Plustek OpticFilm 7200i

Reviewed by: Mario Georgiou, November 2006 Published by: Plustek Requires: Windows 98SE, Me, 2000 or XP, Pentium II CPU or faster, 1 available USB port, 256MB RAM, 300MB free hard disk space, High Color graphics card (VGA or higher) MSRP: US$369.95, UK£249.99 Amateur photographers and enthusiasts rejoice. All those negatives and slides need no longer sit in the dark like mushrooms. Bring them out, start scanning, and who knows what gems you'll discover and what memories will come to life. The Plustek OpticFilm is a solution which at first glance seems built for the pro and amateur alike. Boasting a high resolution and dust & scratch removal, it seems too good to pass up. So how good is it and does it live up to the demands of transporting your valuable images and memories into the digital realm? At such a low price point, I expected to be let down. However I was pleasantly surprised at how easy the unit was to install and how well designed the 7200i actually is. Scanning with it is a breeze—the software is well designed and straightforward to use. The Infrared Smart Removal of Defect (iSRD) feature is a pleasant surprise in that regard. The feature is a combination of hardware and software which is designed eliminate minor flaws such as dust and scratches by using infrared in the scanning process to detect and identify flaws. SilverFast Ai software is bundled with the scanner, easy to use, and fully supports the built-in dust and scratch removal. Although relatively fast for scanning clean negatives and slides, the moment you up the ante and try using the iSRD feature on damaged or dirty negs and slides, the scanning times go way up. The scan results are pretty good, although I did find that the final scans were somewhat softer when using the software-based dust and scratch removal. I like the ability to select the type of films being scanned, although the range was not quite so complete as I would have liked. I had to guess on a couple of OEM film brands and their ideal profiles, but found through trial & error that the available profiles were adequate. The negative strip and slide carriers are simply designed and easy to use, although I think I'd feel more comfortable with a tighter fit in the scanner. I would also have been happy to find orientation indicators on the carriers for placing negatives. Nonetheless, there were no issues related to the carrier in the resulting scans. At this price point I shouldn't be surprised to find that sharpness at 7200 dpi isn't quite there. With detail in the highlights and shadows somewhat blown out, I wouldn't recommend this scanner for the professional who needs extreme detail and dynamic range. But the results were more than usable for the enthusiast and semi-pro. That being stated, for the price conscious photographer this unit is a real steal. Dedicated film scanners with similar capabilities can cost much, much, more. Cons: Dynamic Range is not quite as good as needed for professional work. Refinement needed in the film profiles and format support. Slow scanning in high resolution. iSRD makes it crawl. Windows only. Pros: Easy to set up and use. Small footprint. SilverFast Ai software and built-in dust & scratch removal is good. High optical resolution and good detail. Surprisingly low price. For the amateur photographer who wants easy access to their family memories or to their photographic work which exists in negative and slide form, this unit is a dream. It is easy to install and even easier to use. For the professional who has a requirement for a scanner with solid dynamic range, extensive media support and high resolution, you need to look farther afield. I recommend the Plustek OpticFilm 7200i for the amateur photographer and enthusiast. This review has been reposted in its entirety from http://www.kickstartnews.com/.