Practical Photography Film Scanner Tests
(part 2)
Plustek Summary Results
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Plustek OpticFilm 7200
Overall Rating: 4/5
The results are impressive. For those on a budget it
is a good choice. Overall Rating 4/5
- Out of the Box: 4/5
- supplied with film strip & mounted slide holder as standard
- Installation: 3/4
- 2 CD - slightly slower installation than single CD
- simple easy to follow setup guide
- Build Quality: 3/5
- Both the Plustek & Konica Minolta Dimage Dual Scan 4 had insubstantial
build quality compared to the more expensive models
- No motorised film transport
- lightest scanner
- smallest scanner
- Software Interface: 4/5
- Software is complicated for the first time user but offers excellent
control
- Silverfast software has plenty of adjustments
- Scan speed: 4/5
- 3rd fastest preview scan speed (17s) - using 7200dpi
- 4th fastest normal scan speed (3min. 26s) - using 7200dpi
- slow when using dust removal at 7200dpi
- Image quality: 4/5
- highest optical resolution at 7200dpi
- highest maximum scan size 9720 x 6480 pixels
- largest maximum file size 184MB
- has the specfication to beat any scanner in this but the scans
don't quite match the numbers
- shadow and light detail lag behind the more expensive models and
there is more noise visible in the areas of even tone that lets it
down. Its still an impressive performer for the money though.
- Scans can be used for A3 size prints and the detail is impressive
for the money
- produces images to challenge the more expensive scanners
- good quality scans
- low dynamic range (3.4)
- comparable to the dynamic range (3.5) of the Canon FS9000
- Value rating: 5/5
- best value dedicated film
scanner
- for those on a budget the
Plustek is a good choice
- prints can be printed larger
than any other budget model
- Overall Rating 4/5
Pros - Plustek OpticFilm 7200
- lowest price of any scanner on test
- for those on a budget the Plustek is a good choice
- the results are impressive
- highest optical resolution at 7200dpi
- highest maximum scan size 9720 x 6480 pixels
- largest maximum file size 184MB
- supplied with film strip & mounted slide holder as standard
- simple easy to follow setup guide
- comprehensive SilverFast software
- software is complicated for the first time user but offers excellent
control
- scans can be used for A3 size prints and the detail is impressive for
the money
- produces images to challenge the more expensive scanners
- prints can be printed larger than any other budget model
- 3rd fastest preview scan speed (17s) - using 7200dpi
- 4th fastest normal scan speed (3min. 26s) - using 7200dpi
- lightest scanner on test
- smallest scanner
- good quality scans
Cons - Plustek OpticFilm 7200
- software on 2 CD - slightly slower installation than if single CD
- build quality: Both the Plustek & Konica Minolta Dimage Dual Scan
4 had insubstantial build quality compared to the more expensive models
- no motorised film transport
- has the specfication to beat any scanner in this but the scans don't
quite match the numbers
- shadow and light detail lag behind the more expensive models
- more noise visible in the areas of even tone - its still an impressive
performer for the money though
- with the test scratched slide Silverfast dust & scratch removal software
struggled to remove all scratch, fingerprint and dust - as did ALL the
film scanners to a greater or lesser degree
- slow when using dust removal at 7200dpi
- low dynamic range (3.3)
- cf. comparable to the dynamic range (3.4) of the Canon FS9000US

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