Pacific Image PrimeFilm 7250uPro3 for Windows and Mac

This scanner is exactly what I was looking for--a scanner that will scan in rolls of negatives and slides (one at a time). After trying it for two weeks, I have concluded that the hardware is excellent and very capable, but you will need other than the OEM software package (CyberView) to fully exploit the capabilities. The biggest problem with CyberView is that it is completely unstable--it crashes all the time (I'm using Vista Home Premium). Furthermore, while I could get an excellent scan from slides, I could not with 100 ISO negatives. I did contact the manufacturer--they were attentive and took in my list of problems with their software, but they have not fixed anything (but I hear there is a new software release coming out "soon"). After trying both VueScan and SilverFast, I found that the scanner produces excellent images from both slides and negatives, so plan on buying one of these packages at a cost of $50-100 (depending on which version you want). Both of the products are 100% stable and fully exploit the hardware capabilities of this scanner. Follow-up 12-30-09: Well, all is not going well with this scanner after using it more extensively. It exhibits a color shift or streaking problem on the left half of some scanned-in slides and nearly all scanned-in negatives. The manufacturer has sent two "tested" replacement units and they have the same problem. I installed the scanner on another computer and it still has the same problem. The manufacturer says I'm the only one reporting the problem, so they are not showing any urgency in fixing it. SilverFast using multi-exposure seems to be able to remove the problem on negatives but not slides. Anyone else experiencing this? So at this point I can no longer recommend this scanner until the problem gets resolved (if ever!). If this problem gets solved, I would highly recommend the scanner when using VueScan and SilverFast software. Follow-up 4-2-10 This scanner never worked. The color shift or streaking problem was never resolved--all three units I tried did this. I also installed the scanner on two other computers and the same problem was there as well. Furthermore, I never got batch scanning of a roll of film to ever work--it always crashed regardless of what software I used. The manufacturer bought it back from me and I then bought an Epson V700 from Amazon. The Epson produces much better images overall and is very stable. I'm using VueScan exclusively with it. I do NOT recommend the PrimeFilm 7250Pro3 scanner.

I specifically decided to order this item because the poor reviews indicate good image quality, but difficult installation (hence driving the price low). I'm a sysadmin, photo geek and practical cheapskate with a backlog of ~200 35mm negative rolls (some whole, some cut) of film that need batch digitizing in 16-bit/channel 15MP or more. This sounded like the sweet spot in money/time/effort/quality to get my film catalog onto my computer. Use at your own risk; here's what I did on my Mac to install: 1) Install CX5 driver 2) Install Photoshop Elements 9 (came with product) 3) Open Terminal.app, execute `rsync -av /Applications/Adobe\ Photoshop\ Elements\ 9/Optional\ Plug-Ins/ImportModules /Applications/Adobe\ Photoshop\ Elements\ 9/Locales/en_US/Plug-Ins/` to enable TWAIN. 4) In PSE9, File -> Import -> CX5. This opens the CyberView X dialog, which is fairly intuitive if you've used TWAIN before. Unsurprisingly, batch scanning a roll appears to be pretty time-consuming. Quick initial estimate is ~100s per frame, so if you have an uncut 24 exposure roll, come back in 45 minutes. UPDATE, further thoughts: - PSE9 is unnecessary; just use the vendor's CyberViewX directly, which will batch scan/save all the pictures. PSE9 will leave 24 100MB files open and unsaved in a batch scan. It will also let you adjust preferences, and enable Digital ICE, etc. - At 3600dpi, ~5000 pixels along the width gives you ~17" at 300dpi (print resolution), AKA 17 Megapixel. 35mm films starts to look grainy around 17" anyhow. This scanner can do 7200dpi if you really care about a particular shot, but it will be much more storage for little return. I tried a shot or two at 7200dpi and didn't see much reason to scan _all_ my shots in above 3600dpi. - What's more important, to me is 16-bit/channel, though. 35mm film has excellent dynamic range, so it should be captured as such, so that you have more bit depth to tweak the image digitally before downsampling to 8-bit for web, etc. - 3600dpi means 100MB/frame; 7200dpi is up to 500MB/frame (TIFF -- which you need for the 16 bit/channel). - At 3600dpi, each scan takes 3-4 minutes. - DigitalICE works well, but leaves some visible artifacts... A few tests suggest its probably better than having to deal with all the scratches and dust, per negative, though. I need to strike a balance between quality and time to get this done, so ICE it is. I'm upping my review to liking it (assuming the hardware stays functional).

The default driver/software for this scanner needs to be re-written by a different company. It's unusable. Vuescan uses the default driver this scanner ships with, which means it doesn't work. Silverfast uses their own driver, so it works much more quickly. I have to be careful with this scanner, similar to carrying a pot of boiling water. If you move one degree out of what the scanner deems "acceptable" it will lock up and freeze, crashing Silverfast and making a hard reset on the scanner the only option. The way I have been able to get it to work properly is to first upgrade the firmware (http://scanace.com), then follow these steps: 1. Turn on the scanner. 2. Start silverfast and wait to click "Continue" arrow on the splash screen. 3. Wait until scanner light is solid GREEN, then click "Continue" 4. Insert film strip (I scan 36xp rolls all at once). Silverfast will restart. 5. Click "Overview." Let the scanner do its thing. Sometimes it locks up at this point, but rarely. 6. At this point, you can choose to do a Prescan for the first negative, and wait then set your ICE correction (I set it manually at 20), Negative type, and crop (I select all visible area and crop later). 7. Go up to Scan in Silverfast and hold down on the button until you see Batch Scan, then click it. 8. At this point, you have no control. The scanner will scan and save the files somewhere. I have had the best luck with just leaving my computer while this happens, and not touching ANYTHING. About 30 minutes later, come back and hopefully it won't have frozen or crashed. You will now have a bunch of 2700 dpi (my setting) images that can be color corrected with Lightroom or Photoshop. Good luck.

I just bought this scanner and had it shipped to the UK. Clearly this venture cost me more than the basic price - twenty bucks short of four hundred. Why? Because the re-badged model called Reflecta RPS 7200 is on sale in the UK and Germany for around $730!!! For those with a suspicious mind I'd like to emphasise that these two scanners are identical including the bundled CyberView software. I believe in Europe you also get some version of Adobe Elements. In addition, as another US buyer confirmed in answering my question, the firmwares are interchangeable/compatible and I have flashed back and forth between the two and have not noticed any difference. In fact I think that they really are the same. In terms of functionality, this gadget does work and seems to produce reasonably good scans which depend largely on the post processing software used. I have, thusfar, used latest versions of CyberView and ViewScan. I have had a ViewScan license for many years and have been happy using it for a long time. It is very easy to use and "claims" that its method of removing scratches and dust are more effective than that provided by the ICE algorithm (used by CyberView). I have not verified that claim. What has really shocked me is that this gadget is built like a toy. Plastic and light as a feather. I can not, for the life of me, see it last longer than a few rolls of film or perhaps 100 slides. It weighs so little that I suspect the first problem is going to be the failure of (most probably) the transport mechanism followed by the light source. And given the cheap Chinese made "toy-like" quality I have no idea why it is priced so high in the US and even more so in Europe. Someone is clearly having a good laugh! Please tell me I'm wrong.

Pacific Image PrimeFilm 7250uPro3 for Windows. It Works Sometimes and most of the time it doesnt. I am still trying to get it right. I have 2500 Slides to scan

This film scanner works to a fashion, but is certainly not a top-shelf scanner. The included software is in a word bad. The scanner performs many fold better when using the third party software Vuescan. However, even with that, the hardware doesn't perform well. Strips of 35mm negatives are never fed through correctly, and it take MANY attempts to get this infernal machine to actually scan a properly aligned frame. For individual 35mm slides, the machine does an alright job, however, does have a problem with normal cardboard thickness slides. That might just be a mechanical problem with the machine, however, I didn't notice that until well past the expiry of the warranty period. "Bad for me". When you can get this thing to scan, it does a nice job. All in all, it's an ok offering, but you could do MUCH better. I have this unit shelved now, and don't use it anymore as I've picked up a couple Coolscan 5000 Nikon scanners with are immeasurably better than this scanner (but they cost way more too). If you're looking for a lower cost scanner that will do a good job when you can convince it to scan your frame, then go for it. If you're looking for problem free scanning, then look to Nikon.

Despite using BOTH the provided software and purchasing another, this unit produces uniformly very dark digital images that take much time to lighten up, using still other software. Hence, it takes 10-15 minutes each to produce an acceptable image. This is five times more time than my previous Pacific Image unit. I am too busy right now to deal with this bad purchase, but hope to shortly.

It broke down after one day!