Plustek OpticFilm 8300i SE - 35mm Negative Film Stripe & Slide Scanner with 38% scan speed increase, Bundle SilverFast SE Plus 9 + QuickScan Plus, Support Mac and Windows.

......rather than the 'up to £120' devices that take a picture rather than scanning. Easy enough to use, I'm scanning 1960s Kodachrome instamatic slides. The slide holder is proper as each slide is held in by a spring loaded mechanism. Not the cheapest of devices, but solidly made. Id recommend

Expensive but well worth the cost ,does an excellent job .Have scanned over 2000 transparencies with no issues and high quality resolution images. Very happy with the results.

Great product I have 4000 slides to copy and have about 2500 scanned. The only problem is if the slide has a dark area the scanner crops severely

I bought this scanner to replace my Nikon CoolScan V, since the software was only good for windows XP/Vista and my old PC has long gone. The scanner is very compact compared with the Nikon and all the accessories are included with the exception of a dust brush. Software is supplied on a USB stick and was easy to load on my Windows 10 PC. I like the on-screen user guidance - the SilverFast software originates in Germany and so the guidance/explanations are detailed and contain just the right amount of technical information. I also like the 2 versions of scanning - full function or quick scan, which takes the user along a pathway (runway ?) using an air travel analogy from take-off to landing with the processing steps along the journey. Very pleased so far.

I have had this scanner for 24 hours and I have to say that it is the worst one I have ever seen. The colours are appalling and the software is utterly useless. I have many scanners over the years but my very large Epson was taking too much space so I thought this would be good. I will be returning it tomorrow. If it had been a cheapo I'd have just put it aside or given it to a charity shop but at nearly £400.00 ...na, it's going back.

Purchased to scan old slides as part of a digital heritage project. The quality of the scanned slides are so good, I am truly amazed by them. It wasn't the cheapest scanner but I'm pleased that we paid more for a descent bit of kit.

I plugged in my previous scanner, a 7600i, and it powered up briefly, and then died. I assume a capacitor had popped. I contacted the manufacturer, who refused to repair it, claiming it was no longer supported. I bought this one to replace it. I regret my choices. It is apparently identical hardware to the "no longer supported" model, which is makes the lack of repair all the more galling. Being identical hardware, it also doesn't offer any quality upgrade - the 7200dpi is imaginary. If you set it to 7200dpi (either with Silverfast or Vuescan), you get an upscaled version of a 3600dpi scan. This isn't just my imagination, a reputable film scanner site tested it and found an "effective resolution of about 3250ppi". Obviously, if the hardware is the same as the 7600i, that means the same surprisingly ineffective dust and scratch removal. I've found the best quality achievable with this scanner is with Vuescan Pro, using a lot of passes for high dynamic range, though it will take a while. I've only scanned negatives, I can't comment on the quality of positive slide scanning- but assume that it's broadly in line with what I've seen. At this point, with digital bodies scaling past film scanners, a camera scanning rig will actually provide better results in many cases, especially with 40MP+ bodies and good lenses. You'd need to use a good enclosed system with a decent mount on the end of solid tubes and a good-quality light source - but these things are no longer hard to find off-the-shelf. I'd recommend the Valoi easy 35/easy 120 ecosystem. A fully-loaded system would be a little more upfront cost while you're just scanning 35mm, but the quality will be better and it will be vastly better value if you find yourself wanting to scan 120. So, it's an easy option and it works. The manufacturer's support is poor and the promised resolution is misleading; all somewhat sketchy. However, if you only ever want to scan 35mm and don't have a modern high-res digital body, it's probably a reasonable option, as long as 3600dpi is enough for you (i.e. you're not a grain shape peeper - they just come out as tiny blobs). I don't think I'd buy another one of these if it dies unceremoniously like my previous one did, knowing what I now know. Whether it's suitable for you is a more nuanced question. Choose wisely.

1300si film scanner. I have now put about 50 slides though the scanner using the simpler of the two software packages. I am reasonably happy with the results. Many of the slides are technical in content and were a challenge to photograph and no scanner can improve a marginal original. The speed is just acceptable and the auto-exposure and auto-balance options actually make an improvement (surprisingly). It's not without it's vices, on some very awkward slides it crops areas that are totally black. Probably the more advanced software would not but I have a deadline to meet and the results from the simple package are better than expected. I have printed a difficult technical slide at A3 and the result is as good as the slide seen in a slide viewer. That seems to be a fair test. I have yet to scan less awkward slides. In the past I have used scanners that are superior but sadly they are no longer supported. So this seems to be the best that is readily available. The slideholder breaks with tradition and is a far better design. The slides fit in the holder in much the same way that you fit a AA battery into a gadget, tuck one end in, push against a spring and push the other end down. (Instructions provided) Each slide has its own spring biased holster which is far quicker than the hinged type holder where you have to position 4 slides before closing the hinged gate and engaging the friction catch. (ugh!) The unit is designed in Germany. It makes a discrete purr whilst in operation. Treat yourself to additional carriers to increase throughout.

Innert 20 Minuten hatte ich den Scanner erfolgreich eingerichtet, den Treiber und die Silverfast 9 SE Software per Download installiert. Das Scannen von Negativen und Diapositiven hat tadellos geklappt, das Scannen geht schneller als ich erwartet habe und die Bildqualität ist gut. Da ich keine Vergleiche habe mit anderen Negativ- oder Diascannern, kann ich die Bildqualität nicht vergleichen, finde aber, dass das Gerät voll und ganz seinen Zweck erfüllt. Ich habe nun digitale Fotos von fast 50 Jahre alten Negativen und Diapositiven. Die Silverfast Software ist zwar umfangreich, hat aber einen guten Assistenten zum Einstieg, der Schritt für Schritt erklärt, was man machen muss. Nach weiteren 20 Minuten war mir der Workflow und die Einstellungsmöglichkeiten bereits vertraut. Die Einstellungsmöglichkeiten sind sehr gut und die Bilder lassen sich problemlos per Photoshop oder Lightroom weiter verbessern. Was auch sehr gut funktioniert, ist die automatische Entfernung von Staub und Kratzern mittels Infrarot-Scan. Es erwischt zwar nicht alle Fehler, aber ca. 90% bis 95%, was eine sehr grosse Hilfe und Arbeitserleichterung ist. Die restlichen Kratzer und Staubflecken entferne ich mit dem Reparatur-Werkzeug in Photoshop. Alles in allem bin ich sehr zufrieden mit dem Plustek OpticFilm 8300i SE.

L'article ne correspondait pas tout à fait à ce que je pensais. J'ai retourné facilement l'article et été rapidement remboursé. Merci

Ho una collezione di circa mille diapositive scattate negli anni settanta da mio padre. Da tempo avevo intenzione di digitalizzarle, sia per consultarle più agevolmente che per conservare le immagini. Sono abbastanza pignolo e competente in fatto di grafica digitale, quindi mi sono rivolto da prima ad un laboratorio professionale. Ho fatto fare delle scansioni di prova ed il risultato è stato ottimo. Ma i costi di scansione, vista la mole di diapositive, erano molto alti, nonostante lo sconto per grosse quantità. Oltretutto il timore di perdere le diapositive durante il trasporto con corriere mi ha fatto definitivamente desistere. Ho quindi testato un paio di scanner piani, compreso l'ottimo Canon Canoscan 9000F Mark II, che però deficita in quanto a risoluzione. La differenza con la qualità di scansion del laboratorio era evidente. Ho quindi acquistato questo meraviglio scanner, e penso proprio di aver trovato la soluzione ideale. Lo scanner dovrebbe essere pienamente compatibile con VueScan di cui detengo una licenza d'uso da anni. Ma i primi test di scansione mi hanno lasciato molto perplesso. Ho quindi voluto dare una chance al tanto vituperato SilverFast 9, fornito con lo scanner. E mi si è aperto un mondo! Sarà che ho confidenza con i programmi di grafica, ma non l'ho trovato per nulla macchinoso come si legge in giro. Oltretutto il programma ha due modalità di scansione, una guidata ed una completamente manuale, per i più esigenti. Ma già con la modalità guidata, utilizzando i template giusti, ho ottenuto risultati eccellenti, pari a quelli del laboratorio. La qualità dei dettagli è ottima, già a 3600dpi, ho potuto tra l'altro constatare che le scansioni a 7200dpi sono inutili, aumentano solo le dimensioni dei file ed i tempi di scansione. E' possibile, in modalità manuale, esportare le immagini in formato raw, utili per editarle poi in Photoshop o Lightroom. Ma in tutta sincerità, facendo un pò di test preliminari, ho deciso che le tiff generate in modalità guidata sono più che sufficienti per la successiva correzione in Photoshop (sempre che non si preferisca correggere direttamente con i tool forniti in SilverFast). Degna di menzione è la funzione di rimozione di graffi e polvere tramite scansione agli infrarossi. Ottima ed efficace nella maggior parte dei casi, occorre però fare sempre attenzione che il software non aggiunga artefatti. In rare occasioni ho notato un intervento troppo profondo che ha alterato irrimediabilmente i dettagli della foto. Meglio in questi casi rinunciare alla funzione e rimuovere in Photoshop graffi e polvere più evidenti. Che dire ancora? Che con meno della metà di quello che avrei speso col laboratorio ho a disposizione uno scanner tutto mio che mi consente, con un poco di tempo e pazienza, di archiviare ed elaborare le diapositive al meglio!

Great product... I have scanned all my family pictures

Les +: Là où mon ancien scanner à plat mettait 7 mn pour numériser une diapositive en 2400dpi, celui-ci numérise, en 7200dpi, en moins d’une minute avec les corrections anti-poussieres. Le logiciel fourni à une interface désuète mais fait bien le job, même si parfois il a des difficultés sur les diapositives dégradées ou bouchées par le temps et les réactions chimiques du film, et aussi avec une dominante prononcée. Avec un bon logiciel de retouche photo, on arrive à les récupérer. Je n’ai pas encore essayé de scanner des négatifs N&B ou couleur. De surcroît, le scanner est compact, léger et fourni avec une housse de transport où on peut même ranger les passe-vues et les câbles. Les - : Sur le logiciel les corrections anti-poussières sont parfois agressives: certains détails de la photo peuvent disparaître ou être fortement déformés, comme de fines branches d’arbres, tiges de fleurs (ici voir la pointe rouge du drapeau qui est en partie effacée!). La qualité du plastique de l’appareil, cela lui donne un aspect fragile, donc à manipuler avec précaution.