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 4-2-10This 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 driver2) 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).

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