Plustek OpticFilm 7500i SE Film Scanner (35 mm)

My family has hundreds of old Kodachrome slides stored away in slide clips and carousels. Very few of the images (dating back to the 30s) have ever been captured digitally. After weeks of research, I finally decided to purchase the Plustek OpticFilm 7500i SE Film Scanner in order to start scanning in these priceless (to us) images.

Set up of the scanner couldn't have been easier. I personally found the Silverfast software intuitive and easy to use. What impressed me the most about the Silverfast software is that I can upgrade it (if I want to) to a version calibrated to Kodachrome film colors to automate the process of color correction of the slides.

The film holders, while plastic, feel sturdy and well made. While some people prefer a motorized film holder advance function in their scanner, I feel that the manual operation of this scanner means one less thing to break (if your motor transport dies on one of those other models, you're stuck!).

Image quality is impressive. The multi-sample option REALLY cuts down on noise and grain -- even in my print negatives that weren't taken using high speed film! Slides come out amazingly sharp and vivid. The infra-red dust and scratch removal works really well, from what I've experienced, and makes post processing much less tedious.

Maybe this scanner doesn't have all the bells and whistles of one of the super high end (and super high priced) models, but for someone who just wants to archive their personal photos on their own time, it performs way off the top of the charts. Personally, I feel that you get your money's worth and more.