plustekOpticFilm 8200i AI - 35mm Film & Slides Scanner. IT 8 Calibration Target + SilverFast Ai Studio 9, 7200 dpi Resolution 64Bit HDRi , Mac/PC

Hi All,I decided to write this review as many of us are looking to scan 35mm film and there is either a lack of reviews for newer scanners; or older scanners are too cost prohibitive.I'll surmise my experience of the Plustek 8200i/SE/AI in this review. ** A quick side note: The differences for each version of the Plustek 8200i is software/Silverfast and Infrared(for SE/AI). For most users the 8200i/SE is more than suitable. I decided to spend a bit more and get the AI version for the IT8 Calibration Target( from SIlverfast this cost roughly ~$100USD)First, what I require from a film scanner:- Fine image quality( for a range of film types: E6, C41 & B&W)- Small footprint, lightweight( it is going on a desk)- Relatively Fast for scanning single frames(I don't need Batch Scanning/Roll Scanning)- Modern connections like USB 2.0/3.0Second, what i want to avoid in a film scanner:- Cost( think Pakon 135/235; Nikon Coolscan 5000/9000)- Manufacture no longer supports the scanner/discontinued( for more than 5 years)- Software Requiring Older Operating System & outdated ports( Like Windows XP & Firewire)Now for my experience:In the past I had a Pakon 135+(a scanner that scans whole rolls of 35mm film and outputs to 6MP). In the week since my purchase of the Plustek 8200i, I've rescaned a few negatives to compare.The Plustek 8200i does a fine job at scanning 35mm Film with the included SIlverfast 8( which can be upgraded to Silverfast 9 for free. Copy & paste this link here: https://www.amazon.com/ask/questions/Tx2C26L6RMP8HAJ/ref=ask_dp_lsw_al_hza?asin=B009724JZY )Image Sharpness/focus is spot on, Color is faithful & true, USB 2.0 allows scanning speeds to be quick( ~1min for a Prescan & 2.5mins for a Final scan @ 225 DPI w/ MutiSample and Dust & Scratch Removal enabled) It meets all my needs & needs of most users. And it definitely rivals/outperforms the Pakon 135.Though i can see where some might not like the Plustek 8200; for instance:-The Plustek 8200i can only scan 1 frame of 35mm film at a time. It is not automated; you must manually advance the included film holder to scan the next frame. I normally do not scan a whole roll of film; i pick and choose the frames I want to edit/share/print. For some, that is a bit too hands on.****-Some people have commented that Silverfast can be a bit complicated. I agree it can be; but there are video tutorials in the program to help teach you about the tools SIlverfast offers. If you take it slow; have a notpad near by to take notes/reminders and be patience with yourself; it is doable. Otherwise, Vuescan would be the next best option. I personally opted for SIlverfast; as the interface just 'flows' better for me; and the colors from Vuescan are not to my liking.I am thoroughly impressed with this scanner. I was very hesitate with going with a modern scanner; as most of the photographers I follow/look up to use a Pakon 135 or a Nikon Coolscan 5000/9000. Those scanners are great and they set a standard for scanning film but raising costs & costly repair are not what I need right now. The Plustek does the job and it does it well.Here are some tips that I have after reading the manual for the scanner :#1- Label the top of the scanner(see pictures). You can slide the scanner in from either the left or right. I decided to only one side "Enter" & the other side "Exit". This is to help with consistency and for TiP #2#2 Label the Film Holder(see pictures). The manual suggests that you lay the film with the Emulsion(dull) side down, with the top of the frame point towards the back of the scanner & the Film Info read from left to right. Plustek explains this on Page 4 of the Quick Guide manual shipped with the printer.These tips have helped speed up my "scanning" workflow and helps with problem solving.****For those who want a scanner a bit more hands free, I recommend : https://www.amazon.com/Pacific-Image-PrimeFilm-Automatic-Scanner/dp/B07K2GCRRY/ref=sr_1_3?crid=7YS3LDA1V2RH&dchild=1&keywords=pacific+image+prime+film+xas+super+edition+film+scanner&qid=1630528170&sprefix=xa+film+scanner%2Caps%2C250&sr=8-3

I typically keep my reviews short and technical, but this time I feel compelled to share my experience.In April 2022, I purchased the Plustek 8200AI scanner and AI plays a crucial role - without SilverFast, the image quality could vary significantly.I initially installed it on an older PC, thinking it could handle large images. Following the instructions, I held off on upgrading to SilverFast 9 for later.As I started scanning 35mm black and white negatives, I quickly realized that when I reached 3600ppi, my PC needed an upgrade NOW.After building a new PC from scratch and installing OpticFilm with SilverFast 8, the performance improved dramatically, and I fell in love with the scanner. Now, it was time to upgrade SilverFast, and that's when I encountered an issue.I wasn't sure where to turn, but Plustek Support came to the rescue. They stayed with me throughout the upgrade process, even though it was coming from SilverFast directly. Their dedication was unexpected and highly appreciated.I intended to write a review at that point but got sidetracked with my scanning workload plus my actual work, since photography is my hobby.Recently, I came back to my scanner and decided to upgrade SilverFast and encountered another hurdle. went to Plustek for new driver and after - SF couldn't detect my scanner, and that's when I reached out to Plustek Support once more. David spent a good 10-15 minutes with me, reinstalled the driver, and although SF could see the scanner, it didn't cooperate. David identified it as a direct SF issue and provided me with a support link.By the way, SilverFast support is also commendable, but since the company is in Germany, email support worked perfectly for me, and it was quick.Now, to sum it up: As of today:I've scanned around 2000-3000 old negatives, some of which are over 50 years old and have never been touched. With this scanner, you can breathe new life into old pictures. I was able to recover images that my dad never printed because he thought they were ruined. It was a picture of my first day on earth.Just a tip: When you set it to 3600ppi or 7200ppi, it takes some practice and experimentation to get the desired results, but it's absolutely worth the effort.So, when you are thinking about investing into this compact device, you'll get:an outstanding film scannerexcellent software for scanning and preprocessing your films, slides, and imagesand in the background (in case you will ever need any help ) - the best support team I've encountered in the consumer IT world these days.Thank you, Plustek, for the exceptional device and the incredible support team.

I recently received the item quickly and it worked well though slow with the included software (SilverFast 8.8 AI). There's a learning curve but if you know Adobe LR or PS it's not difficult. Found Histogram and Gradation functions to be limited and color correction tools also limited. The Dust/Scratch removal works though! And there's an IT8 color calibration slide included which helped but ideally you want the three slide calibration option and not just the one. You have to buy the other two if you really want.Started having problems with software almost immediately and it stopped working after 3rd session of slide scanning. Sent email request and got a ticket from LSI but their documentation is poor online and none of the fixes worked after an initial straightforward fix of resetting software. I have 64 bit system and tons of RAM and SSD space btw. So looked online and found VueWare. That works much better.So great scanner with great options but very poor software bundle. Get the scanner alone if you can. forget LSI's SilverFast!Update: SilverFast software worked again after setting to run on Vista settings so try that in Windows if you have an issue like mine. I’m sure to quit SilverFast software and turn off the scanner when once done. However, In comparison to VueWare, it’s much slower and VueWare has more finer setting options (no graphs, just clickable positive or negative numerical changes for instance in contrast, etc.). VueWare also allows for IR scanning. Overall it’s more efficient and significantly faster than bundled SilverFast. So again, great scanner, just skip the software bundle option