Header banner
Revain logoHome Page
Robert Layne photo
New Zealand, Wellington
1 Level
718 Review
49 Karma

Review on Plustek OpticFilm 8100-35mm Negative Film/Slide Scanner with 7200 DPI and 48-bit Output: Bundle Silverfast SE Plus 8.8, Supports Mac and Windows by Robert Layne

Revainrating 1 out of 5

Works right out of the box

Scanner works well at 300/3600 settings. Higher settings like 600/7200 are very, very long. You must ensure that your computer has at least 8GB of RAM to run the included Silver Fast software. Mine comes with version 8.8 and includes a number of useful features such as ME (Multiple Image Scanning) and SRD for removing defects such as tiny light spots on black and white negatives (dirt or defects in clean areas of the negative). However, the guide that comes with SilverFast is just an overview of what you get. I couldn't find any instructions anywhere, especially not a printed one. This forces the photographer to rely solely on their own experience to get the best possible scan. Luckily I have the training, but someone who doesn't will probably struggle for a while. Also, I couldn't find any guides online for advanced features - the software is from a German company that does a great job with updates - not that thorough with the tutorial part. Some might say you can easily fix something in Photoshop after scanning, but I would prefer to do it in the original scan. However, the combination of the 8100 and the SilverFast software is probably one of the best options.

Pros
  • Pleasant
Cons
  • Lots of stuff