Review on 📷 Plustek OpticFilm 135i: High-Resolution 35mm Film & Slide Scanner with Automatic Batch Conversion, 7200 dpi, Infrared Dust/Scratch Removal, and 3rd Party Editing Software Support by Brandon Micali

When you look at this film scanner you will most likely fall into one of two categories. Whatever you do, I hope you read this long and detailed review because my goal is to provide as much useful and useful information as possible. I will outline these two categories in a moment. CHECK THE SOURCE First you probably want to know my experiences with film scanners. My main job is a professional photographer. I started out in news journalism, worked in travel and fashion, produced and directed several award-winning films and most recently worked in the studio. I shot on 35mm, 2x2 and 4x5 and color film for most of my early career and even after going digital I still shoot on film from time to time. This means I have a very large file library of film negatives and slides as part of my business. But I'm also just a family guy when I hang my hat at the end of the day and since I was six I've been taking photos around the house and when I travel and as it turns out I'm a family snapshot keeper now. back in the 1940's - some of these were taken by Brownie and some by my dad's classic Leica. WHO YOU ARE NOW This brings me to the definition of two broad categories of buyers of such a film scanner - first those who have very strict professional requirements who can spend an hour or more scanning and digitally processing film on the one hand and perhaps those on the other hand who have shoeboxes full of old family pictures that are disappearing that they needed to save and share on social media and archive for future generations. My first film scanner was one of the original Nikon scanners 20+ years ago when the major camera manufacturers were selling some exceptional devices that were competitive and possibly obsolete. Do almost everything you can but today. I still have this old classic relic, although it's very slow and cumbersome to use and has many limitations in the modern world. Then something like this Plustek would be considered a toy. However, let me be quick to say that in these days when high quality film scanners are practically non-existent, this company actually owns the market for such devices, ranging from entry-level to professional, to be printed in newspapers, magazines, and others commercial applications. The model you are looking at is very functional, but if you are looking for a professional scanner you are looking for the wrong model. The seller makes it very clear who he is targeting this model at - the person who has those shoeboxes full of old family photos. That doesn't mean you can't create high-quality scans. What matters is how the scanner works, what software it comes with, and how it performs certain functions. So again, if you are a professional photographer, may I suggest you browse the catalog to find a model that better suits your needs. Well, the rest of you, those with framed pictures, please ignore those comparing this model to pro gear and throwing around a long list of specs or features they say it doesn't have. All of this doesn't work wonders in photos taken by the three-dollar Hawkeye. People looking at this model want to make it as easy as possible to preserve old memories instead of spending hours retouching photos for the National Geographic cover. So let's take a serious look at this casual photo scanner. A SERIOUS LOOK AT AN INTERESTING PRODUCT By the way, this is my third scanner from this company. I'm still using one of my old ones, but it's completely incompatible with any version of Windows released in the last 10 years and with my Mac. That's a point for this one, it's compatible with both PC and Mac and works effortlessly with the latest versions of each. What makes it unique is that they built it from the ground up in a completely different paradigm than their other models, it even has a different physical design. Unlike most of the company's other models, it features a front loading slot instead of a side slot, and instead of manually sliding the film holder into position for each frame, the entire tray, containing either a strip of negative film or several mounted slides, slides automatically out of here. motorized slot to scan each frame. This semi-automated design makes the scanning process much quicker as there is far less manual reloading required. Another difference is how each image is scanned, at least the way I recommend you do. Rather than working on each image individually throughout the post-processing process using something like Photo Shop, I recommend using it to scan as many slides as possible in one sitting, maybe a hundred. or something in the afternoon. Later, after you save all those individual files on your computer, go back and sort them, rename them, and edit them in post-processing. This is a completely new approach for me, but much more satisfying. I've found that over half the old slides I scan are suitable for archiving as this scanner works reasonably well on autopilot with an infrared dust and scratch remover. Then maybe half the rest will be the ones you want to retouch, and the included software has an auto-fix button that does the job just fine. You can also instantly share some of those old memories with family and friends, and the software has a direct button for all the more common ones, like Facebook. Finally, there are a few remaining slides that you may want to physically clean up and rescan at a higher resolution, cropping in the process, and then use whatever editing or retouching app you like. And on that matter, please don't get carried away with the game that it should be better if it's bigger and decide that just because you can scan at 7200 dpi, you should. The vast majority of old family photos will not benefit from being scanned at this high resolution. I set the scanner to 150 dpi for almost all archival work, and only the best of the best get up to 300 dpi. Just don't use as much disk space to store old snapshots. TOO EASY In a casual chat with some friends, I heard that some of them thought the included scanning app was too easy. My answer is absolutely, this should be the most important. That's the beauty of this scanner, it's designed for the novice and should be easy. You can use it with those notoriously complex applications if you want, but that defeats the purpose of why this company created a scanner that even your grandmother could learn to use. And seriously, I set it up and scanned the old 1972 slides you're looking at in less than 10 minutes. I spent a minute showing my elderly neighbor how to scan her slides and left her for a couple of hours to do the rest without my help. Way to tell people exactly what this scanner is - I like to compare it to entry-level DSLRs that sell for around $500 with a lens or two. These cameras are great for beginners and enthusiasts, but there's a reason professionals pay ten times as much for their work gear. If you think about why these entry-level enthusiast cameras exist, you'll have a better understanding of why they made this thing. IMAGE QUALITY I didn't elaborate on how good the image quality is from this scanner because there is no answer to that question. My shots are different from yours, and my desired results are different too. Don't let anyone tell you what makes a good photo. The best answer I can give you is that it does exactly what the seller promises and if that's not enough they have other models for you to consider. EXAMPLES Here is my answer again, it seems there is no point in posting examples to show how this scanner works. Compared to what? There is no way we can accurately show you the quality of the original 30 year old image and convince you of what the scanner claims it has done to improve it, and there is no way to compare this scanner model with another make or model to compare - you could not know if the software was and the settings used on one scanner are at least remotely the same as on the other. As I have said many times before, the only way to know how your unique original slides and negatives will look when scanned with this machine is to buy the machine and scan it yourself. If you are satisfied keep the scanner, if not return it. BUILD QUALITY You may be wondering about the build quality. These days the scanners from this company are considered the best in their class and having had the previous two scanners I think they deserve this distinction. You can quickly search for film scanners and most of what you will find are real disposable plastic toys that are not even worth considering for a child. This model is built to the same standard as their other models which I would say are pretty good, heavy plastic, attractive design, solid buttons etc. I would again make that comparison to entry level DSLRs. It's almost impossible for a company to be perfect, and no matter how much you pay, you can get a lemon every now and then. Here, the last comment points to their customer service, which is based in the US and is one of the best I've come across. Therefore, if you receive one in a thousand with a small defect, most likely they will take care of you. During my research, I noticed a few questions that I would like to answer here: 1. Is software included? Yes, you download it for PC or Mac or both from their website to make sure you get the latest version.2. Do I need special drivers? All drivers used by the product are part of the downloadable software, the total software installation time is less than one minute.3. Does it come with instruction manual? Yes, you can also download it online. A well-written quick start guide is included with the product.4. What is the guarantee? One year, it is printed on the warranty card that comes with detailed instructions on how to contact the US company.5. Does it have everything I need? Yes, you will receive a scanner, power cord, USB cable, two can trays (for slides and negatives) and installation instructions.6. is it well done Yes, you feel it's worth the price they charge. The slide/negative trays are very durable, probably the best I've seen.7. Can I use it with the photo editor of my choice? Yes, the scanner output is a standard file format, so it works with almost all major editing programs on PC or Mac.8. how fast is it Because it's designed to help you scan those shoeboxes full of old slides as quickly as possible, the scanning process is as fast as possible. Keep in mind that the higher the resolution you choose, the slower the scanning process. MORE ABOUT THE SOFTWARE One final note: there is a difference between the software that actually scans the slide or negative and the software that you choose to use your creative magic to make it beautiful. The software that runs it is perfect for everyone, but if you're a little more serious about scanning, there's an app called VueScan, which is the gold standard for many professionals, and is very cheap. It runs like a champ on this scanner on both Windows 10 and Mac Catalina and is updated almost daily for new scanners and operating systems. I almost always use it. SUMMARY If you're not the kind of person who scans photos for a living and doesn't want to learn, but fits the definition of having shoeboxes full of old photos and are looking for a quick and easy way to get the job done, I find this one model worth considering.