Customer Reviews

Pacific Image Electronics PrimeFilm PF1800S Scanner with SilverFast SE Software

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

For the price it worked just fine, you should have at least 256M of Ram to use properly and not be in a hurry since you have to do one slide at a time. Quality was good.

This little scanner works. After I got the new drivers, it worked fine with Windows XP. It's a one at a time scanner, and it takes about 5-7 minutes per slide. Problem: It overheats after 3 or 4 slides. You have to turn it off and start over after a half hour or so.

Reading some of the below reviews, I am reminded with I use a Mac (17" iMac 1.25ghz, 768 RAM): things usually work. The PF1800 is actually a good, if not outstanding, scanner. I am scanning all my Dad's slides in and it produces good, easy to use results. I use about 1200 to 3000 dpi which produces printable good quality images in manageable file sizes. Previously I was using an Epson flatbed scanner w/ slide attachment which was much slower and could not reliably reproduce quality scans. The PF1800 does though although not perfectly: it has trouble with darker slides which come out very grainy despite various manipulations. Also its CyberView 35 driver in Mac OS X (Panther) is not glitch free: it often mysteriously retrieves an old scan while posting a NEW slide and freezes up occasionally. I've had no problem with it overheating during EXTENDED scans. But it's MUCH cheaper than the rest and it DOES WORK. I've done about a thousand slides with it so far... I should know. Also check out Costco.com for a better price and a cool software bundle that includes Adopre Photo Elements. Happy scanning!

What a joke Pacific Image's customer support is. No help, all they say is we are aware of the issues. This was over a year ago. You have been warned

Scanning negatives of color slides with this scanner results in excellent scans, vastly superior to most flatbed print scanners. Plus, you don't have to rely on typically-poor photo developing from one-hour photo places. Also, there are fewer problems with lint/particles/dust than on flatbeds; the scanning 'eye' in this scanner is suspended above the negative/slide with a light source underneath. Thus, dust that settles on the light source doesn't really affect the scanning. The whole system has a nice dust cover anyway, and it function well. The software is mediocre, but you can use other software. Scanning time can be slow, depending on your resolution setting. Also, you must align the negatives/slides precisely, and there are guide rails to help you out. One of the best features is the size - it fits on top of my PC and takes up little space. If you shoot quality film, get good negative/slide development and use this scanner in max resolution mode, the resulting quality is much better than most digital cameras (those priced under about $1,500). It will be another couple years before cheap digital cameras (~$200) can compete with quality film and film scanners. I've used this scanner for about 2 years with no problems.

I bought this as an entry level scanner, not willing to shell out the $550 for the Nikon. The SilverFast software is a joke. It can't handle the output from the scanner. I got VueScan and viola... works like a charm. Scans are better than a flatbed and of course tweaked in Photoshop. Get the 1800u instead and save 10 bucks.

The SilverFast SE Software is the worst software I have ever used. The directions a vague and difficult to follow. The program is next to impossible to use. It is very difficult to get any help as it is only available (by phone) while I am at work and costs $1.99 per minute. No response yet from email attempts to get help. DON'T BUY THIS!