Pacific Image Electronics' PrimeFilm PF1800U USB Film Scanner

Product Description:
Digitize your 35mm slides or filmstrips easily with this Pacific Image PrimeFilm Scanner. Simply insert your filmstrip or mounted slide into the proprietary 35mm viewing window and it takes just 35 seconds for you to get a true 1800 dpi resolution scan. Features: USB port; Mac and PC compatibility; a 512 KB scanning buffer; easy-to-use TWAIN-compliant CyberView driver for diverse levels of custom controls; and true 36-bit scanning that distinguishes 68.7 billion distinctive colors and captures up to 4.2 mega pixels per image.

Average customer rating:

Slide Scanner
Not bad for a specific purpose
Good - Before It Stopped Working
BAD PRODUCT
Top Notch Scanner

Pacific Image Electronics' PrimeFilm PF1800U USB Film Scanner

Manufacturer: Pacific Image Electronics
ProductGroup: CE
Binding: Electronics

Slide & Photo | Scanners | Office Electronics | Categories | Electronics

Slide & Photo Scanners | Printers & Scanners | Camera & Photo | Categories | Electronics

Printers & Scanners | Used Photo & Camera | Specialty Stores | Camera & Photo Features | Electronics

Office Electronics | Refurbished & Used | Special Features | Electronics Features | Electronics

Cameras + Accessories | Electronics | Categories | Target
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Product Features:

35 mm film scanner
1,800 dpi maximum optical resolution
36-bit color depth
Linear array color CCD image sensor
USB interface, PC and Mac compatible

ASIN: B00007L682

Product Description

The superior inherent detail of 35mm film combined with PrimeFilm 1800's advanced optics provides the uncompromized image quality that traditional flatbed scanners just can't compete with. The PrimeFilm 1800 series captures such excellent image detail from both positive slides and negative filmstrips, you can retouch any image exactly the way you want it. The PrimeFilm 1800 series captures 1800 dots per inch (dpi) giving you 3 times the resolution of the average desktop scanner. For graphics professionals, this means that you can enlarge images to approx. 20 cm x 13 cm (7.8" x 5.1") and still maintain the 1: 1 300 dpi resolution sufficient for color separation and offset printing. Previously the realm of experienced graphics professionals and photographers, high resolution color film scanning is now available to a broad range of home, office or home, office or school users in this compact, inexpensive unit. Now there are no excuses not to own one!

Customer Reviews:

Slide Scanner.......2007-06-28

While cleaning up my garage I found a large box with slides from our travels dating back to 1976.
The cost of buying a slideprojector and screen surpassed the cost of the scanner.
I have scanned about 200 slides already and am currently preparing a show to watch on TV. You really can not get any one to watch an actual slide show anymore.
An other beauty of this transfer from positive film to digital is that I have been able to share these pictures over the internet with old friends.
The initial quality of the scanned immage is okay, but the included Photoshop software lets you make wonderful restorations.
Although I wished that it could scan faster I am very pleased with this product. Speed it up and I will give it a 5 Star rating.
Thank you for such a wonderful opportunity to share old data so easy with old friends and new ones.

Not bad for a specific purpose.......2007-03-16

I purchased this item about a week ago, and because of the widely varying reviews, thought that I'd chime in. Normally I just buy books through Amazon and haven't been motivated to review them since I usually know what I'm getting. I am NOT an employee of Pacific Image however (or any sort of camera or computer store).

I am a graduate student in history who needed to be able to scan microfilm. I searched everywhere for a product that would let me do this. The strips fill an entire spool and are many feet long, and since they are borrowed, I can not cut them to fit a standard film scanner or flatbed with a 4-6 frame holder for negatives. Products designed for this purpose are thousands of dollars - not in a student's budget! I'd just about given up when I found this machine, and figured I didn't have much to lose since Amazon has a good return policy, so I took a chance.

Is it perfect? No. The TWAIN software that came with the computer crashed every time I tried to do more than a preliminary scan. The Adobe Elements is nice, but I have an ancient copy of Paint Shop Pro 4 I like just fine. After several crashes, I emailed the company and got a fairly useless response from them. However, an online tech reviewer who liked this product had recommended a compatible scanning program called Silverfast. I downloaded the trial version of this and lo and behold, it worked. It still took some skill and some trial by error to find good settings for the film. It didn't match any of the settings, of course, so I had to try different film options until I found one that worked. I also had to play with the detail of scan and such to avoid blurring. But after a couple of hours, I determined the settings that work. I would assume it would be easier with a standard film type. I have some slides and negatives I'll probably try also just to see how they work, and if I get remarkably different results, will comment again.

Is it fast? That depends on the detail you want. It does only scan one image at a time. However, I didn't find it hard to center the image in the scanner. It scans the pages faster than I can translate them, which is all that matters to me! If you aren't in a hurry, I don't think you'll have a big problem. In the week I've had it, I've run it some days for 3-4 hours at a stretch. I haven't had any problems with grinding noises. The scanner isn't silent, but it's in line with my old Microtek C6 - the only other scanner I've ever had. If it does break, I'll see how the company treats the warranty.

So to sum up, if you have a specific need as I did, and you're willing to take a little time to learn the Silverfast software, you can make perfectly good images with this machine. I haven't printed any of them, but I am using them on CD enlarged so that just a few words of the original hand-written records fit on the screen, and the detail and sharpness are just fine.

Good - Before It Stopped Working.......2007-02-07

My experience with this scanner hasn't been much different from what others have reported. I've owned mine for about 5 years. From the very beginning, the scanner made a grinding sound, which continued for awhile until it warmed up (while "grinding," the scanning mechanism appeared not to be moving). The software which came with the scanner produced less than satisfactory results. I bought Silverfast AI, which provided excellent images from both negatives and slides, but which (unfortunately for me) is specific to this particular device and will not work with my newest (replacement) scanner. After two or three years in the closet, the 1800u scanner was used again for some additional slides and worked satisfactorily (after the usual grinding). Two weeks ago, however, I again attempted to perform some scans -- this time without success. The grinding sound never did stop. Dozens of attempted phone calls to tech support were unsuccessful (the answering machine continuously reports that the staff is out to lunch). I did email Scanace (the manufacturer), and received a reply instructing me to open the unit and apply vasaline to the screw drive and the track bar. I did so, without success. The motor (as has been said elsewhere) lacks sufficient power to drive the traveling scan head. As the unit is out-of-warranty, the manufacturer wants a minimum of $75.00 to service the scanner (more if the problem takes more than one hour to resolve). I was offered a motor to install myself for about $18.00, but without any assurance that this would resolve the problem. I estimate that I have performed about 150 scans. Including the cost of the unit and software to use it, that figures out to about $2.00/scan! Definitely not a bargain!

BAD PRODUCT.......2006-11-02

I purchased this product and after it arrived I started to us it. It broke after the 2nd set of negatives. Luckly I got what I wanted in to it before it broke. The motor for the arm to move broke. The motor is to small and does not have the power to move the arm continously. I will not purchase another one. I will purchase the high dollar one with a return policy if it brakes.

Top Notch Scanner .......2006-08-21

For little money the PrimeFilm PF1800U Scanner is a powerful tool.
Its 1800 dpi max resolution is very good and the quality of scans is simply superb!

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