software drivers installed without a problem. Here are some of the features that I really enjoy about this image scanner:

• It is simple to scan multi-page documents and convert those pages into a single PDF file.
• The film guides hold slides and negatives securely.
• The protective cover is easy to remove for slide and negative scanning.
• The included software reduces image editing with automatic image enhancement features.

Enhance photos with the My Image Garden software

The Canon CanoScan includes My Image Garden software for scanning, enhancing, and organizing photographs. I'm not usually a fan of the software that comes with many electronic devices, but the My Image Garden software has saved me a lot of time. I especially enjoy using the ScanGear utility to scan slides and to correct imperfections.

Here's an example showing the settings for a 35 mm slide and a preview of the image.

The ScanGear image scanning utility gives complete control over images. As different resolutions and different levels of image correction are selected, the utility shows the output file size. Here are other ways to use this scanning software:

• Remove dust spots. Images files from slides and negatives that are old, have been  handled over the years, and are dusty can be difficult to clean up. I estimate the ScanGear utility removes 95% of the dust spots from my scanned slides and negatives.
• Fix over-exposed photos. It's heartbreaking when a well-framed shot is ruined from a bad exposure. Adjust the backlight and exposure options while watching the changes in the preview window.
• Adjust the color. Sometimes the color in the photo isn't as vibrant as the memory because slides and negatives fade over time. Increase the color saturation, brightness, or contrast and see the adjustments in the preview window.

Preserve photos and documents with the Canon CanoScan

Scanning a variety of documents is made quick and simple with the Canon CanoScan 9000F Mark II color image scanner. The scanner comes with guides for 120 format film, 35 mm slides, and 35 mm negatives. It also operates as a flatbed scanner and turns pages as large as 8-1/2" x 11" into PDF files.

I give this scanner 4.5 of 5 stars for ease of use, high quality scans, and image editing abilities.

If you have a large number of photos, slides, negatives, and other documents that you want to turn into digital files, I highly recommend the Canon CanoScan 9000F Mark II color image scanner.

Posted by Coletta Teske

About This Contributor

Coletta Teske writes reviews on books, business management, writing, crafting, cooking, and gardening. She is also an avid recycler and shares her tips on recycling. She delights in upcycling an old object, recycling or transforming discarded items into a new treasure.

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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Satechi SD Mini Portable Speaker & SD Card Player Review

I recently discovered the most amazing little electronic gadget and I simply had to share my review of the Satechi SD Mini Speaker, SD Card Player.

I like to listen to music when I am working on or offline, but I have found that if I listen to music on my computer while I am also working on my computer, the processing will slow.  I normally have multiple programs, sites and windows open all at the same time.  I decided I needed a separate music player that I would have close at hand so I could switch it on or off quickly when the phone rings.

I considered several options, including ipods and cd players, but I really wanted something less expensive and smaller.  That is when I remembered the sd cards!  

A little over a year ago, I got a new car stereo that has an sd card player.  I was clueless about how that worked initially, but thought it was a cool idea.  I downloaded several of my cds onto an sd card, inserted it into the stereo and was thrilled with how much music I could load onto one small sd card to listen to in my car.  Therefore, when I remembered the little sd cards in my car, I went in search of a small sd card player and viola', I found the Satechi SD Mini Speaker and Player.

Satechi SD Mini Portable Pocket Speaker 

This absolutely has to be the coolest thing I have discovered in a long time!   Since the Satechi SD Mini Portable Speaker / SD Card Player is only about 3" tall and a bit over 2" wide, it really is very small and easily sits on my laptop table without taking up much room at all.
 
Transferring my cds onto an sd card takes less than a minute, so I quickly have music available to play.  This little speaker is amazingly loud too.  I often have to turn it down since I am sitting so close to it, but I love being able to turn it up and still hear it when I need to work away from the computer for a while.

You can also close the little speaker and poke it into your pocket if you want to carry it to your car or just to another room.  It is very compact.  I would say it is slightly bigger than a golf ball when closed.   

How to Charge the Satechi SD Mini Portable Speaker

No batteries are required for this mini SD player / speaker.  You simply charge the speaker by plugging it into your computer with the USB charging cable that is included with the speaker.  There is a flashing light indicator that lets you know when your speaker is fully charged.

Once charged, it will play for 5 or 6 hours without being recharged.

 

Use the Satechi SD Mini Portable Speaker as a Computer Speaker

I was recently watching Moonstruck on my laptop via Netflix and found that the volume was so low that I was having trouble hearing it.  

I plugged in my Satechi Mini Portable Speaker and had instant volume.  It was really fabulous to be able to hear all of the dialog the first time!  Since the speaker has a volume control, I was able to set my own comfort level for listening.

You can also plug the mini speaker into some iPhones, iPods, a Blackberry, etc. to enhance their volume via the same plug used for a laptop computer.

Now, I use my Mini speaker to hear every movie I play on my laptop.  Most excellent! 

Transferring Your Music to an SD Card

It is not hard at all to transfer music to an sd card. 

This young man shows us step by step how to easily transfer music from our computers to an sd card. 

Satechi SD Mini Portable Speakers as Gifts

My mini player / speaker was so popular with our guests over the holidays, that I purchased 5 additional units to give as birthday gifts this year.  As soon as they came in, my husband was like a little kid.  He didn't want to wait for his birthday in June.  He wanted his now!  

Yes, I let him have his gift early.  Now, we have dueling speakers in the house.   

Accessories for the Satechi Sd Mini Portable Speaker

The speaker comes with a small tote bag and the USB charging cable.   You will need to purchase your SD cards separately.  Plus, I found that I needed a case for my SD cards.  I put that on my own Christmas wishlist and my parents were kind enough to give me my little sd card holder.  It is a great way to keep all of your sd cards in one place for easy selection.

 

 SanDisk 8GB Class 4 SDHC Memory Card, Frustration-Free Packaging- SDSDB-008G-AFFP (Label May Change) Memory Card Carrying Case - Black (Generic)

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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