Plustek 120 Pro mini-review

Alan Edward Klein · Aug 25, 2020

fs999 said:
Never push the tray inside. When you feel a resistance, push it a little bit more until it is taken inside.
If you force push it in, you'll have to take it out pushing the button, sometimes it comes out on the back, power off, wait a minute and power on, then it should work again.

SilverFast has a very long learning curve and there are a lot of bugs.
But when you know what and how you're doing, you get the best results.

What other scanning programs have you used? How is SF better?

fs999 · Aug 26, 2020

Alan Edward Klein said:
What other scanning programs have you used? How is SF better?

I used the EpsonScan on my V500, which is very simple using the histogram adjustment, but very effective with the BetterScanning MF holder.
I also used VueScan, which is a mix between document scanning and photo scanning. I could never get the same result, so I gave it up.

SF is very complicated, but you can store some presets, which helps you to accelerate the scanning process.
And with the batch dialog it is very easy to select, reframe and add to the job manager.
Then make fine tunes one after the other by selecting the image.
And finally scan all with one button.
The iSRD (dust removal) is really faster than ICE.
I use often the Histogram, Gradation and Global Color Correction.

Bormental · Sep 17, 2020

I have spent a lot of time dealing with my Plustek 120 Pro, and this begs to be shared.

The original scanner I wrote about in my post was sent back to Amazon due to three issues that I believe are defects:

Horizontal banding visible in the skies
The 35mm film holder periodically would make a loud rattling noise (people outside the house can hear it with windows closed) and a scan would be 100% blurry. Never happened with medium format.
The scanner would not recognize the color calibration target, and NegaFix output would always have a heavy red cast, forcing me to use "Global Color Correction" tool quite heavily. This is very different to what people say online about default Silverfast/Negafix output, so I suspected some kind of wild color inaccuracy.

The second scanner arrived last week. The first thing I did was to reset Silverfast to its default settings, something Plustek support people have previously told me on the phone. Then, I loaded the color calibration target and ta-da! the scanner recognized it and created a color profile.

I loaded the same negatives and ran a scan. The default look blew me away, so much more accurate and ZERO need to use global color correction tool, but... Ahhr, there's a "but"! You have guessed it, the banding was even worse with this copy, it was so bad it was visible even on scan previes, and not just in the skies, it goes across the entire frame (sample)

Another problem with the second copy is that 35mm scans looked visibly softer than the previous machine was producing. I launched the Plustek lens calibration tool, it produced 13 scans and the sharpest by far was -5, which in itself was a bit disappointing, but I selected that option and it said "OK". After this, the scanner completely lost the ability to scan 35mm film. You insert the film tray, it goes in, makes the horrible rattling sound like the first copy (sometimes) did, and a completely blurry image shows up. I fixed this by launching the lens calibration and re-setting it to default, back to the soft focus... Called the support again, they saw the banding line and immediately told me to "return to the place of purchase".

Today, the 3rd one arrived. Ten seconds out of the box, the 6x7 film tray goes in with the calibration target. The scanner makes the same horrible rattling noise (but this time with a medium format holder) and it gets stuck. Re-setting and re-installing software, restarting the scanner, rebooting the computer, nothing works. Rattles and stops. No image.

I am throwing in the towel. This is not a production product, it's a rough prototype which needs to go back to the lab, as one of Amazon reviewers has said.

fs999 · Sep 17, 2020

So sad you can't get a good copy...

Can't Plustek send you a "tested" copy ?

138S · Sep 17, 2020

Bormental said:
Today, the 3rd one arrived.

Incredible... perhaps the first unit and the 3rd unit it's the same !

I had been using the 120 of a friend for two weeks and it worked ok, but it is disapointing they have no way to send you a working unit.

IMO the banding can be avoided easily, if you get a 4th unit we may try to solve it.

Perhaps I would reconsider the general strategy. I would instead buy an Epson V850 (for MF and up) and a plustek 8000 series 35mm unit, you would have two scanners for less money than the 120 costs, scanning in parallel you would work faster, and you would scan for sure, something you can't do now.

Bormental · Sep 17, 2020

I talked to Plustek support. To their credit, they were fantastic. We were talking on the phone and using the web-based chat at the same time, so I could show the technician the images as they were coming out of the scanner, etc. Top quality service. But he was based somewhere in California, which is not where their warehouse / shipping center is. In his own words, he suggested to replace via Amazon because "it will most likely be faster".

I like your suggestion of trying an Epson V850. I hope it's a lot better than the V600 (which I've had for about 5 years). I just need my credit card balance to settle down, as I am currently carrying nearly $5K for two scanners, the refurns haven't been processed yet.

138S · Sep 17, 2020

Bormental said:
I like your suggestion of trying an Epson V850. I hope it's a lot better than the V600 (which I've had for about 5 years).

There is a remarkable difference, long ago I moved from the V500 (that's like a V600) to the V750 and V850 and I well noticed the enhacement, the V600 resolves around 1500 dpi effective while the V850 is 2300 to 2900 able depending on the axis. In pactice not many shots will take advantage from a better scanner, specially for MF and up, my personal experience totally matches this review: https://petapixel.com/2017/05/01/16000-photo-scanner-vs-500-scanner/. Anyway, with the V850 a proficient operation/edition is required for optimal results, ensuring flatness and focuss, a 2.5mm miss in the film height (curling...) ends in the half of the optical perfomance, like if it was an V600.

Still the Plustek 8000 series is a best buy for 35mm, I feel the 120 is expensive to me, while I considered it I was needing LF scanning, and here the V700-850 series is an strong choice.

fs999 · Sep 17, 2020

I would wait for functional OpticFilm. The difference is worth the wait.
The banding is perhaps an usb driver problem. Have you tried to connect the scanner to an USB 2 connector ?

Alan Edward Klein · Sep 17, 2020

What are you doing with the 35mm scans?

Bormental · Sep 17, 2020

fs999 said:
I would wait for functional OpticFilm. The difference is worth the wait.
The banding is perhaps an usb driver problem. Have you tried to connect the scanner to an USB 2 connector ?

But "waiting" in this case implies "buying & returning", right? I dislike returning anything. The environmental impact of shipping around a giant box for nothing is driving me crazy, and I have done it three times already. I am also concerned with Amazon suspending my account or something...

I tried the scanner on two different computers: Windows and Mac. Besides, their own support said it's defective so why would I argue with that.

Alan Edward Klein said:
What are you doing with the 35mm scans?

Camera scanning & hand-inverting. Here's a few samples of Portra 800: one, two.https://d3ue2m1ika9dfn.cloudfront.net/juice-shop.jpg

Alan Edward Klein · Sep 17, 2020

Bormental said:
But "waiting" in this case implies "buying & returning", right? I dislike returning anything. The environmental impact of shipping around a giant box for nothing is driving me crazy, and I have done it three times already. I am also concerned with Amazon suspending my account or something...

I tried the scanner on two different computers: Windows and Mac. Besides, their own support said it's defective so why would I argue with that.

Camera scanning & hand-inverting. Here's a few samples of Portra 800: one, two.

Now I'm confused. Camera scanning and hand inverting? I thought you;re using a flat bed scanner? Please explain? MY questions was really what do you intend to do with the scans?

By the way, that scan sample looks like it has a lot of color noise.

Bormental · Sep 17, 2020

Alan Edward Klein said:
Now I'm confused. Camera scanning and hand inverting? I thought you;re using a flat bed scanner? Please explain? MY questions was really what do you intend to do with the scans?
By the way, that scan sample looks like it has a lot of color noise.

Well, I took your question as "what are you doing now?" and since my V600 is insufficient for 35mm, I am using my camera. I rarely print, and when I do it's only B&W. The goal is to get every bit of information out of a scan and store it. Who knows what kind of presentation medium will be available to us in the future!

That's not noise. Modern BSI sensors do not have any tangible noise at nominal ISO. That's grain. It's an ISO 800 film developed at home in Cinestill C41 kit and blown up to a 24 megapixel scan, so every grain particle is enlarged. Lab-processed Ektar and Portra 160 are smooth as butter, I just don't have any full-sized scans online. I do not expect V850 to get nowhere close to this in terms of resolution, so if I go this route, I'll stick to camera scanning for 35mm and use a flatbed only for medium format.

Alan Edward Klein · Sep 17, 2020

Bormental said:
Well, I took your question as "what are you doing now?" and since my V600 is insufficient for 35mm, I am using my camera. I rarely print, and when I do it's only B&W. The goal is to get every bit of information out of a scan and store it. Who knows what kind of presentation medium will be available to us in the future!

That's not noise. Modern BSI sensors not have any tangible noise at nominal ISO. That's grain. It's an ISO 800 film developed at home in Cinestill C41 kit and blown up to a 24 megapixel scan, so every grain particle is enlarged. Lab-processed Ektar and Portra 160 are smooth as butter, I just don't have any full-sized scans online. I do not expect V850 to get nowhere close to this in terms of resolution, so if I go this route, I'll stick to camera scanning for 35mm and use a flatbed only for medium format.

If you don't plan on any printing now, why not get a V850? Or did you say you had a V600? It would serve you well enough for Flickr, on-line, slideshows on the computer and smart TV's. etc. If later years from now, you need a great scan for a large print, you can do it outside. After all, how many prints would you do then?

PS, Can't you also get digital noise if you overprocess the scan file?

Bormental · Sep 17, 2020

Alan Edward Klein said:
If you don't plan on any printing now, why not get a V850? Or did you say you had a V600? It would serve you well enough for Flickr, on-line, slideshows on the computer and smart TV's. etc.

But then I will accumulate tons of negatives that need to be re-scanned properly. To me, a scan is not done until I can toss away the neg. I know, it's a controversial POV here, but I'm qualified to understand the value of data vs the medium it's on, plus I'm not enamored with an idea of collecting boxes.

PS, Can't you also get digital noise if you overprocess the scan file?

You're right. The easiest way is to under-expose and molest that exposure compensation slider I do not do this, these scans are perfectly exposed and clean.

Helge · Sep 17, 2020

WTF is happening here‽

Pretty predictable.
I get far better results from MF than this with camera scanning.

Helge · Sep 17, 2020

Bormental said:
But then I will accumulate tons of negatives that need to be re-scanned properly. To me, a scan is not done until I can toss away the neg. I know, it's a controversial POV here, but I'm qualified to understand the value of data vs the medium it's on, plus I'm not enamored with an idea of collecting boxes.

Are you quite sane‽
You never throw away the negative.
They take up practically no space in a binder and they are the best version of your image you’ll ever have.
Even after you are gone they can be rescanned to higher standards.

Lachlan Young · Sep 17, 2020

@Bormental You're getting significantly better quality from your current camera scan setup than the Epson V800/850 can deliver. And binning negs is always a bad idea - not only is it useful to be able to rescan as your skills improve, but also for zeroing in new systems/ techniques - where a neg of known behaviour makes things much easier.

Bormental · Sep 17, 2020

Helge said:
WTF is happening here‽

Haha I noticed her after I developed the roll. So I have no idea

Pretty predictable. I get far better results from MF than this with camera scanning.

You're looking at a Plustek scan at, supposedly, 5200dpi. Hows that "pretty predictable"? Are you saying that your camera scans are better? I am beginning to think that's good news.

Alan Edward Klein · Sep 17, 2020

I threw away my slides, or most of them, after I moved and scanned with a V600. I made slide shows as videos and now I'm done. Ain't going back. The slide shows were put in DVD and memory cards and given to family.

Bormental · Sep 17, 2020

Helge said:
Are you quite sane‽ You never throw away the negative. They take up practically no space in a binder and they are the best version of your image you’ll ever have. Even after you are gone they can be rescanned to higher standards.

Lachlan Young said:
And binning negs is always a bad idea - not only is it useful to be able to rescan as your skills improve, but also for zeroing in new systems/ techniques - where a neg of known behaviour makes things much easier.

Gents, I hear you. Please, also hear me: I know how much time I have and I know my preferences for spending it. I will never, ever go back to re-scanning anything. All my life I've been struggling to keep up with a backlog of RAW files to post-process, films to develop, new films to scan at an average rate of 3 rolls per week. I also have a business to run and a family to spend time with.

I haven't thrown anything out yet. Since getting back into film, I have been keeping all my negatives in a fairly large box, but I will not be buying a second one. My goal is to do the best scan the current state of technology (and my budget) allows me to do. Re-scanning will not happen.

Lachlan Young said:
@Bormental You're getting significantly better quality from your current camera scan setup than the Epson V800/850 can deliver.

Thank you, Lachlan. I wonder if this will hold true for medium format. Even with the two-shot stitching I am limited to about 6000 pixels/side max, and I know that some of my Delta 100 or Ektar 6x6 negatives have more resolution than that. The other option is to do 2x2 stitching and that is a lot of work, plus the risk of stitching artifcats.

Helge · Sep 17, 2020

Bormental said:
You're looking at a Plustek scan at, supposedly, 5200dpi. How's that for "pretty predictable"?

The quality and user experience is predictable.
As I said in the original thread for this scanner, it’s warmed over twenty year old casserole.

Bormental · Sep 17, 2020

Ah, got it. You're right. It's sad.

Alan Edward Klein · Sep 17, 2020

Bormental said:
Gents, I hear you. Please, also hear me: I know how much time I have and I know my preferences for spending it. I will never, ever go back to re-scanning anything. All my life I've been struggling to keep up with a backlog of RAW files to post-process, films to develop, new films to scan at an average rate of 3 rolls per week. I also have a business to run and a family to spend time with.

I haven't thrown anything out yet. Since getting back into film, I have been keeping all my negatives in a fairly large box, but I will not be buying a second one. My goal is to do the best scan the current state of technology (and my budget) allows me to do. Re-scanning will not happen.

Thank you, Lachlan. I wonder if this will hold true for medium format. Even with the two-shot stitching I am limited to about 6000 pixels/side max, and I know that some of my Delta 100 or Ektar 6x6 negatives have more resolution than that. The other option is to do 2x2 stitching and that is a lot of work, plus the risk of stitching artifcats.

I agree with you. That's why I threw out the ones I scanned that I turned into digital slide shows. I'm retired and have the time. But I'd rather slit my throat then re-scan. You got to be a masochist to go through scanning again willingly. I just upgraded from a V600 to an V850 because I'm shooting 4x5 now. But to go back and scan all my film because I can get a slightly better IQ? Nah. I'm not nuts. I could just see myself arriving at the pearly gates, the only one carrying something. St. Peter will ask me, "What's in that shoebox, feller? You know you can;t take anything with you." "Well" says I. "I thought you guys might have a better scanner up here, or at least a Plustek that works."

138S · Sep 17, 2020

Alan Edward Klein said:
I agree with you. That's why I threw out the ones I scanned that I turned into digital slide shows. I'm retired and have the time. But I'd rather slit my throat then re-scan.

OK, but some exceptions can be made... Probably you have (say) a dozen shots you love specially, or they have some special qualities...

In such cases it can be funny to re-scan the film and making a different edition, or aesthetic interpretation.

Helge · Sep 17, 2020

Bormental said:
Gents, I hear you. Please, also hear me: I know how much time I have and I know my preferences for spending it. I will never, ever go back to re-scanning anything. All my life I've been struggling to keep up with a backlog of RAW files to post-process, films to develop, new films to scan at an average rate of 3 rolls per week. I also have a business to run and a family to spend time with.

I haven't thrown anything out yet. Since getting back into film, I have been keeping all my negatives in a fairly large box, but I will not be buying a second one. My goal is to do the best scan the current state of technology (and my budget) allows me to do. Re-scanning will not happen.

Thank you, Lachlan. I wonder if this will hold true for medium format. Even with the two-shot stitching I am limited to about 6000 pixels/side max, and I know that some of my Delta 100 or Ektar 6x6 negatives have more resolution than that. The other option is to do 2x2 stitching and that is a lot of work, plus the risk of stitching artifcats.

The “secret” is to have a lot of overlap.

WRT negatives you never can predict what you want and need in the future.
And you can also not predict how much time you are going to find yourself with at various points in life. It might feel hectic now, and you can’t see how it will ever end.
But that can change rapidly and randomly.

It’s highly recommended to just keep all your film material, and in binders preferably.

Remember the comics and toys that you let your mom throw out some years after you had moved away from home, that you’d kill to have now?
Same thing.

Get sleeves and put the negatives in them.
It will be a hundred dollars or so, and a few nights of sliding film in pockets and sorting.
But you will feel great afterwards.
You will have real sense of “your life’s work”.

Plustek 120 Pro mini-review

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