Which scanner should I buy?

[Landberg]

Since I now shoot exclusively with film, I would like to replace my Epson V330 with something that delivers a bit more. I imagine that a scanner just for film scans better pictures, like the Plustek OpticFilm 8100 Film Scanner. But my experience with scanners is not that great. i´m thinking a price where $500 is the roof.

All i´m looking for is the best result, not the fastest or most automatic. Best IQ for the buck.

 

[kokoshawnuff]

Best results for under $500 for 35mm would be one of the dedicated Plustek scanners. I prefer using Vuescan (as opposed to the silverfast they come with) with mine. If you also intend to scan 120 and larger, then a flatbed is your only option under $500

 

[Photosynthetech]

If you also intend to scan 120 and larger, then a flatbed is your only option under $500

There are some other options as far as dedicated 120 scanner that are less than $500. I just discovered the old Microtek 120tf. from what I've read it seems to be quite good especially for the price they are going for now.

Edit: There might be some computer/software compatibility problems though. Not sure.

 

[Landberg]

I don´t shoot 120mm. Okej, are the plustek good scanners?

 

[J. Borger]

I don´t shoot 120mm. Okej, are the plustek good scanners?

Yes.... good and a bit better than the Epson 700/750 for 35mm but you have to feed them manual, one frame at a time.
So scanning a complete roll of 35mm takes some time.
I make contactsheet style scans with my epson 700 and only scan the keepers with The Plustek.

 

[sepiareverb]

Screw the price tag, get the best universal scanner.

 

[cabbiinc]

Screw the price tag, get the best universal scanner.

With a max optical resolution of only 2400 dpi I'd say that the scanner you've linked too is more for large format or prints than 35mm. You can pick up a used Nikon Coolscan for less than that and it will blow the image quality out of the water and be faster.

 

[mfogiel]

May I ask, what is your most expensive lens? The scanner should cost more than that.

 

[joeswe]

If you can find a source for the Reflecta Proscan 7200, I would recommend it over the comparable Plustek offerings. It has about the same effective resolution as the competition (~3250 ppi, by "effective" I mean in reality as opposed to the marketing performance claims in the spec sheets), better highlight and shadow detail and last but not least it is darn fast. While speed isn't everything, it definitely makes a difference if a scan of the same quality takes almost ten minutes instead of 2 minutes.

The Reflecta's implementation of infrared scratch and dust removal is also better than that of the Plustek. It is a bit more expensive than the Plustek, but should still fit your budget (price in Germany around 310 Euro). One caveat: A good scanning software is very important to get the best results. Forget the included Reflecta scanning software ("cyberview"), instead donwload the free demo versions of the scanning softwares Silverfast 8 SE (plus) and VueScan. You can experiment with both and see what works better for you. They are both much better than cyberview and absolutely worth their money.