Dedicated 35mm Scanner

[Kitch]

I may be in the market for a dedicated 35mm scanner and wanted some advice. I'm looking intently at the Plustek OpticFilm 8200i SE Film Scanner that seems to get good reviews except for the included software by most. Anyone that has one of these your opinions and suggestions would be appreciated. I have a Vista and Windows 7 computer and assume it will play well with either.

 

[pschwart]

A dedicated scanner can provide better scans, but you can't escape the learning curve. The Plustek ships with SilverFast which is yet another piece of software to learn, though you can probably stick with VueScan. Why not spend some time practicing with what you have before making a switch? The Plustek is only going to scan 35mm, so you will still need to use the Epson for your medium format negatives.

 

[Kitch]

In all likelihood I'll keep and use the VueScan software since I'm becoming more familiar with it. I thought I could use the Plustek upstairs with the Windows 7 computer since it has more HDD space on a spare drive and more memory...not to mention there's much more desk space. I'll continue to use the Epson for the 6x7 negatives.

Everyone seems to indicate you get better scans with a dedicated scanner so, hence the reason for looking into the Plustek. I'd like the Nikon scanner but wow, what a price.

 

[pschwart]

The Plustek should be capable of better 35mm scans, but how much better will depend on the quality of the film holders. I have a Nikon 9000 and it could not produce scans that were sharp edge-to-edge until I added glass to the stock holders. Keep practicing; soon scanning will become comfortable process.

 

[Kitch]

I may be of benefit to order some of the ANR glass from betterscanning. He has holders for medium format and has the glass that will fit the standard V600 holders for 35mm from what the website says.

 

[pschwart]

It is a shame that Epson cripples their scanners with such crummy film holders. I did find the BetterScanning holders with ANR glass to be a worthwhile purchase.