Plustek - OpticPro ST64+

[mbisc]

I saw this scanner online (Plustek - OpticPro ST64+) -- not very expensive ($150), and it can even handle 4x5 negatives.

BUT, what's general opinion on this one? is it (1) as good as a real flatbed, say, Epson (especially for 120 & 4x5), or (2) a waste of money or (3) okay compromise (you get what you pay for it)?

TIA,
Mike 😕

 

[Trius]

Reviews I've seen say it's slow, and it doesn't appear that VueScan (my choice for scanning software) supports it yet. But for $150, you could try it and return it if it doesn't work out, especially if you purchase from Amazon.

 

[thegman]

Hi,
I am looking now at a OpticPro ST640, did you ever give this a try for 4x5? I can get it for 1/4 the cost of the V700 in Australia, so thinking it has to be worth a try?

Funny thing is, it says it comes with film holders for 5x7, but no mention 4x5...

Cheers

Garry

 

[mdruziak]

Hi Mark from Plustek here. The latest release of software from VueScan supports the ST64+. I haven't tried it yet but it should work. Just to be honest with you, the ST64+ is more similar to the V600 than the V700. Just keep your expectations realistic for a $150 scanner and you should be happy with it.

 

[thegman]

Thanks for the very honest reply Mark, I've been really impressed with the look of some other Plustek scanners, and I wondered if the ST640 was a little too good to be true. I'm still going to keep it in mind though, as with 4x5, I can lose half the detail and still have a lot of resolution left.

Will keep it in mind if my i900 deal falls through.

Cheers

Garry

 

[mbisc]

Well, I tried the scanner (and Mark was more than helpful offline!), but I just couldn't get it to work prior to when I needed to send it back to the merchant for a full refund. I don't have Vuescan, so I can't comment on that, but the included software wouldn't work on my system (Sony Laptop with Windows 7).

In the end, I decided to spend a little more and get the HP 4050 scanner -- not great either, but at least I can get it to work for occasional 4x5 scans, which is all I wanted...