Want to buy Canon 9500 today - why should I not?

[menos]

I can get a Canon Pixma 9500 or the upgraded MKII model for an extra 100,- EUR.

I want to print mainly B&W (Lightroom processed Tri-X scans ).
I shoot mainly pushed Tri-X (ISO1600 − 6400).
Frames are partly real black and have bright highlights from street lamps, car headlights and alike.

I would like to resemble wet print paper as a start.


Is the Canon 9500 good for me?

Is the 100,- EUR upgrade to the MKII model worth it (is there a real difference)?

Is there a possibility, to run the printer with bigger tanks for B&W only?

 

[scblur]

Before you buy, take a look at the Epson R2880. Very good B&W results. I hear Epson Ehibition Fiber (aka TPP in the UK) gives good results.

 

[Fenwick]

Also HP 9180 is a great printer

 

[CanonVT]

I'm very happy with my 9500.

 

[gavinlg]

This is purely my personal thing, but if I can help it, I'll buy a canon printer over an epson any day of the week. Those canon 9500s look awesome

 

[John Rountree]

I have a 9500 and highly recommend it. If I recall correctly, on DP review there is a bulletin board dedicated to the 9500. On there, a comparison of per print price and ink usage showed the 9500 had the lowest ink cost per print compared to Epson and HP. Like you, I bought mine primarily for black and white printing, and I am not disappointed. Get it, I doubt you will be sorry.

 

[menos]

Thank you all for the feedback!

I bought the Canon 9500 MKI at a great price on the same day!
I saw the printer in one BestBuy at 5500 RMB (800,- USD) and started to form a "want this printer thought" in my head.

The next day, I was checking other shops for these A3+ printers and there it was:
another BestBuy in Shanghai made a sell out buy with a 30% discount on the same printer - delivered for free!

I bought it for 3800,- RMB (550,- USD) and even with the cheap glossy paper, I had available so far, these prints look absolutely awsome!!!

I had business visitors in Shanghai the weekend after and have the habit of taking them around the tourist spots after business, taking photographs …
The next morning, I handed them some A5 prints from monochrome JPGs from the EPSON R-D1, 50 Lux, 28 Cron and they were speechless!

They did not believe, I printed them over night at home!
One of them was an old film amateur shooter with a Leica R5.

This printer really is a revelation and opens up possibilities and freedom, I formerly had to refer to the external lab for doing the prints.
I am now shopping frames and paper - A very, very happy Canon 9500 customer!

I decided against other printers mainly because:

- reported ink issue with EPSON printers (the 9500 is known as painless here)
- form factor, design and usability of the 9500 much nicer than respective EPSON or HP
- unbeatable price, I got
- painless experience with Canon printers in the past
- modular print head, ink cartridges for possible exchange, etc
- just no bad reviews available about the Canon 9500

 

[gavinlg]

The epson r1900 I had was good image quality wise (bar a few minor niggles) but just a frustrating machine to work with in all other areas. No local support with ink, had weird glitches and bugs in operation and cost so freakin much to run that it was actually cheaper for me to use a 3rd party printer.

Next printer I buy will be the canon 9500 or whatever it's equivalent is at that time - looks like a great machine.

 

[gilpen123]

The 9500 II is greta for B&W. There is a gray ink that makes the tonal transition of B&W real nice. Also, you don't need to take out and replace a cartridge to print B&W. One of the best printers for B&W using native profile and inks IMHO. Btw, it's not an ink eating machine as well.

 

[menos]

It is good, to hear from others about the ink economics of this printer - especially, as I do only B&W.

I have still not found a place to buy the 3 inks for B&W locally and need to do so urgently.

At first, I really wanted to go and find a MKII model, but for the huge price differential the two only practical differences can be neglected:

- 16bit processing with the MKII (I am very, very happy with the B&W tonal transitions of the MKI so far)
- print speed (I don't print in bulk, rather the few occasional prints in a row and really enjoy the printing process like a child, waiting for the wonderful outcome of the 9500 ;-) )

I am sure, when printing more after refining my paper, ink and color management selections, I would see a subtile difference in tonality between the MKI and the MKII.
So far though, I am more than happy with a price of 50% off a new 9500 MKII ;-)

For everyone, coming from NO printer or from a A4 so so printer to the 9500 MKI:

This really is a revelation!