Review on Plustek OpticFilm 8200i SE Film and Slide Scanner | 7200 DPI, 48-bit Output | Infrared Dust and Scratch Removal | Silverfast SE Plus 8.8 Bundle | Mac and PC Support by Mark Kolipano

First, it's not a bad scanner, it basically does what it claims to do. The sad part is that he's just not very good at what he does. It wouldn't be such a big deal if it didn't cost $400(!) and came with software that looks like the developers abandoned it 15 years ago. Quality: No big deal. As others have pointed out, despite the ads, DMAX isn't doing very well. I've also had rare instances where he refused to scan higher contrast negatives? So my guess is that QA is not that good. However, I got reasonable results on 99% of the negatives I inserted. Workflow: Terrible. If you have such a scanner, you should be aware that scanning a roll of 36 images takes at least 30-45 minutes. If you want to scan them at 7200 DPI, forget it, it takes several hours. I basically scanned at 1800 DPI and selectively chose the negatives to scan rather than scanning them all. This actually points to something of a "pro" about this scanner: it's a good choice if you're deciding on scans over bulk scanning, as it's not motorized, so you can fast-forward the film. Software: Silverfast is terrible software. Probably a small team. It took me 45 minutes of cryptic instructions to use this thing. weird but in the end I just used it to scan DNG files (raw negatives) and convert them to Lightroom with Negative Lab Pro, which is much easier and more convenient to use. Obviously this scanner can be used with Vuescan, this might be the best solution especially if like me you will be converting your negatives to Lightroom anyway. Ultimately, from a software perspective, all I needed was a way to crop, choose a save location, and start scanning. That's all, there was no need for all the nonsense that Silverfast claims to innovate. Verdict: There aren't many great options for film scanning in 2021, but the best seem to be Epson V600/700/800 scanners, being retired Pakon or Noritsu scanners (good luck). or one of the old Nikon Coolscans ($$$$). You can also scan with a DSLR, but that comes with its own problems. I ended up buying a used V700, which is actually what I wanted to buy. Obviously this scanner can be used with Vuescan, this might be the best solution especially if like me you will be converting your negatives to Lightroom anyway. Ultimately, from a software perspective, all I needed was a way to crop, choose a save location, and start scanning. That's all, there was no need for all the nonsense that Silverfast claims to innovate. Verdict: There aren't many great options for film scanning in 2021, but the best seem to be Epson V600/700/800 scanners, being retired Pakon or Noritsu scanners (good luck). or one of the old Nikon Coolscans ($$$$). You can also scan with a DSLR, but that comes with its own problems. I ended up buying a used V700, which is actually what I wanted to buy. Obviously this scanner can be used with Vuescan, this might be the best solution especially if like me you will be converting your negatives to Lightroom anyway. Ultimately, from a software perspective, all I needed was a way to crop, choose a save location, and start scanning. That's all, there was no need for all the nonsense that Silverfast claims to innovate. Verdict: There aren't many great options for film scanning in 2021, but the best seem to be Epson V600/700/800 scanners, being retired Pakon or Noritsu scanners (good luck). or one of the old Nikon Coolscans ($$$$). You can also scan with a DSLR, but that comes with its own problems. I ended up buying a used V700, which is actually what I wanted to buy. You like me and convert your negatives to Lightroom anyway. Ultimately, from a software perspective, all I needed was a way to crop, choose a save location, and start scanning. That's all, there was no need for all the nonsense that Silverfast claims to innovate. Conclusion: There aren't many great options for film scanning in 2021, but the best seem to be the Epson V600/700/800 scanners, the retired Pakon or Noritsu scanners (good luck), or one of the older Nikon Coolscan scanners be ($$$$). You can also scan with a DSLR, but that comes with its own problems. I ended up buying a used V700, which is actually what I wanted to buy. You like me and convert your negatives to Lightroom anyway. Ultimately, from a software perspective, all I needed was a way to crop, choose a save location, and start scanning. That's all, there was no need for all the nonsense that Silverfast claims to innovate. Conclusion: There aren't many great options for film scanning in 2021, but the best seem to be the Epson V600/700/800 scanners, the retired Pakon or Noritsu scanners (good luck), or one of the older Nikon Coolscan scanners be ($$$$). You can also scan with a DSLR, but that comes with its own problems. I ended up buying a used V700, which is actually what I wanted to buy. didn't need all that shit what Silverfast calls cutting edge. Conclusion: There aren't many great options for film scanning in 2021, but Epson V600/700/800, Pakon or Noritsu veteran scanners seem to be the best. Scanner (good luck) or one of the old Nikon Coolscans ($$$$). You can also scan with a DSLR, but that comes with its own problems. I ended up buying a used V700, which is actually what I wanted to buy. didn't need all the bullshit that Silverfast calls innovative. Conclusion: There aren't many great options for film scanning in 2021, but Epson V600/700/800, Pakon or Noritsu veteran scanners seem to be the best. Scanner (good luck) or one of the old Nikon Coolscans ($$$$). You can also scan with a DSLR, but that comes with its own problems. I ended up buying a used V700 and that was it