S9000 still a viable option?

[M i c C u l l e n]

A supposed *friend* sent me a link earlier today, which showed the Canon
S9000 being run out for just AU$593 including shipping. (REAL friends
don't tempt you to spend money like this, do they?

Given that the Epson 2100 (2200 for the US) is about AU$1700 and the
newer Canon i9100 is AU$1076.51, that price is pretty tempting. (A 2100
went secondhand for $1300 a month or so ago here in Perth.)

I simply cannot afford the 2100 (much as I'd like one, but I've spent
too much on glass and flashes and ... well, you get the idea) and I
can't see any benefit in the i9100 over the S9000. (Am I wrong?)

I don't care about the speed particularly, although it's a nice thing,
and I'm not chasing archival prints particularly. (A mate has the 2100,
(we've both got calibrated screens), so if I NEED it, I've got the
capability nearby, and I've got a Lexmark Optra R+ workgroup laser and a
Canon S600 for general printing here, although the new printer would
probably take over from the 600.)

I'm shooting with a Canon 10D (6MP) with some nice lenses, and I'm
printing for myself and friends - no clients to worry about.

I guess the thing I'm worried about is buying 'old' technology, although
I've read in a couple of places that the S900 and the i9100 share the
same printhead anyway, so that's that worry taken care of.

I have googled this to death (both web and newsgroups) and, not
surprisingly, found nothing definitive

I did see a few people complaining that the S9000 was colour-shifting
after just 2-3 months no matter what they did to prevent it, which
didn't thrill me, although it didn't say what paper/ink combination was
used. While I'm not too worried about photos lasting 70 years (nobody
would care, I'm not AA) I'd like them to last a bit longer than 60 days.

A lot of other people, however, are saying lots of good things about the
S9000.

I'm also planning on using third-party inks, although a CIS is probably
going a bit far for my intended usage, so it'd just be a 'fill the
cartridges' thing.

Would be a lot easier if it was either completely brilliant or
completely crappy

Your opinions please.
--

cheers, Mic (Reply address works...)

"Whenever you find that you are on the side of the majority, it is time to reform."
-- Mark Twain

 

[Al Rudderham]

I did see a few people complaining that the S9000 was colour-shifting
after just 2-3 months no matter what they did to prevent it, which
didn't thrill me, although it didn't say what paper/ink combination was
used. While I'm not too worried about photos lasting 70 years (nobody
would care, I'm not AA) I'd like them to last a bit longer than 60 days.

All of Canon's 6 colour printers going back to the 8200 share the same
inks (BCI-6). I have an S800, which is one generation newer than the
8200.

I've used both Canon "Photo Paper Pro" and also Epson "Matte Paper -
Heavyweight". I use the "High Resolution Paper" setting in the driver
with the Epson paper. When I first got the printer I got a sampler
pack which contained a few sheets of Canon "High Resolution Paper".
The Epson paper seems very similar in texture (although it is MUCH
thicker), and the results I've gotten with it are great.

I have a bunch of prints posted in 2 different office environments,
most of which are 18 months or more old. They are not mounted, just
stuck up with tacks or magnets, so the paper is exposed. With the
Canon Photo Paper Pro I've found some fading after about 12 months.
Prints on the Epson paper don't show any noticable fade. I also like
that in an office environment people put their fingers on things and
the Espon matte paper doesn't show fingerprints.

On the other hand at home I have some prints mounted in frames under
glass. Those prints are not exposed to sunlight or bright lights.
For that purpose I like the Canon paper better because it shows
greater detail. I haven't seen any signs of fading on those prints.

I hope that helps!

 

[Techno Aussie]

I followed your line of thinking (and spending) earlier this year. The
result was a S9000 I intended to print from and frame the output for sale.
Certainly the results are as good (often better) than many labs produce.

The only problem is the life of the prints can vary from a few weeks to a
few months and certainly not longer than 6 months before the you can see the
degradation of the photo. Most noticeable are prints on gloss paper.
Coincidently these are the ones which 'look' the best straight off the
printer. Canon have instructions on how to get the 25 year life they
promise. Basicly it's hide them away for the environment because it's the
papers that cause the degradation, not the inks.

I changed to using MIS inks from the USA and got noticeable improvement in
the life of the prints but I'm talking here in weeks, not years. I have a
print on my wall, printed on the first i320 Canon printer. This looked great
at first. You can still see the subjects if you look closely!

I will happily be amongst the first to own the newest Epson printer due into
Aus soon and won't hesitate to crank up the credit limit on my visa to pay
for it because since I changed over to Canon printers, I have not printed a
photograph that comes anywhere near lasting as long as one from my old Epson
640, unless I laminate them. Given the new photo epson's are pigment inks,
life measured in 10's of years rather than canon's weeks can be expected.
Keep in mind too that the Canon is limited to print length of 24" whereas
the Epson can print very, very wide panoramas from a roll of photo paper.

Do yourself a favour Mic, dig deep and go for Epson. Not many US
Photographers use Canon printers and the 1 litre ink tank conversions from
MIS ensures cheap prints that last a long time. I'll sell you a (new) Epson
1290 Photo printer for $950 if that's any help. RRP is well over $1000.
www.technoaussie.com for information on how to contact me.
Doug
---------------------

 

[Warren Prasek]

s9000 prints will last a long time if you put them either in plastic
sleeves, or behind glass in a frame. left exposed on a wall (to UV and/or
direct light) they will fade in a matter of months- depends on the
environment.

i've had great results from ilford galerie classic papers (*Not* the smooth
papers) with inkjet goodies ink. no client complaints yet!

 

[David Hurwitz]

No-one actually answered your question. The s9000 should deliver the
same quality as the i91000 and the same speed but doesn't do
borderless prints in as many sizes. This could be a problem because
if you have to trim a 13x19 to make it borderless, you will need a big
expensive paper cutter. This would take away the advantage of the
cheaper printer if you have to buy the paper cutter. The s9000 is a
great bargain; in the US they are selling it for only $200 in some
stores. I have an i9100 and have prints lying around loose for 3
months with no noticeable change on Epson and Canon papers..

 

[Henrik]

Mic!!!

Can you say "E.", "P.", "S.", "O." & "N." ....good boy!! Now all in one loud
sound "EPSON!!!" Ok, lets move on the magic numbers... Two, One, Zero and
Zero that is it, since you nicely located down under ;-) or rather since I
know you are down under, just around the corner! (some referes to this as
the 2200!)

Just to recap: EPSON 2100....you can skip all the crap in-between like
stylus and colour

Now that is it, just bring out the plastic and place the order with the nice
lady behind the counter

Happy New Year Mic!

Henrik

 

[M i c C u l l e n]

"Henrik" <[email protected]>, far, far away from here, appears to have
written:

[snips]

Mic!!!

Well, look who's back from holidays

Can you say "E.", "P.", "S.", "O." & "N." ....good boy!! Now all in one loud
sound "EPSON!!!" Ok, lets move on the magic numbers... Two, One, Zero and
Zero that is it, since you nicely located down under ;-) or rather since I
know you are down under, just around the corner! (some referes to this as
the 2200!)

Ah yes, the 2100. That EXPENSIVE Epson 2100.

Just to recap: EPSON 2100....you can skip all the crap in-between like
stylus and colour

Indeed - if I was buying an Epson, the 2100 would be it.

Now that is it, just bring out the plastic and place the order with the nice
lady behind the counter

Actually, I'd rather buy yours when you buy the R4000, but you only
reply to email sporadically

Happy New Year Mic!

And to everyone here, of course.
--

cheers, Mic (Reply address works...)

"Democracy means government by discussion, but it is only effective if you can stop people talking."
-- Clement Atlee

 

[David]

If it is any help, the image lab I use has a fuji frontier for enlargemnts
to 12x8, then for anything else, a Nikon Scanner outputting throughteh PC to
an EPSON 2100. Very nice indeed.

I've been using an Epson Photo 890 now for 18 months and am very happy with
the results indeed. I have prints on my wall (behind glass of course) that
have been hanging for over 12 months now - I can't see any colour shift.
Also used it to produce custom 8x12 prints for a photo exhibition.

I can't plug Epson highly enough!!!

 

[nuttin]

The i9000 also has a noise reduction feature that the s9000 doesn't have. I
use the s9000 for printing paper media (notecards, labels, etc.) and the
i9100 for photos. Big areas of blue sky especially benefit from the i9100.