Header banner
Revain logoHome Page
Randy Montiel photo
1 Level
770 Review
43 Karma

Review on πŸ“Έ ClearClick 20 MP QuickConvert Photo, Slide, and 35mm Negatives to Digital Converter: Includes PhotoPad Software & 8 GB Memory Card by Randy Montiel

Revainrating 3 out of 5

OK photo, film and slide scanners.

I have scanned about 250 slides with the ClearClick 20 MP converter so far. I have a few thousand left. As expected, the image produced by this converter has nothing to offer. That's fine for a converter in this price range, but a far cry from the image you see when using slides in a projector. Without corrections in the converter settings, the image is a bit dark, too rich in contrast and seems to be dominated by blue/green. They can be corrected with the converter settings or even better with image editing software. I have not tested the software that came with the converter. However, remember that even the best photo editing software cannot add the missing elements of an image. If the original image is fuzzy or the scanner output is blurry, photo editing will not fix it. Additionally, image detail lost in a high or low contrast scan is unlikely to be recovered. The dynamic range of the scanner is far below that of a good slide. I've had several slides where the skin tone suffered from "burn-in" in places where there were shadows and bright highlights. This "burn-in" is not shown on the original film. But that's to be expected from image capture devices in this price range. So far I haven't had the dusting issues others have reported in their reviews. However, I had an issue with the glass where the images are placed for scanning, it looked dirty on the underside. When the scanner's light source was turned on, the glass looked like a car windshield that hadn't been cleaned in a year. It had several circular marks and there appeared to be veils around the edges. Luckily I was able to lift the glass with my fingernails in a few indentations on the right and left edge of the scanner. The glass appears to be held in place by two short, narrow pieces of double-sided tape. I used the included cleaning cloth to clean the bottom of the glass. You have to be careful not to smear the sticky glue on the glass surface. The mirror looked clean but I sprayed it a few times. Carefully reinsert the glass with the two adhesive dots facing down and press lightly on the adhesive tape to secure the glass. Of course, this must be done in a dust-free environment. I wouldn't do it in low humidity either. The included 8GB SD card is sufficient. I don't think many buyers will miss it as most people have these cards lying around or can buy them pretty cheap. If you accept the shortcomings, this is a regular photo, film and slide scanner.

Pros
  • Slide and negative scanner
Cons
  • Not as thick as other scanners