I Need Some 35mm Film Scanner Advice

[jimrohrer]

Hello all.
I'm considering replacing my Nikon 4000ED with a Plustek 8200i.

The Nikon machine needs service (rapid LED blinking at startup and Vuescan software will not recognize the device). It has given me nice, sharp scans in the past, but now nothing but trouble. I've gone through all the troubleshooting and have determined that I have a hardware problem.

I have been considering buying a new Plustek 8200i to replace the Nikon as the repair quote I got is not 100% guaranteed to fix the problem.

Can anyone who has had experience with both scanners tell me if the Plustek 8200 scans will be as sharp as the Nikon scans were? Or, how will the quality differ between both machines?

I do adjustments and dust removal, etc. in PS, so the scan software I use shouldn't matter much.

Scan speed is not an issue for me as I do my batch scanning (for proofing) on a flatbed and will use this scanner only for final scans (for print).

95% of my work is from black & white negatives (Tri X) I rarely work with color film but I want to have the option to do more color work in the future.

Thanks in advance for your replies.
-Jim

 

[efix]

I can't compare to the Nikon, but my Plustek 7400, which is basically the same, has pretty great output. For b&w it should do as good as any dedicated 35mm scanner. I even do slides with mine, though it doesn't really have enough dmax to properly reproduce the darkest shadows. But for negatives, the Plusteks are great. I believe they're as sharp as it gets in their price league.

 

[scorpius73]

I recently picked up the Reflecta 7200. I think it also goes by Pacific Image 7200. I use mine with Vuescan software. I am coming from using an Epson 4490. I did a comparison scan of Tri-X in Rodinal 1:50 that was really grainy on the Epson. The Reflecta 7200 did really well. The grain wasn't as distracting as it was on the Epson. I think it also has a higher dmax than the Plustek.

 

[Dazey]

On the reflecta- if you are using the 7200 RPS, perhaps its not focusing like mine!? Mine doesn't show the film grain properly if its on autofocus, to get the grain to show I need to use manual focus. I like to preserve the grain so I only use MF. Bit of a pain as it won't pick up any focus variations from frame to frame.
I am using Vuescan although I have also tested with Silverfast and the cyber??. I also found the scanner crashes a lot with Macs until you learn how to work in the way in which it wants you to work!
In summary, I have found it a pain to work with compared to a Nikon (which I don't own but have used). I bought it however for its ability to scan an whole roll at once, which makes for a quick workflow (when it decides to play nice). I do find that the manual focus setting doesn't seem to vary much from roll to roll, I just recall a preset and scan. Its also cheap (relatively speaking)

 

[thegman]

I can't compare to the Nikon, but my Plustek 7400, which is basically the same, has pretty great output. For b&w it should do as good as any dedicated 35mm scanner. I even do slides with mine, though it doesn't really have enough dmax to properly reproduce the darkest shadows. But for negatives, the Plusteks are great. I believe they're as sharp as it gets in their price league.

When I used Vuescan, it could do multiple passes at a slide or negative to get more detail from the shadows. I'm not sure if it needs to be supported by the scanner itself, it worked on both my Canon FS4000 and Epson V700. The difference was subtle but noticeable.

 

[scorpius73]

On the reflecta- if you are using the 7200 RPS, perhaps its not focusing like mine!? Mine doesn't show the film grain properly if its on autofocus, to get the grain to show I need to use manual focus. I like to preserve the grain so I only use MF. Bit of a pain as it won't pick up any focus variations from frame to frame.
I am using Vuescan although I have also tested with Silverfast and the cyber??. I also found the scanner crashes a lot with Macs until you learn how to work in the way in which it wants you to work!
In summary, I have found it a pain to work with compared to a Nikon (which I don't own but have used). I bought it however for its ability to scan an whole roll at once, which makes for a quick workflow (when it decides to play nice). I do find that the manual focus setting doesn't seem to vary much from roll to roll, I just recall a preset and scan. Its also cheap (relatively speaking)

Mine isn't the RPS model. It is the manual feed version. The grain from the Epson was very large. The scan from the Reflecta was much nicer. The RPS version has a lower dmax as the research I did online said the scans weren't as sharp as the manual feed one that I picked up. So far I am happy.

 

[rbrooks]

I'd suggest a used Minolta 5400. I have one and once I've jury rigged the film/slide holders with anti-newton glass it's making nice scans.

The jury is still out if it's an improvement over the Nikon 9000 with anti-newton glass. You get more pixels but I'm not sure if there's any extra information yet.

I'm in the process of re-scanning the negatives I want to print to A3 size using the Minolta 5400 and anti-newton glass.

If I've learned anything with scanning, it's that glass is the key to a good scan.

 

[edge100]

I considered the Minolta 5400 and Scan Dual IV, but I really wanted a current model scanner that could be easily serviced, should the need arise.

Ultimately, I went with the Plustek 8100. I agree with the above comments regarding its overall quality: for negatives, it's outstanding and clearly resolves film grain. For slides, it's not as good, but certainly passable for all but the most dense chromes. VueScan multi-exposure definitely helps dig a little bit deeper into the shadows, but it's not going to be as good as a (e.g.) 9000ED or even a V750.

But in terms of resolution and dynamic range for negative film, the 8100 is a terrific value.

 

[bwcolor]

I have the 7200i. The main drawback of this scanner is the manual film advance. If time isn't and issue then manual advance isn't an issue. I prefer Vuescan. I believe that the 7200i is bundled with inferior scanning software, but the price is right. Here is the Vuescan 7200i Support Page.

 

[Rspaninks]

Hi,

I have a Reflecta ProScan 7200 and an Epson V600. For medium format the Epson flatbed is fine, but for 35mm it is just not good enough. The Reflecta however does fine. The delivered software works, but Vuescan is much nicer. However the latest VueScan and Reflecta drivers don't work well on 10.8 Mac OSX. I use it on Windows 8 now, that works fine. Depending a bit on settings, scanning a frame of 35mm on the Reflecta is at least twice faster than an MF negative on the V600. Note by the way that for silver based films (B&W) all the much mentioned noise and dust reduction stuff like digital ICE does not have any effect. If you want a 35mm Reflecta sample, send me a PM and I mail you one.

Cheers, Richard

 

[jimrohrer]

Thanks for your responses everyone... this dialog is quite interesting and helpful. With whatever machine I choose, I'm hoping to match the quality of the negative scans I got from the Nikon 4000ED, and remain in the price range of the Plustek units.