Plustek Opticfilm 7300 by Plustek
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List Price: Our Price: $250.00 You Save: $39.00 (13%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: CE See more digital camera details and other models |
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Digital camera reviews of Plustek Opticfilm 7300
Digital camera Review: Some tips for an excellent unit
Summary: 5 Stars
I did my due diligence before buying this scanner. Ten years ago I decided to digitize all of my negatives and slides and there was a huge selection of dedicated slide/film scanners to chose from; Nikon, Canon, Polaroid, Epson, among others. At the time, I chose a Minolta Dual Scan V with 2700 dpi.
Now only Nikon and Plustek remain available in the U.S. I wanted the Nikon V ED, but it has been discontinued and the Nikon Coolscan 2000 ED is over $2,000 with Amazon stating it "usually ships in 1-2 months." My initial preference was for the English Reflecta RP 7200 which has a 7200 dpi and Silverfast AI software., but it is not available in the U.S. and the Pacific Image 725 OU, which seems to be identical, does not include Silverfast. Amazon offered the Plustek at $[...] with Silverfast SE software and free shipping and I couldn't resist.
The Plustek arrived well packaged and setup was quite fast and simple. Documentation is minimal so reading user reviews on Amazon was very helpful in avoiding pitfalls. Specifically, I did not waste time with the Plustek software, but went directly to the Silverfast. NOTE: you MUST install the Plustek disk first because it contains the necessary drivers for the hardware. I have Photroshop CS3 on a Windows XP system with a Dual Pentium 1.7 and 4GB of RAM. I installed using the Photoshop TWAIN plug-in and was up and running in less than 20 minutes.
I strongly suggest registering the software immediately after installation so that you can download the most recent update. The version in the box is not the most recent, and may be the cause of some complaints about it not working with Photoshop and/or Macs. For some reason, I was unable to register from within Silverfast, but I went to [...] and registered without a problem. Download and save the update for future use in case you need to re-install. I would also suggest typing the serial number in your word processor and saving the document so that you can cut & paste later.
The Silverfast software has a reasonably high learning curve, but a few simple tests in the beginning showed me what worked best in my situation and also convinced me that most editing should be done in Photoshop. Specifically, I scanned a small cropped section of the same image at 2400, 3600, and 4800 dpi and compared them side by side. I found that 2400 was adequate for family photos or images that would print at 8 x 10 or smaller and 3600 worked best for me with images I intended for larger format. There was a small increase in image clarity at 4800, but not, I felt, sufficient to justify the huge increase in scanning time. I did find that running the 2X Multi-Scan feature significantly improved image detail.
One problem I encountered was that when I did my initial tests, I tried running several features at once and managed to freeze the system. I re-booted and all was well but suddenly Silverfast no longer accessed Photoshop via TWAIN. I uninstalled and re-installed twice with no improvement. An query to Silverfast via their website brought an e-mail the next day (possible corrupted TWAIN shortcut. Copy and replace it) but in the meantime I had re-installed again using the regular Photoshop/StandAlone plug-in method and all was well again.
Bottom line: The unit works beautifully.
Digital camera Review: Super at what it does, Good scanner
Summary: 4 Stars
I got this scanner to do some slide scanning. I wanted one that would be compatible with 64 Bit Vista...there are some of the cheaper ones out there on the market that are not compatible with it.
I still have more scanning to do, but so far I've been pleased with the results. The software that works with the scanner has a tremendous amount of flexibility (For some that would be translated as "learning curve", but I was scanning pretty quick with the unit.
One thing I did not like however, is that every time you boot up the computer it says that "silverfast" is not found. If the machine is on, this will not appear. This is only an annoyance...
Good unit overall.
Digital camera Review: Superb for the price
Summary: 4 Stars
As with any scanner, you have to do some post-scan adjustment in Photoshop. If you're not prepared to do that, don't bother to buy this or any film scanner, but pay a professional to scan and manipulate your slides and negatives.
The software is excellent but not the easiest to use. If you can deal with the learning curve, you'll be pleased with the results from this reasonably priced scanner.
Digital camera Review: Very capable scanner at a great value.
Summary: 5 Stars
After getting back into 35mm film shooting, I was finding scanning with my Epson V500 very frustrating. Even with ANR glass inserts, it was still hard to avoid Newton Rings on my images. While the medium format scanning was great, something was lacking on the 35mm end. So I started searching for an affordable option that would yield acceptable results.
As far as a dedicated 35 scanner goes, the Nikon Coolscans are top of the food chain, and out of my price range. I searched Flickr for a couple of weeks and viewed images scanned with different equipment. I decided I liked what I saw with the 7300 so I ordered it up. Amazon's shipping was ridiculously quick, by the way.
What I get from the 7300 is beyond what I could have expected at this price point. The Silverfast software packaged with the scanner is $120 by itself. It is a very powerful piece of software with a tremendous amount of control. Once I got the basic understanding of the software suite down, the very first scan was amazing. It was the same sized tiff that I would get from the V500, but the detail in the grain was so sharp! I'm still blown away at the sharpness that this little scanner is able to read. When enlarging a file in Photoshop, it's just like looking through a grain magnifier in the darkroom. The negative holder holds the film very, very flat. Most film would have to be flattened under the weight of books for a day or two just to get a half way decent scan with the Epson.
While it is missing some features, such as digital ICE, and auto-feed, it works perfectly for my needs. I also wish I was able to scan 100% of the image, borders included, but it's pretty close. The actual footprint of the scanner is tiny too, easy to fit on a desk.
I love it and wouldn't hesitate to buy it.
Digital camera Review: Very good Slide Scanner
Summary: 4 Stars
I purchased the Plustek Opticfilm 7300 to convert my 500+ Slide film library to digital and it did just not disappoint me. The set up was easy-- just plugged it in computer & wall and installed the software. I selected 50 of my most favorite slides and converted them using the "IntelliScan" mode with excellent results. My wife and sons are delighted to see photos taken in the 70's come back to life. They think I am a genius. My only concern is that conversion process is time consuming. At four slides at time, it took me about 3 hours. I have yet to try the "QuickScan" mode which may the most effective way for my less favorite slides.