New Plustek 7600i-Ai Film Scanner Review

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$520, image quality pretty close to Nikon 5000, and including Silverfast.
Always good to have options, and looks like it can be a good solution for 35mm shooters..

You can check it here.
 
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I've owned a Coolscan V in past, a Plustek now. My experience echoes this gentleman's conclusions... it is very close in quality to the Coolscan, and offers a great deal more resolution than my Epson flatbed.
Cheers,
Jim
 
Broke - it seems like a wicked deal and I think it's great to see manufacturers teaming up to develop a new product.

Would love to see for example Kodak, Fuji, Ilford, Nikon teaming up for another version of the Coolscan (i.e. to get medium format options in a new scanner..).

But this is great to see I think.
 
Thanks for posting this. I had forgotten about this scanner.

Think I may have to pick one up before winter when I'll be starting to scan a lot of my old negs.
 
Thanks for posting this. I had forgotten about this scanner.

Think I may have to pick one up before winter when I'll be starting to scan a lot of my old negs.

But remember that you have to advance the filmstrip-holder yourself. There is no way to put in the film, come back an hour later and a lot of photos are scanned.
 
I bought the 7600 a few weeks ago and I like the results from the scanner and can't complain much about the software although I have the cheaper SE-version instead of the AI version.
 
$520, image quality pretty close to Nikon 5000, and including Silverfast.
Always good to have options, and looks like it can be a good solution for 35mm shooters..

You can check it here.

Thanks for the link.

Now if they´d crank up the DMAX with the Plustek 7700 we´d have an ideal Coolscan replacement.

Until then the Plustek 7600 has to do. Sharpness is great already.

Dynamic range was my only gripe with the one that I tested. It mattered more with slides than with negative film though.
 
Broke - it seems like a wicked deal and I think it's great to see manufacturers teaming up to develop a new product.

Would love to see for example Kodak, Fuji, Ilford, Nikon teaming up for another version of the Coolscan (i.e. to get medium format options in a new scanner..).

But this is great to see I think.

I have had a really good experience with this scanner -- I usually scan at 5400 dpi, sharpen, and downsize to 3000dpi. I think this is an optimal size for myself. I've seen other reviews state the scanner's maximum resolution at about 3200 dpi... but I haven't seen much difference between it and the Coolscan V. I have scanned a lot of E6 and haven't really run into dynamic range problems -- its definitely hasn't been a problem with negatives.
I had similar thoughts about its feeding mechanism... while you have to feed by hand, I think this is simpler and more robust... but that's just me.
Colour seems good with the Negafix profiles.

Cheers,
Jim
 
Bought this scanner 8 months ago and very happpy with the result.
Almost all images from my photoblog over the last 6 months were scanned with my plustek.
Have scanned close to 50 rolls now.

My only gripe is that it need to be advanced manually frame by frame
 
Hi,

I'm strongly considering 7600 for my 35mm negatives. For those who have it, is a single pass scan sufficient in pulling all the detail from a b&w negative, or is multipass scanning preferred.

Reason I ask is this would seem to be one of the key differences between the Se & Ai versions, and if I go with the 7600, want to ensure I pick the right one. Obviously if multipass scanning is not really required, then I shan't be forking out for the Ai version for the sake of it, as current price difference between the two is €100.

I have a few other questions too. Namely, what are the negative holders like, and are they any better than the flimsy pieces of plastic that seem standard with flatbeds ?

Also, has anyone done any real volume with this scanner. If so, how is it holding up, and what is your typical time per scan for a decent file. Better than just web quality would be fine for me, so I guess in the +/- 3000dpi range.

Thanks in advance. I'm sick of my flatbed (a Canon 8800F) for 35mm scans, and this would seem to be an ideal and accessible option. I still wet-print, and the 7600 would be used to supplement my image workflow, as I only get down to my darkroom every 3 weeks.

EDIT: I knew there was one other thing I needed to know too - have anybody been using the 7600 to their satisfaction with Vuescan, as I would prefer to use this rather than Silverfast. Also, I'm on a mac, and its slightly worrying the plustek support site only lists the windows driver, even though there is a mac driver too, so any feedback from mac users very much appreciated too! :)
 
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Would like to see how this compares to the V700 / V750, as I am also looking to upgrade my 8800F

Funnily enough, the Epson is a contender for me too, given it's scanning capacity. Scans seem softer than the 7600 & CoolScan 5000, from the luminous landscape review, but many people seem quite happy with the Epsons though
 
EDIT: I knew there was one other thing I needed to know too - have anybody been using the 7600 to their satisfaction with Vuescan, as I would prefer to use this rather than Silverfast. Also, I'm on a mac, and its slightly worrying the plustek support site only lists the windows driver, even though there is a mac driver too, so any feedback from mac users very much appreciated too! :)

Hi, Mark from Plustek here. I am a photographer and the marketing guy for Plustek. I have been lurking in the Micro 4/3 section of this forum for some time.

The 7600i does work with VueScan as does the 7400. Also, both of these scanners will run on a Mac when you use the bundled SilverFast software. I believe the VueScan will run on a Mac so you should be all set. However, touch base with the VueScan folks just to make sure.

We recently launched a new website that hopefully clears up some of the questions about the differences between models and OS support: http://plustek.com/usa/products/opticfilm-series//introduction.html

Please let me know if I can help with anything or if you have any problems or suggestions etc.

Mark
 
Hi Mark,

How about Linux/SANE drivers for the scanner family?
 
Hi Mark,

Thanks for the feedback, and its great to see a company such as Plustek engage with its customers. The info on the new website seems quite good, and has answered a few of my questions right there.

There are still one or two questions I have, and perhaps you might be able to help;

The comparison between the Se & Ai version is helpful, but I wonder if there is further information available on the limitations of the Se version with regard to multi-sampling, and the iSRD and SRD functionality of the 7600 which are listed as only 'limited dialogue' in comparison to the AI version, which lists these functionalities as 'unlimited dialogue'.

The above functions are of interest to a lot of potential buyers I suspect, and from your site it would appear that these functions are available in a limited capacity in the SE version. The reason I ask, is that it has been claimed by some users that the SE version does not provide multisampling. With information thin on the ground up until now, clarification on this would be great.

Secondly, it is of concern that there is no mac driver available for download from your site for the 7600, and wonder what the reasoning behind this is. Perhaps you might suggest to your support people that they might look into addressing this. As you can imagine, the mac is a popular platform among photographers, and cd's are easily lost.

Lastly, am I to take it that in conjunction with the mac Plustek 7600 driver, that I can use Vuescan with the 7600. I know Vuescan is not a Plustek product, but compatibility with Vuescan is an important issue for a lot of current or potential Plustek purchasers given that Vuescan and Silverfast are the only game in town, and that many people already own Vuescan.

Many thanks, and might I add that many people here would love to see a medium format non-flatbed Plustek scanner, if there is anything in the pipeline on the near future.

All the best, and I am sure I do not need to note my appreciation that Plustek is willing to offer a product many other companies seem content to ignore :)

Damien

Hi, Mark from Plustek here. I am a photographer and the marketing guy for Plustek. I have been lurking in the Micro 4/3 section of this forum for some time.

The 7600i does work with VueScan as does the 7400. Also, both of these scanners will run on a Mac when you use the bundled SilverFast software. I believe the VueScan will run on a Mac so you should be all set. However, touch base with the VueScan folks just to make sure.

We recently launched a new website that hopefully clears up some of the questions about the differences between models and OS support: http://plustek.com/usa/products/opticfilm-series//introduction.html

Please let me know if I can help with anything or if you have any problems or suggestions etc.

Mark
 
Hi Mark,

The comparison between the Se & Ai version is helpful, but I wonder if there is further information available on the limitations of the Se version with regard to multi-sampling, and the iSRD and SRD functionality of the 7600 which are listed as only 'limited dialogue' in comparison to the AI version, which lists these functionalities as 'unlimited dialogue'.

Damien

The OpticFilm 7400, 7600i SE and 7600i Ai all do multi-sampling and multi-exposure. There may be some confusion because the previous generation of the 7400, the OpticFilm 7200, did not do multi-sampling or multi-exposure.

iSRD will work with any of our scanners with an "i" after the model number.

Here is a detailed comparison between the SE and Ai Studio versions of the software: http://www.silverfast.com/comparison/en.html

Secondly, it is of concern that there is no mac driver available for download from your site for the 7600, and wonder what the reasoning behind this is. Perhaps you might suggest to your support people that they might look into addressing this. As you can imagine, the mac is a popular platform among photographers, and cd's are easily lost
Damien

The "driver" on the website is basically a small app that runs in the windows system tray using Windows WIA. It allows you to do a quick scan using the button on the scanner. The TWAIN implementation is provided through the SilverFast software bundle. If you lost your original CD, drop me a note markdruziak at plustek.com and I'll see what I can do.

Lastly, am I to take it that in conjunction with the mac Plustek 7600 driver, that I can use Vuescan with the 7600. I know Vuescan is not a Plustek product, but compatibility with Vuescan is an important issue for a lot of current or potential Plustek purchasers given that Vuescan and Silverfast are the only game in town, and that many people already own Vuescan.
Damien

The 7400 and 7600i scanners work fine with Vuescan from what I have been told by our support team. I know they run it in the lab on both Windows and Mac platforms.
 
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