Pacific Image Electronics PrimeFilm PF1800U USB Film Scanner

very good results for an inexpensive 35mm film scanner and scans negatives as well as slides. The scanner only takes 35 seconds per scan and offers very good quality for a very low cost as compared to other film scanners costing over twice as much.

I have purchased two PF1800Us over the past 18 months, because it seemed the only option in my price range and I need quality slide scans (flat bed scanners definitely not an option). Both units had lamp failure, the second one after only a couple dozen slides. Customer service is hardly an option; difficult to impossible to reach via their website and not terribly helpful over the phone. I had to locate my receipt and register the product by fax before I was allowed to ask any questions, and I still didnt get any answers. Needless to say this was terribly disappointing. On the good side, the scan quality is quite good, though the process is very slow and you may have to close down most open programs to get it to work. Interfaces well with Photoshop. Would I buy one again? While the new version with the ICE software is quite tempting, Id have to say no. Im looking for another, more reputable brand. Maybe a Minolta DiMAGE Scan Dual III. About a hundred bucks more, but if it doesnt break down it will be well worth the extra money.

Customer support [is bad]; the drivers and software that I bought in March 2003 had a 1996-1998 copyright date; and worst of all, scans get progressively darker. A scanner that cant handle exposure settings! its OK until it runs thru its calibration routine, then its the beginning of the end. I went thru two different units, they both were terrible.

Before buying this scanner, Id had some of my 35mm transparencies professionally scanned, which produced great results but was an expensive approach. I bought this scanner in the hope that it would allow me to produce reasonable-quality scans at a lower price. Unfortunately, although the software worked fine for me, the quality of the scans is so hideously bad that I gave up in disgust after a few scans. Here are some of the problems: 1) strong pink tint to every scan. Although this can be corrected to some extent in software, there is a significant loss of color spectrum that cannot be restored. 2) Poor dynamic range: rendering of shadow detail is nonexistent. The most astonishing thing is that I bought my unit several years ago, and theyre still selling this piece of junk now!

I purchased this item about a week ago, and because of the widely varying reviews, thought that Id chime in. Normally I just buy books through Amazon and havent been motivated to review them since I usually know what Im 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 students budget! Id just about given up when I found this machine, and figured I didnt 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 didnt 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 Ill 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 didnt 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 arent in a hurry, I dont think youll have a big problem. In the week Ive had it, Ive run it some days for 3-4 hours at a stretch. I havent had any problems with grinding noises. The scanner isnt silent, but its in line with my old Microtek C6 - the only other scanner Ive ever had. If it does break, Ill see how the company treats the warranty. So to sum up, if you have a specific need as I did, and youre willing to take a little time to learn the Silverfast software, you can make perfectly good images with this machine. I havent 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.

All of the critical comments on this item are accurate, and many of those involve software. Picked one of these up for a few bucks (new in box with extra bulb) in 2004 or 2005 at GoodWill. The owner who dumped it had good reason apparently. Within a week I discovered updated software and everything was running smoothly. The original scans were disappointing. The original purchase receipt was still in the box and if memory is correct it was $160 or $170. The original bulb was fine so it can be assumed the owner was so exasperated over poor performance they ordered a second bulb - which was not the problem.

I researched 35mm slide scanning services over the Internet and found that the cost was app. $1 per slide and that was at a low resolution. I purchased the PF1800U because it was the cheapest film scanner I could find that was built for that purpose (not just a flatbed with a mirror or backlight). I have scanned app. 300 of my 2500+ slides and am very happy with the purchase. The image quality is comparable to a 1.5M pixel digital camera (the images are actually 2Mb in .jpg format), suitable for web pages or printing (I plan on making a book with mine).

My experience with this scanner hasnt been much different from what others have reported. Ive 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!

I ordered an A/C Power Supply Adapter and received a scanner without an A/C Power Supply Adapter.

Its not even worth pulling out your wallet. Results are about as good as trying to draw your photos with a very blunt crayon. I get far better results using a flatbed Epson with the film adapter. Not that using a flatbed is the best idea but it is 100 times better than the 1800u. If someone gives it to you consider them a mean person and dont take it. Unless you need a rather ugly 2lb piece of plastic to clutter up your desk and spill coffee on. Even then, theres probably something better to accidentally caffeinate .