Canon CanoScan N650U

As the less expensive of Canon's two offerings this month, you might have expected the CanoScan N650U to be overshadowed by the more expensive N1220U. But the N650U impressed us, partially thanks to its diminutive stature - it's one of only four units here to use CIS (contact image sensor) technology over the common CCD, which helps make it compact.

Other advantages of CIS are good sharpness and low power requirements; indeed, you don't even need a separate power supply, as all the CIS scanners here draw their power from the USB port. The main drawback is that scan samples must be flat against the scanning surface. CIS technology helped the N650U to score highly in our sampling tests, and it achieved joint-fourth position for sharpness.

Its maximum optical resolution of 600 x 1,200ppi at a colour depth of 42-bit wasn't a huge handicap in our real-world tests, as we mainly scanned at the more typical 300ppi. It scored very highly for the 12 x 10in candles print, with the textured cloth captured in exceptional detail. The N650U was less adept at dealing with the 6 x 4in skin tones print; some over-exposure occurred, and there wasn't enough red in the image.

With a top ranking overall for speed, it's clear the N650U has many factors in its favour. Add ArcSoft's PhotoBase and Caere's OmniPage Pro, and its price of £54 makes it phenomenal value for money.