SVP FS1880 Black 35mm Negative Film/ Slide Scanner Review

I bought SVP FS1880 Black 35mm Negative Film/ Slide Scanner, and thought it would be pretty nifty to own a negative scanner.

I got one from sigutech on ebay, and thought, heh, how bad can it be if I was using it for scanning lomography photos.

I was terribly wrong.

Well, this item arrived in 10 days, a little longer than expected, but worst of all. It failed to work. I installed it, rebooted the computer, plugged it into several other computers, Windows XP, Vista, 7... the works.

I realized that the software it came with works, but the scanner unit, though recognized by the computer after the driver was installed, was just faulty.

Yes, many things are cheaply made.
Yes, it feels very cheap.
Yes, it is made in China.

But really, dead on arrival?

The bulb in the scanner is just not functioning, and when I shine a flashlight into the unit, I can see something, but it surely does not scan negatives.

Buyers are responsible for the return postage and shipping charges to send the item back. All returned products found to be non-defective after the inspection are subject to a return shipping and handling charge which will be paid for by the buyer.

I feel that this clause does not cover the fact that the scanner arrived "dead" and hence I cannot continue with this review.

Avoid sigutech on ebay and probably SVP products as well.

-- Robin Low