[shane]

Does any one know any thing about these PLUSTEK OPTICFILM 7200 - SLIDE FILM SCANNER or the PLUSTEK OPTICFILM 7200i - SLIDE FILM SCANNER as they are the only ones in my price range new in austraila i think the 7200i is a little faster but $100 au more

The infomation on the 7200 is

The OpticFilm 7200 is a 7200 dpi film scanner capable of scanning 35 mm slide and negatives. High optical resolution, USB 2.0 connection and fast scan speed allow Plustek's OpticFilm 7200 to easily outperform other professional film scanners.

The OpticFilm 7200 is the perfect scanner for photographers and small office/workshop users, offering a variety of possibilities including high quality images for magazines and other printed material, photo enlargements, brochures, digitizing slides/negatives, web pages, as well as images to share with friends on the Internet, and more!

The OpticFilm 7200 provides 48-bit scanning capability that supports recognition of literally trillions of different colours. The result is extremely accurate colour rendition compared to the original film, retaining subtle details in the highlight and shadow areas of the scanned image.

Interface

USB 2.0

Technology

Color CCD image sensor

Hardware Resolution

7200 x 7200 dpi

Dmax

3.3

Preview Speed

Approx. 10 sec*

Scan Speed

Approx. 48 sec (3600 dpi)**

Color Depth

48 bit/pixel

Illuminated Slide Viewer size

38 x 38 mm

Net Weight

Approx. 1.35 kg / 2.97 lb (scanner only)

Dimensions (D x W x H)

272 x 120 x 119 mm (scanner only)

Scan Mode

Single Pass

Lamp

Cold Cathode

Film Holder

Mounted slides, up to 4 slides



Filmstrip, up to 6 frames

Regulatory Certificates

CE, FCC, UL/cUL, TUV



* Transparency, calibration time not included.
** Negative in True Colour (24 bit) Mode, calibration time included.



System Requirements***

IBM Compatible PC, with Pentium II or faster CPU



CD-ROM Driver



One available USB Port



128 MB RAM (256MB recommended)



160 MB free HDD space (300 MB recommended)



High Color graphic card (VGA or higher)

FEATURES :

Microsoft Windows XP, Me, 98, 2000









USB High Speed 2.0 connection, up to 4 times faster than standard USB 1.1 transfer speed.




Two film holders are provided. One is for mounted slides, holding up to four mounted slides. The other is one for filmstrips, holding a piece of filmstrip, up to 6 frames.

Thanks to the film holder, the media are well protected. By using the film holder, there is no physical contact with the media during scanning process.


SilverFast for professionals

Advanced users will be delighted with bundled world-class image editing software - SilverFast SE 6.

It comes with SRD (Dust and Scratch Removal) feature and many other advanced features.

For detailed information, please refer to SilverFast website.





Carrying bag

This padded carrying bag is specially designed for the film scanner.

Its main compartment accommodates the scanner, film holders, power adaptor and USB cord.

The case is topped off with an easy-grip handle for hand carrying, and features Velcro taped pocket to house film holders.



Illuminated Slide Viewer

Located on top of the scanner, the illuminated slide viewer provides the user with an excellent way to examine the slide before scanning.

For negatives, simply hold the film holder above the Illuminate viewer to preview the frame to be scanned.

Not only suitable for examining slides before scanning, the illuminate viewer can be the perfect helper for further digital file retouching.


Accessory: film holders

Extra film holders are available. The package comes with a box which containing a pair of film holders (filmstrip and mounted slide holder each).

Please contact your distributor for availability.



Also included in the package: Setup / Application CD-ROM
SilverFast CD-ROM
User manual (PDF file)
USB cable - 150cm (59.05")
Quick guide
Power Adaptor: Output 15V, 1.0A

Bundled software packages: LaserSoft SilverFast SE 6
World class professional scan software, containing Photoshop, TWAIN plugin and stand-alone application, supplying novice users and professionals with a powerful tool for scanning and colour reproduction.

NewSoft Presto! PageManager
Award-winning photo/image management software supports over 100 popular applications, including color OCR and full-text indexing functions.

NewSoft Presto! ImageFolio
The complete multimedia image-processing program with sophisticated image-editing tools lets you quickly create new images or enhance old ones.

NewSoft Presto! Mr. Photo
Web photo software makes your photos come alive! You can create personalized greeting cards, postcards, calendars and more.

Adobe Acrobat Reader (PDF file reading program)

QuickScan (One click utility software)

[shane]

so guys sound any good ? as im seriously thinking of getting one

[filmamigo]

I just read a review of this scanner in a current issue of a photography magazine -- sadly I don't remember which one.

The reviewer compared it to his own Minolta film scanner. He indicated that it was basically the equal of the Minolta, and on one troublesome slide, the PlusTek did better than the Minolta.

He really liked the Plustek's resolution, which is high enough to get past the problems of grain aggregation that seem to plague lower-res scanners, and result in scans that look much grainier than the original image is.

I was interested to see the sample scans, reprinted in the magazine. They looked OK - not quite up to the snuff of everything else printed in the magazine, but those would all be DLSR or much higher priced scans. The DMax isn't huge, that seems to be the biggest difference -- the dynamic range didn't seem as full as the other pics in the magazine.

[shane]

sounds good thanks for the replie

so are these scanners in general any good realy ? i heard you can scan pic,s at 14 mpix but ive never seen a scaned 35 mm negitve so im not sure how good they turn out in the end. or is the $400 pluss dollars better of getting spent towards a pentax dslr

[filmamigo]

I struggled with the same question. I enjoy 35mm and medium format film shooting. But you are dependent on the quality of scans you can make or get. So far, I haven't seen a scanner for less than the Nikon that I actually want to own. The Plustek looks OK, but it's still hundreds of dollars and not up to the Nikon (IMHO).

I opted to get a Pentax *ist DL that was very lightly used for $360 Canadian.

For 35mm and MF, I have the lab scan it. The Fuji Frontiers don't do such a great job, but I actually really like the scans from a Noritsu. My pro lab uses a Noritsu (I use them for Portra and medium format) and my one-hour lab uses a Noritsu (I use them for eveything else -- snapshots, street photography, etc.)

Getting the lab to scan it doesn't add any time, and at the one-hour place developing and scanning is included in the $2.99 price. Realistically, I can't make better scans myself without spending nearly $1000. In addition, scanning film yourself is quite slow.

To me, getting a DSLR made more sense than a scanner, and it was cheaper. I don't have to give up shooting film either, because of the lab scans.

[shane]

Wow $2.95 for developing and scanning thats like $3.50 au

Ive been think along the same lines but over here im looking at around 12 to 20 au dollars to get a roll of 24 film delveloped and more again to put them to cd's, even to get two digital prints of a memory card is $1 au to have them scanned on papper.

I also have hunderds of negitives and photo,s on papper (from traveling and general family photo,s) i would like to scan to my computer and make back ups,and sent to the rallies that live long distance by email or witht he scanner i could chose whats worth getting printed put them on cd then just take to ones i wanted printed or blown up to the lab to save money.

So if i was to get the lab to scan 20 rolls of film i would be looking at $300 or more au dollars when i can pick up a Plustek Opticfilm 7200 new with fee shipping for $379 au, or the slightly faster 7200i for $450 au with free shipping, but i cant forget to add up the price of the rolls of film as its around $14 au for a box of four kodak 400 no frills film

As i have only recently started in 35 mm film i have only taken around 100 shots just to get to know the camera as its hard when i have to try and rember what ive done what settings ive used the wait for the spare coin and to get the shots printed then come back home and figer out whats work and whats not.

The scanner seams like a good i dea, and im sure half my family could get good use out of it and it would very easy make its money back in the first few months by saving me money and time going down to the local lab.

There is always the thought why not got digital as save the hastle, but the price of the dslr,s is a bit ouchy and i thought ill learn on the older style slrs then once masterd them have a go at the dslr, its a pitty i like the older style slr,s

Also i have a few nice k, ka, m42 mount lenses (most k mount) and a few more comming and have a nice little colection of pentax and zenit slrs with all the fruit, it would be to pain to start over and go all out new dslr with new lens and in auzzie they arent cheap and every one tells me you cant use the old lens on the new dslr.

As i have a baby on the way any day now and i dont ern as much money any more as im working in town so i can be home every afternoon to help start the new family i just dont have $2 k to go dslr but $400 for a scanner is more easyer to swallow so ill do some more thinking and try and convice the boss and see how i go.



Cheers shane

[filmamigo]

Good luck, I think you're on the right path. Just don't underestimate how much time it takes to get a good scan from each shot. I am able to squeeze out acceptable scans on a flatbed transparency adapter, but it takes at least 15 minutes to make one acceptable scan... the scanner is slow, tweaking and adjusting in Vuescan, rescanning, saving very large files, tweaking in photoshop... and I still can't get anywhere close to the quality of a dedicated film scanner.

If you go for the Plustek, please post your results. I'd love to see the quality first-hand and hear how long it takes to get a good scan on that machine.

PS - almost every lens I use with my *ist DL is actually a 35mm lens. If you stick with Pentax, don't worry about the whole issue of not being able to use your old lenses. They work just fine -- it's not like Pentax have a huge selection of DA glass, most people are shooting with at least some older glass.

[stoo23]

Hi Guys,..a relatively New member here,...

Mind you Have been taking Photos for a Long time,..although Stopped Completely for about 14 years and have just very recently taken it up again.

I Too, Had and have a Fair amount of M42 lenses and a fewOlder Pentax's.

I seriously considered Just what I could possibly afford and Be satisfied with Quality wise, and I decided to Stay with Film,...partly because I Like it

But I think it almost Forces you into a different 'attitude' re your shot,..well, for me anyway.

Point is, I decided to do this because I also found the Plustek at a Great Price.

As I Had a Huge stock of neg's and Trannies from before and was thinking of sticking with film for a while,..I Got one.

The Unit itself, comes with a PlugPack type PSU, USB cable etc and a Nifty little Storage and carry bag.

It Feels Solid and seems to have Kept making a Consistent 'Sound' since New !!,..

The Neg and Slide carriers could be perhaps made a bit better, (precision wise), but that said, I have Not had any Negs Or Trannies Move or Shift during scanning, so it seems to work OK.

The Unit also has a little Slide 'LightBox', on top, so you can get your slides in the right way, something many others Don't.

I have done Various Rolls of Differing B&W and Colour and so far, am VERY Happy actually.

One thing I have noticed Occasionally, is whilst using the Dust and Scratch removal Software sometimes, it Can beautifully Remove all the Specks, BUT Leave Long 'Error' Streaks across the Image !!

This is Not a Persistent thing, and so far has Only done that when Using The Scratch/Dust removal Software 'Built in' to The Supplied software.

Which,..seems to work Perfectly well, in Fact I have even been using it to do some quick and dirty scans and quick corrections, without bothering to go into Photoshop.

The software works well IMHO.

I have yet to use the scanner with Vuescan, but it would be as I would Imagine, with Vuescan, so I doubt I'm in for any surprises There,..lol

In the past I have used an Older SCSI Polaroid Sprintscan 4000, which was OK,..but was actually a bit slow, especially when using Vuescan.
Well,.compared to the Software that came with it, anyway.

Anyway, as I said I am Very happy with the Scanner's Output so far.

Mind you I have Not yet Printed any Poster size Prints yet.

I will attempt to put up a link to some scans done recently with my Refurbed old Pentax babies !!!

Mind you The ONLY Thing two of them needed was new Mirror Foams!!

For the Money,..I did Not see this Scanner as a Silly Purchase. For less than $300.00, it is a Great buy considering it's output, Depends what You really want though,.as i am Sure that for Some people, this scanner May Noy be 'Up to Spec',..but then hey,..it Ain't a Multi thousand dollar drum scanner either !!!

[filmamigo]

Looking forward to seeing some sample scans, thanks for sharing your experience.

Would you say the Plustek makes better, comparable, or worse scans than the Polaroid?

[stoo23]

Hmm,..Well,..at the Moment that is hard for me to really Say.

Main reason being, I have yet to Scan any of the Older slides I Scanned using the Polaroid, With this Newer Plustek.

Most of the Work I did using the Polaroid, was Not of My Work, but there was a Lot of it !! All Architectural !, Which, IS what I Do a Lot of, so There IS a Comparison ,..

From My initial Images, I would have to say it would appear easily Comparable in Quality at Standard, normal kind of settings.

As I said, I have yet to really 'Push' The Plustek.

I have done quite a Few Small Crops and Enlargements (In The Scanner), and am so Far Very happy with THAT Output!

BUT The Polaroid, (which has also been released under Other Brand names), DID have 4000 dpi available, at 48bit and it Certainly seemed Very Capable at High resolutions, (with resulting Very large Image files as well).

As I said I found it Slow, especially when Using VueScan, so The Plustek, using Silverfast, is, in fact, IMHO, faster to Do Scans.

I will Post My further findings,..and when I Read and Work out How to Put up some Images, I will !,..