The scanner's output quality was not as consistently good as its speed. The Perfection 2400 Photo captured lines and curves without distortion, and it even picked up subtle details in the dark areas of our test document. But reds and oranges consistently lacked saturation, whereas white areas took on a grayish cast. Earthier colors such as greens and flesh tones looked more realistic. When scanning transparencies, the Perfection 2400 Photo split the difference; color slides looked excellent with sharp details, but color negatives looked merely fair. Although most users will find the Perfection 2400 Photo more than adequate, those with a real photographic eye may want to step up to the Perfection 2450 Photo.
The Perfection 2400 Photo comes with a one-year warranty, typical for the category. Lifetime phone support is available Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. PT, but it's a toll call. The Epson Web site offers useful resources such as drivers, manuals, and FAQs.
The Perfection 2400 Photo is a good scanner for anyone with a mix of opaque and transparent documents to scan. It offers fast speeds, above-average output, and improved ease of use.
Scanner speeds
Time, in seconds, to scan in image (shorter bars equal better performance)
Color negative
Color slide
Color scan
Grayscale scan
Epson Perfection 2450 Photo
96
38
20.8
18.7
Microtek ScanMaker 6700
56.6
44.4
23.8
20.5
Epson Perfection 2400 Photo
51.58
24.34
14.36
12.36
Scan quality
•
Poor
••
Fair
•••
Good
••••
Excellent
Scanner
Color negative
Color slide
Grayscale scan
Color scan
Epson Perfection 2400 Photo
••
••••
•••
•••
Epson Perfection 2450 Photo
•••
••••
••••
••••
Microtek ScanMaker 6700
••
•
•••
•••
The Epson Perfection 2400 Photo delivered some of the fastest color and grayscale scans we've seen using a computer equipped with USB 1.1. (The Perfection 2400 Photo also supports the faster USB 2.0 interface.) The output quality also scored above average, especially on color-slide scans.
