Review on Plustek OpticFilm 8200i SE scanner black by Wiktor Lipski ᠌

Name: Plustek OpticFilm 8200i SE scanner black
Item: Plustek OpticFilm 8200i SE scanner black
Rating: 5

May 13, 2023

The best product, from those that I have viewed, I advise everyone!

The software bundled with the SilverFast 8 SE leaves much to be desired. Quite difficult to understand and master. Old drivers used to shift colors to blue, now this seems to have been fixed. But most importantly, this software does not allow you to save a file with a color depth of 48bit with hardware cleaning from iSRD dust and scratches in RAW format at the output. To do this, you need to buy the SilverFast Ai Studio editor for 300 Euros. Therefore, through long experiments, I settled on scanning with the VueScan program at a resolution of 3600 dpi, in 64bit mode. It takes about 5 minutes for 1 frame. I save in DNG (RAW) format the file size is approximately 125-130 MB and in JPEG 10-15 MB. Fortunately, VueScan allows you to save in one pass in several formats at once. From the saved DNG file, you can always then correct the image (including removing dust and scratches) and save it in the desired size and format right in the same program. For better processing after scanning, of course, it is better to use Photoshop (Photoshop) and the ColorNeg plugin (now called ColorPerfect).
At the moment, there is no alternative to this scanner in 2022 yet. Either you have to take used scanners, or be ready to pay outrageous amounts (for an ordinary working person) for more advanced scanner models. And unfortunately, from year to year, the price of film scanners only grows, and cheap "Chinese" crafts are only advertised well, they are really only suitable for previews, at best, you can print a 10x15 photo. Flatbed scanners - there are successful models, but their price is also from 10 thousand. and higher, and the quality of the scans will already be lower. Before that, I digitized the Epson Perfection 4490 Photo home archive, the quality was quite satisfactory, but the best quality of the Plustek OpticFilm 8200i SE is of course immediately noticeable.

Pros

Good scan quality, though at a significant cost of time. To digitize an archive of amateur photographic films (I mean Svema, Kodak, Polaroid films taken on cameras Smena, FED, Zenith, "soap dishes" of the 90s), the possibilities of technology are enough for the eyes. If you have professional fine-grained film and photo masterpieces, then of course Nikon scanners are better, but this is a completely different price category.

Cons

There is no automatic film feeder - this would greatly facilitate the scanning process. In addition, the film must be cut into 6 frames. I did not find any files for the film on sale. I had to take ordinary transparent files for A4 paper and use a soldering iron to separate them into pockets for the film. The rubber bands (hiding screws) on the sides of the scanner also periodically fall off, but this does not affect the quality of the scan. And, of course, the price bites.