Plustek Opticfilm 7300 by Plustek
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Digital camera reviews of Plustek Opticfilm 7300
Digital camera Review: Plustek 7300 vs Coolscan 5000 ED
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm going to review this scanner in relation to another film scanner I have used, the Nikon Coolscan 5000 ED. Why don't I still have the 5000? With the scanner and all the attachments I had, I had about $2K invested in the 5000. I finished a project I had with it almost 2 years ago so I sold it because I didn't want $2K just sitting around unused. Then a few weeks ago another huge project involving negative scanning came up. Unfortunately, I no longer had the $2K to re-invest in the 5000 setup so I went looking for other options. This scanner seemed to have the best performance in a budget film scanner based on reviews so I gave it a shot.
Image Quality: I can't tell the difference between the two. Now, I need to mention that I don't scan at the full DPI that the scanner can do. With every film scanner I have tried (I have tried 3 different ones at this point; the other two I mentioned already and the third was a high end Canon flatbed scanner with filmstrip holders) I have found that full DPI results in an extreme loss of my time (takes way too long) as well as adding a lot of grain but adding no additional detail when pixel-peeped with Photoshop. So, I never scan at the highest DPI. On the 7300, the 7200DPI setting is indistinguishable from the 3600DPI setting in terms of detail so I use 3600. Again, I find no difference between the quality of the two scanners.
Software: This, as it turns out, is the most important part of the scanning process. I have now used 3 different scanning software programs. I have used a Canon one, I have used the one that came with this scanner, and I have used a program available online called VueScan Professional. I have found that the worst thing you can do is use the software that came with this scanner. Do not use it! Really poor processing with this bundled software. Trust me on this, buy the Vuescan professional software online. It's not prohibitively expensive by any means and if you ask me it is essential to getting the most out of this (or any other) film scanner!
Speed: Well, yes, the Coolscan 5000 does blow this scanner out of the water when it comes to speed. You do get something for your $1200 (with no attachments; up to $2K with the full compliment) If you are going to be doing this permanently, yes you will probably want the 5000. If this is a one time deal and you are on a budget, then the 7300 is probably the way to go at 1/5 the price, which brings me to the next bullet point...
Price: The 7300 is 1/5 the cost of the Coolscan 5000 ED. Hey, you really can't beat that ratio.
Build quality: 7300 is actually better than I thought in this respect. I was expecting a tiny and flimsy machine. It iss actually larger and more solidly built than I expected. That said, it is no 5000. The 5000 is a piece of military hardware compared to this--it's built like a tank.
In summation, you will have to weigh your own personal preferences as far as speed and cost goes. To me, these are the only two variables. As I said I have found the quality to be indistinguishable. You are going to have to make your decision based on how much money you have and how much free time you have. It is a slow inexpensive scanner vs a fast expensive one. Please take my advice and read online reviews of the Vuescan software. Don't take my word for it on that; see what professionals say about that product. Just please don't waste your time with the bundled software that comes with this machine.
Digital camera Review: Plustek OptiFilm 7300
Summary: 4 Stars
I like the hardware.......now. After several installs, removals, and reinstalls of the programs and drivers, I called support on day 2. I was talked through a download and install (I tried this once before) of the drivers. It was suggested that I not use the SilverFast program. I tried SilverFast again on Day 3. I couldn't get it to open the program (I DID type in the correct serial number, but it says I did not).
What I do is just use the OpticFilm drivers and programs and scan the image to a folder which I can then open in a photo editing program. If the film strips are ready to go it takes about 50-60 seconds to make an image file. Hard to believs all the scratches in 35 year old negatives. I am finding no advantage to go beyond 2400 dpi on these negatives.
Digital camera Review: Plustek Optic Film 7300
Summary: 1 Stars
This is marginal at best. If you are looking for high quality imaging, THIS IS NOT WHAT YOU WANT. It was so bad I returned it for a refund.
If you purchase - here's what you'll experience:
1. Inordinate amount of time to capture the image.
2. Image quality is poor.
Save your money.
Digital camera Review: Plustek Opticfilm 7300 is slow
Summary: 3 Stars
I have used it for about a month. It is sooo slow. It also has glitches in the software. It was hard to install taking 3 attempts to even get it running. Quality of scans is satisfactory. Positioning of slides is poor and often takes a couple trys. It frequently gives the message, Not Responding and requires a second scan taking several minutes. A bunch of minutes if scanning at a level with quality. You can make a cup of coffee between scans and i mean starting with pumping the water, going to the store for the beans and grinding them by hand.
If you have countless hours to dedicate to scanning your slides it might be OK. it took me three days to scan a tray of 100 slides. If you only have a few then go for it. If you have several hundred or thousands then prepare to spend the rest of your life doing this choir.
Digital camera Review: Plustek to the Rescue
Summary: 5 Stars
This scanner is a marvel! It arrived less than 24 hours after I'd place the
order, and it has changed my life! I'd struggled with terrible name-brand
flat-bed scanners for years [they produced terrible noise in the shadows and
were dead-slow at resolutions above 200dpi] in my efforts to digitalize a
collection of many thousands of treasured 35mm slides dating back 50 years.
Not only is this scanner incredibly fast compared to the my old ones, but it
does a triple pass for every slide, then averages the results to produce
images that are beautiful and have no noise in the shadows. I've succeeded
in making wonderful pictures from slides that were terrible! One set, very
important to family memories, taken in 1969 at a special occasion, had been
unusable due to inadequate flash technique [they made everyone look like
stainless steel; i.e., no flesh tones and gleaming highlights]. Due to the
capacity to try different resolutions [up to 7200dpi] and then use the
remarkable software to achieve optimal tones, I was able to resurrect the
entire collection, with the exception of a few that had been hopelessly
underexposed. Trouble with finding the detente position for the slide carriage
reported for earlier/other models has been eliminated on this model. While I
can't just set it and walk away the way commercial processors would have to
do, I'm thoroughly delighted with this unit. Thank you, Plustek & AOL.