luuca
Well-known
I agree...
hanskerensky
Well-known
Anybody is of course free to use Vuescan for scanning with the OF120. I know that this program also works, i'm scanning with it just at the moment I write this.
Vuescan is also not an easy program but much cheaper.
Plustek should give customers an option to buy the OF120 Pro without the expensive Silverfast software.
Personally I stay with Silverfast as it just gives better scan results.
However I still, after years of use, discover new things on a regular base !
Pete B
Well-known
I found a useful looking YouTube vid on using Silverfast (although using Epson scanners but I think it will hold for Plustek.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtp...OAV6BkFK2bfufWnPye7LPncRxu-bkE058&app=desktop
Also, I had word back from Plustek regarding my problem. What do people think I should do? I'm worried that I'll spend a fortune sending it there for them to say it's a hardware issue and can't be fixed.
"Out of warranty ( scanner is at least 24 months old):
In case of a suspected hardware failure you may send in the device on own risk & expense to our European service center which is located in Germany. Blanket cost of check/repair to that scanner model is GBP 210.00 + tax (19%) + shipping from Germany back to the UK.
As soon as the scanner has arrived at our RMA we will send you an official cost estimation note to that scanner with detailed payment information. We do only accept advance payment via SEPA (no credit card, no Paypal)."
Pete
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtp...OAV6BkFK2bfufWnPye7LPncRxu-bkE058&app=desktop
Also, I had word back from Plustek regarding my problem. What do people think I should do? I'm worried that I'll spend a fortune sending it there for them to say it's a hardware issue and can't be fixed.
"Out of warranty ( scanner is at least 24 months old):
In case of a suspected hardware failure you may send in the device on own risk & expense to our European service center which is located in Germany. Blanket cost of check/repair to that scanner model is GBP 210.00 + tax (19%) + shipping from Germany back to the UK.
As soon as the scanner has arrived at our RMA we will send you an official cost estimation note to that scanner with detailed payment information. We do only accept advance payment via SEPA (no credit card, no Paypal)."
Pete
hanskerensky
Well-known
That's a though nut to crack Pete :bang:
My personal experience with the German service department is good. They exchanged my first unit, which was out of focus, with a new one. But that still was in the warranty period.
You might point them out to this posting and tell them that a good repair would make a positive impression when announced over here.
Ted Striker
Well-known
You should have had your issue fixed when it was under warranty. Plustek would have been obligated to make things right.
If you buy the new one, then fully shake it out making as many scans as you can during the warranty period. There is little to no additional risk buying a scanner as compared to any other electronic device.
Buy from a reputable retailer as well. Many offer return privileges. Use Vuescan first if installing SilverFast negates your return privileges.
Pete B
Well-known
That's what I wrote (in my posts above)
Pete B
Well-known
This is an honest review about the OF120. Scanner manufacturers should read this before they design anything further.
I dug out my OF120 to try one last time with new drivers and software before sending it off for repair.
Rather than continue hijacking this thread, I've started one here
https://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2846480#post2846480
Pete
I dug out my OF120 to try one last time with new drivers and software before sending it off for repair.
Rather than continue hijacking this thread, I've started one here
https://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2846480#post2846480
Pete
Ted Striker
Well-known
Thanks for posting this review. It's hilarious, truly uproariously hilarious. Beyond comical.
While the author does get a lot of things right: SilverFast is indeed a horrible program, written by a company that has virtually no understanding of workflow, he gets the conclusion totally wrong. The results this scanner produces are AMAZING. Absolutely amazing. 35mm film takes on a whole new life when scanned by the OpticFilm 120. I would not even shoot 35mm film if I had to rely on a flatbed scanner. Those types produce pure mush compared to the OpticFilm 120. If I nail the focus with my 35mm cameras, the scanned results are amazingly sharp and able to be printed very very large. I am 100% satisfied with the final results.
Further, the author failed to test the scanner using VueScan, which eliminates 90% of the problems of SilverFast. It is very cheap software and radically improves the user experience.
This is a high end scanner, able to compete with the long discontinued Nikon CoolScan 9000. It is (was) priced appropriately. It is discontinued now because a new model is on the horizon, not because it is a failed product.
Pete B
Well-known
I posted that video link and my thoughts before I sat down and taught myself Silverfast this morning. I knocked out a few scans, including a 35mm one. I certainly think the scans are very good. In fact, I really like Silverfast! Once I understood what I was supposed to be doing, I couldn't understand how I didn't understand before. Also, I only scan 1000x1000 generally. At that size, the scans are really quick. If I ever want to print something, I'll scan at higher resolution. I'm seriously impressed by the Plustek 120 and Silverfast, and I'm reluctant to send it off for a service in case it gets damaged!
Pete
Ted Striker
Well-known
SilverFast is by far, the worst piece of software I have ever used. There are so many problems with it, that it's almost impossible to comprehend competent people coded it.
Batch scanning is an absolute joke.
The sheer repetition of having to set the same settings over and over and over and over and over and over again take an already mind numbing process and turn it into one that is beyond crushingly boring. When using SilverFast, I hate scanning more than any words can say. I curse LaserSoft at every session I sit down to scan. When using Vuescan, I find it a tolerable process.
Pioneer
Veteran
Perhaps this is a bit of hyperbole on your part.
I have certainly used much worse software and I am not a software geek by any stretch of the imagination.
Silverfast is quite usable. Learning it does take some time but once it is mastered it works quite well.
The biggest headache is the fairly frequent crashes (approximately once every couple of sessions) but even those are pretty easy to recover from; just irritating.
Ted Striker
Well-known
Not even a little bit of hyperbole. I have never used a worse piece of commercial software than SilverFast. It is an appalling mess of a program. It is painful to use. I have to build up stamina in order to subject myself to its insanity.
It is so inefficient that it staggers the mind. I have to do so many repetitive tasks, that it numbs my mind. Thinking about that an actual human designed it to be this way confuses me to no end.
My Plustek OpticFilm 120 works just fine and will probably last me a good 5-10 more years. Yet if Plustek released a new OpticFilm 120 that cost $2000 and did NOT use SilverFast, I would buy it immediately to replace my old one. SilverFast is that bad and I want away from it that much.
No hyperbole at all.
Your mileage may vary.
CMur12
Veteran
I, too, would be hesitant to send it out for repairs, especially if you plan is to use it mostly for B&W. In my own case, I rarely shoot C41, so I would be using it almost exclusively for E-6 and B&W. This is all useful information for me, because at some point I will want a good scanner for 135 and 120.
You might try some scans of B&W before you make your decision to send the scanner out. It would be nice if, after all the problems with this machine in the past, it could work well for you now.
- Murray
hanskerensky
Well-known
This is not quite true. Batch scanning can be greatly speeded up by using the functions Save Frame setting, Load Frame setting and Frame, copy to all.
Also it is possible in the settings menu to activate an automatic prescan of every selected frame. When this is done it is possible to use the Find Frame feature on every preview to set the scanning area quickly.
albireo
Established
Does anyone have news about this product? Has it been released? I can't find the old Plustek 120 for sale anywhere, and at the same time I can't find this new 'pro' version for sale, either.
Ted Striker
Well-known
Seems like a botched product launch. I know a few folks who have had to switch to other brands of scanners after they could not find any OpticFilm 120's. Really poor planning on Plustek's part.
riccimar
Newbie
not so close
not so close
I contacted the European support and 120 PRO release don't seem so close
"OF 120 we already phase out and run out stocks there's no more in the market.
The OF120 Pro will not launch so quickly it will be around end of 2019 or 2020.
Thanks"
not so close
I contacted the European support and 120 PRO release don't seem so close
"OF 120 we already phase out and run out stocks there's no more in the market.
The OF120 Pro will not launch so quickly it will be around end of 2019 or 2020.
Thanks"
Ted Striker
Well-known
Villanova
Minister of Silly Walks
Boo! I was holding off on buying an OpticFilm 120 in anticipation of this.
Can anyone recommend a modern scanner that handles 35mm and 120? (Or maybe wait a few more months for the 120 PRO?)
Can anyone recommend a modern scanner that handles 35mm and 120? (Or maybe wait a few more months for the 120 PRO?)
albireo
Established
Same here. I'm considering the Reflecta MF5000 but reviews are mixed.