plustekOpticFilm 8300i Ai Film Scanner - Converts 35mm Film & Slide into Digital, Bundle SilverFast Ai Studio 9 + QuickScan Plus, Include Advanced IT8 Calibration Target (3 Slide)

The media could not be loaded. There seems to be a large gap between the cheap film digitizers and the commercial grade film scanners. This is one of the few options out there that gives fantastic results for under $1,000. I'm well within the "amateur photographer" range, so this is really a bit overkill for my needs. Not complaining at all, I am very happy with what it can do. The scratch-fix works well, but it isn't a miracle worker. There is only so much it can do to save the image. If the scratch is severe, it will come through and there's no fixing that. The speed of the machine is great at about 30 seconds per image at 3600dpi. When cranked all the way up to 7200dpi, the scan takes about 3 min. Image qquality is fantastic. You can see the film grain quite clearly when zoomed in, even on the lower 3600dpi setting. The biggest drawback is SilverFast9. It's a hassle to get up and running, and has quite a learning curve. I've never used darkroom or photoshop, so the features on here are well beyond my pay grade. But with perseverance, you can get a preset that you like and keep it there. Alternatively, you can use Plustek's proprietary scan software Quickscan Plus. This offers hassle-free scanning for those less computer savvy. I love the detents for feeding the film through the scanner, and the flaps that keep the dust out when the feeder is out of the machine. Though I keep it zipped up in the protective case when not in use, just to keep it dust-free.Overall, it's a great device for amateurs trying to digitize 35mm photos and professionals who can get the most out of the complicated software. I know, it's a bitter pill to spend $600 on a scanner that only does one format. But the one format it does, it does very well.

Well constructed, easy to use, quick to insert and remove slides from the 4-slide carrier. The infrared secondary scan does a great job of removing most dust and scratches. Unit is heavy enough to stay put on your desk, yet has a compact footprint. Scanning at anything higher than 3600 dpi gains nothing except a ballooned file size. Instead of the included SilverFast software (overly complex, clunky user interface), I use VueScan, then color correct in Lightroom. It's 2 steps instead of one, but more versatile image control and simpler interface. I also run many original scanned files through Topaz Photo AI to sharpen and denoise before going to Lightroom. The attached before-and-after of a 60-year-old slide is typical of results.

I like the profile and size of this scanner, doesn’t take up too much room on my desk. I use the Silverfast software that comes with this scanner, it’s easy to learn if you have worked with imaging software before. For the novice user it may seem overwhelming. I utilize most of Silverfast’s adjustments to make scans. This scanner is good for those who want more than just a quick scan, and yes this scanner can do quick scans with the alternative super easy to use software. I dial down most of the AI adjustments and try to scan and leave in what is on the film. Would like a window on the top of the scanner to see which frame I’m scanning. The negative carrier takes some time to get used to as well. The scanning process is fairly fast. You can save scanned files in several different formats as well. The color adjustment slides that are included are very helpful in making color adjusted scans. It also scans black and white negative film very well. I avoid over sharpening the images, think the AI gets out of hand quickly with that along with scratch and dust adjustments. The scanner comes with a travel case, I keep it inside there when not using to avoid it collecting dust from sitting on a desk. I have also made prints from the scans and they have came out very well. It’s a good value for the price if you plan on doing lots of scans. I like the Silverfast software too.

It was very easy to install the software. The built-in functions for a quick scan are very useful. For added function, I’ve directed the scanner to open my 7200 dpi scans in Camera Raw 2025. The image quality is so high, that you can salvage details even if you need to deeply crop an image. It does take some time for a high-quality scan. At 7200 dpi, I waited for about four minutes.

Tried to use this with an iMac Studio 2022 M1 Max. It was able to scan slides moderately well using the Plustek quick scan software. I tried to scan a wide variety of negatives with very poor results. Uniformly looked blown out like an bad overexposure. No idea how that is possible. I thought that the provided Silverfast software might help, but no. It installed ok but could could not see the scanner: "problem communicating with scanner". Plustek techs were no help at all. Silverfast US tech tried to help but failed. The Silverfast techs in Germany won't answer the phone (at the time specified by the US rep). I gave up after 5 attempts. I really wanted this to work for me and I was willing to accept moderately good results. This was unacceptable and it is now in transit back to Amazon.