Open Box Review on “Photography Blog Recommended” Awarded Film Scanner: OpticFilm 8100

“For its price, the Plustek OpticFilm 8100 is a very capable desktop film scanner. 3600ppi scans are sharp and detailed, printing well up to A3 size (depending on the quality of the originals, of course). … the Multi-Exposure feature does help you eek out a bit of extra detail from your most contrasty slides. … the OpticFilm 8100 is not the ideal tool for archiving truly large film collections but if you only need to digitise a moderate amount of slides and negatives, we have no reservations recommending it to you.”

– from the open box scanner review written by Zoltan Arva-Toth for Photography Blog.

Amateur Photographer Magazine gives Testbench Recommended Award to Plustek OpticFilm 8200i SE film scanner

Plustek OpticFilm 8200i SE is specifically designed to scan 35mm slides and negatives at resolutions up to 7,200 dots per inch (dpi). In a recent issue of Amateur Photographer, Andy Westlake, the technical editor, thoroughly reviewed the OpticFilm 8200i SE hardware and software. If you are about to digitize your collection of 35mm films, you can get informative advice about the scanner in his review.

What scanner will you buy to digitize films and slides – flatbed scanner or dedicated film scanner?

“If you’re in the market for a dedicated film scanner there’s a few options out there, but most people will likely opt for a flatbed due to cost and flexibility. Flatbed scanners are a great option for photographers, but they do have some shortcomings. The most notable, for me, has been sharpness. Now, I am not a pixel peeper, but I am keen on making the sharpest scans that I can with what I have available. What’s the point in seeking out the best optics for my cameras if I’m going to settle for out of focus scans later on?” – Cameron Kline, from Film Shooters Collective