The next step up from the Plustek OpticFilm 8100( at Amazon) in the company's line of dedicated film and slide scanners, the Plustek OpticFilm 8200i SE ($449) offers the same 7,200 pixels-per-inch (ppi) resolution, the same set of scan utilities, and essentially the same speed and scan quality. But it adds one key feature than its less-capable cousin lacks: hardware-based dust and scratch removal. As expected, that boosts how well dust and scratch removal works, which makes the 8200i SE a more attractive choice.

As with the Plustek 8100, the 8200i SE isn't a match for the more expensive Epson Perfection V700 Photo($1,084.20 at Amazon), which offers higher scan quality, as well as fully automated scanning—meaning the scanner equivalent of a camera's point-and-shoot mode. On the other hand, the 8200i SE's 7,200 ppi resolution can potentially retain more detail in scans than the Epson V700 or the less expensive Editors' Choice Epson Perfection V550 Photo Scanner($349.00 at Amazon), both of which offer 6,400 ppi.

Basics

One key difference between the Epson and Plustek models is that the former are both flatbeds, while the latter are dedicated film scanners. The flatbed design lets the Epson V550 and V700 scan photographic prints and documents, as well as transparencies, meaning film and slides. It also lets the Epson V700 scan transparencies as large as 8 by 10 inches. The 8200i SE is limited strictly to 35mm transparencies.

One advantage of Plustek's design choice is that the 8200i SE measures just 4.7 by 4.7 by 10.7 inches (HWD), so it won't take up much room on your desk. Plustek ships it with a padded case, so you can store it easily or carry it to a different location.

The software for the 8200i SE is the same as for the Plustek 8100, consisting of both Plustek's own QuickScan utility and LaserSoft Imaging SilverFast SE Plus 8.0. SilverFast is available for a large selection of scanners, including the Epson V700, and is pretty much to scan utilities what Photoshop is to photo editing: It's one of the most capable choices for professionals and serious amateurs, but it's not particularly easy to use.

Setup and Scanning

For my tests, I installed the 8200i SE on a Windows Vista system. Setup was standard, consisting of little more than installing the software and plugging in the supplied USB cable and power cord.

To scan, you first mount a strip of film with a maximum of six frames or mount one to four slides in a carrier, then insert the carrier into a slot on the side of the scanner. The film or slide carrier clicks into place for each frame or slide, so you can line up the image correctly. After you finish each scan, you manually reposition the carrier for the next one.

To actually scan, you can press either the QuickScan or IntelliScan button on the front of the scanner. With the QuickScan button, the software will, by default, scan and save to a file. With the IntelliScan button, SilverFast will open on your computer.

Unfortunately, neither utility offers the kind of sophisticated algorithm that will prescan, analyze the image, and then set assorted features to reliably give you a high-quality scan. That means you have to set everything yourself or you may wind up with a poor-quality image. Given QuickScan's limited number of settings, your best option will normally be to use SilverFast.

With SilverFast, you can either jump in and change settings, or you can let the program's Workflow Pilot take you through the process step by step. However, depending on which Workflow you choose, the program may leave out some steps that you need to get a good scan. Unless you're already familiar with SilverFast, plan to set aside some time for learning how to use it. Even after you learn the program, be prepared to invest more time getting the settings right for each scan if you want the best image quality possible.

Speed and Scan Quality

Plustek rates the 8200i SE at the same speed as the Plustek 8100, so it wasn't surprising that the two delivered similar, although not identical, speeds in my tests. For the 8200i SE, prescanning a single slide or frame of film consistently took between 18 and 19 seconds. The actual scanning ranged from 34 seconds at 1,800ppi to 4 minutes 11 seconds at 7,200ppi.

Scanning with the SilverFast Multi-Exposure feature adds significantly to the scan time. The feature takes two scans using different exposure times and integrates the information to increase the scanner's effective dynamic range (i.e., its ability to distinguish detail based on shading, particularly in dark areas of the image). With the 8200i SE, I timed scanning at 7,200ppi with Multi-Exposure at 11:10.

The 8200i SE was also similar to the Plustek 8100 in terms of scan quality, with near-excellent output. The scans showed appropriate detail for the resolution and maintained detail based on shading in both dark and light areas of the image. On one picture from a color negative, with a bride being walked down the aisle, for example, the scan handled skin tones well, and it showed both the white-on-white detail in the bridal gown and the two levels of black in the tuxedo. However, to get that level of quality, I first had to get familiar with the settings choices in SilverFast.

Because the key difference between the Plustek 8100 and the 8200i SE is the addition of hardware-based dust and scratch removal, and because both the software- and hardware-based features are available in SilverFast, I made a point of scanning a dusty slide using the 8200i SE with both features off, with the software-based feature, and with the hardware-based feature, which adds a second scan of the slide in infrared to better identify dust and scratches.

The software-based feature did a good job of getting rid of most of the dust specks. However, the hardware-based version did even better. As an alternative to cleaning your slides perfectly before scanning, or cleaning up the scans later in Photoshop, the added hardware-based dust removal is well worth the extra cost.

I'd like this scanner a lot better if, in addition to SilverFast, it offered the kind of sophisticated automated scan option that would reliably give you good, if not the best possible, scans with little to no effort. If you want to do all your scans with that level of automation, you'll be better off with the Editors' Choice Epson V550. And if you want the full capability of SilverFast when you need it, but would like the option of a more automated approach as well, you'll be better off with the Epson V700, which also has the advantage of scanning larger film sizes, up to 8 by 10 inches.

That said, if 35mm film and slide scanning is all you need, and you're willing to spend the time both mastering SilverFast and adjusting the settings individually on every scan, the Plustek OpticFilm 8200i SE can be a good choice. And its hardware-based dust and scratch removal is a significant plus that makes it worth the extra $100 over the Plustek 8100.

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