Pacific Image PrimeFilm XE first impressions

<p>Trying to find online reviews for this scanner was like trying to break into Fort Knox. I based my buying decision on the previous model, the Pacific Image 7200U which was rated at 7200 dpi max Resolution, but actually scanned at about 3250 dpi according to professional tests. The 7200U sells for $75 less, so I grappled on whether I should buy the old model, or the current model. I took the chance and purchased the XE on the assumption that since the old model could pull in a "True" 3250 dpi, this newer model should get pretty close to 4000 dpi being that it is rated at 10000 dpi. I hope my assumptions were correct, but I'll have to wait for some professional reviews to come out, because right now I don't have any means to test my assumptions.<br>

<br />I only had this scanner for a few weeks and scanned a limited amount of negatives, so this is not a professional review by far. In any case, unlike others, I did not have any problems installing the software, or did I have any problems with the hardware. Everything was pretty straight forward, first you install the drivers, then you install the CyberView software, then you install the SilverFast 8 scanning software. All these were saved on Disc, but with the SilverFast 8 software, you have to register the software before you can download the full blown version from the SilverFast website. It took me about 1/2 hour to download everything and begin scanning.<br>

<br />I first tried CyberView software to scan my negatives and all I can say is that you should Skip this step and go straight to Silverfast 8. The CyberView software is very limited and does not tailor the scans to the type of film you are scanning. It is one size fits all, so all of your scans come out flat, with this dreadful blueish/greenish tint which you can adjust by some slide controls, while further increasing the already painfully slow scan time. Again I'm not sure if I was doing something wrong since I only had this scanner for a few weeks, but if I had to rely on the CyberView software, this scanner would be heading back to the manufacturer in no time flat.<br>

<br />The SilverFast software on the other hand is great ! It is fast, and much more intuitive than the previous version SilverFast 6 which I own and do not like very much, because of the frequent crashes. The negative holders are robust and very well built. I would recommend getting some cotton gloves(and a can of compressed air) to handle the negatives, otherwise fingerprints and dust will get on the negatives and will prolong your time in Post Processing significantly(with a capital S). <br />With the SilverFast software this scanner pulls in a lot of information. Actually for online posting I would not scan past 4000 dpi with this scanner since anything after that is practically undetectable. All you do is create a much larger file. For example at 300dpi your file size is 370kb, at 3600dpi your file size is 52MB, at 5000dpi your file size is 100MB, at 10000dpi the file size is a whopping 402MB ! I think the sweet-spot is around 3600/4000dpi(for online posting), but I need to do some more testing. <br />One thing about the SilverFast software is that it does not let you scan between 5000dpi and 10000dpi. If you wanted to scan let's say at 7200dpi, the software does not allow it ? It jumps straight to 10000 dpi from 5000dpi ? This is a bug I think, so I sent the company an email about this glitch which they have not answered yet...<br>

<br />Other than that, Silvefast 8 is pretty intuitive and much, much faster than CyberView. It takes about 2 minutes or less from start to finish to do a full scan at 4000dpi so make sure you cancel all your appointments if you have a lot of scanning to do. At that rate, it would take you about an hour+ to do a full roll of 36 exposures.<br>

<br />You can preview your scans before doing a full scan. It takes about 30-40 seconds to do a Preview scan depending on the resolution, but the good thing is that the full scan looks a lot better than the preview. On my Epson V750 flat-bed scanner the Preview scan looks about the same as the full scan. You can also adjust the image in numerous ways before scanning, contrast, color, sharpening etc., but I would be careful using these controls because they can slow down the scan to the point where it can become unbearable.<br>

<br />The best control in my opinion is the "Color Picker" which lets you click on a neutral color(white/grey) and the entire color is balanced out. Unlike CyberView, this software also let's you choose what type of film you are scanning for more accurate scans. If you really want a fast work-flow the Color Picker would be the only control to use before scanning into Photoshop, or any other professional editing software package. So far I have been using Google's Picasa to do the post processing of my scans from this scanner. With the Picasa software, it only takes a few clicks to get the image print-ready and/or post ready. <br />SilverFast 8 also has other Pre-set rendering options such as 4X6", 5X7", 300dpi, Print-Ready etc., but I would not use them, because the scans look AWFUL !(at least that was my experience) I would just use the "Custom" setting and use the sliders to set the Resolution as you like.<br>

<br />As far as picture quality, the scans look really good. A little bit better than on my Epson V750 flat-bed. This scanner picks up everything from fine detail, to finger-prints, to dust and scratches. I tried using the IR dust remover with so-so results. I think your best bet is to use compressed air to blow the dust off the negative and use Photoshop and/or any other software package to fix the scratches. Although the software does a pretty good job removing scratches, you can still see small traces of the scratch. I haven't scanned any slides yet, but when using fine film such as ISO 100 film, it is pretty hard to tell whether the picture was taken with a film or digital camera, unless you zoom in and then you start seeing the film grain. Honestly, a good scan looks like a picture taken at 800 ISO with a really good DSLR( maybe 400 ISO with a really good point-and-shoot), but I think the difference has more to do with digital vs. film than with the scanner.<br>

<br />Physically the scanner is not very big. It stands at about 8" long by 5 1/2" wide, by 2" high . The small size is a big plus for those that do not have a lot of room on their work desk, or who want to travel with the scanner. This scanner is not exactly flimsy, but it <strong><em>is</em></strong> all plastic and very light. When the scanner is running, it sounds like a small motor churning inside of a shoe-box which is the only way I can explain it, I would say that physically the best thing about this scanner has going for it is the film/slide holders which are very well made.<br>

<br />One more thing, if you plan to scan at 10000dpi you better make sure your computer can handle it. At 5000dpi my modest lap-top computer seems to choke on some of those images and so does my Editing software such as Photoshop Elements and Picasa. The worse thing that can happen I guess is that SilverFast crashes then you might have to re-install it all over again, starting from the beginning.</p>

<p>Harry, what about Vuescan ? Also, were you doing 35mm or 6x6....and how that would compare....to something like Plustek 120/35 ? Would love to see some visual references or comparisons (if possible).</p>

<p>Les</p>

<p>Not sure about Vuescan. The SilverFast software works fine and came free with the scanner so why spend an additional $75. This scanner only scans 35mm, I'm not sure if this company makes a medium format(120) scanner.<br /> As far as the Plustek is concerned, according to some professional reviews the old version of this scanner the 7200U was comparable to the Plustek and even beat it out in some tests when it came to "True" Resolution. I'll see if I can post some results, but the only problem is that I would have to shrink the size of the scan since a 4000dpi scan is about as big, if not bigger than an image taken with a Full Frame digital camera at maximum resolution.</p>

<p>Harry, thanks for your take on this model; indeed there is little press around it while I think it is a tempting offer. Just one minor correction: the previous model is confusingly called 7200, but has a native resolution of 3600dpi; not 7200 dpi. I use it's European-rebranded version - and am happy with it, even though this newer model might be interesting for its increased resolution and slightly higher (claimed) Dmax.</p>

<p>Leszek, I use VueScan with the older model, and it works fine but you have to use the 32-bits version; no support for these scanners in the 64-bits version (it works via the drivers integrated in CyberView, which is a 32-bits application as well). Not sure for Pacific Images, but Reflecta has a 120-film scanner as well: the <a href="https://reflecta.de/en/products/detail/~id.425/reflecta-MidformatScan-MF5000.html">MF5000</a>. Since these are basically rebrands, I expect it is available as a Pacific Images scanner in the US.<br>

In my portfolio there are quite some photos scanned with the (older) PrimeFilm 7200u (ProScan 7200) and Vuescan.</p>