so Ive been shooting a ton of Portra 400 lately—mostly street stuff around Chicago—and the lab scans are just getting way too expensive, honestly. like, I love the look of the film but at $20 a roll for development and scanning, my bank account is screaming. I was looking at the Plustek 8200i because everyone on YouTube says its the king of 35mm, but then I read a thread on another forum saying the software is super dated and clunky, and that kinda scares me off since Im not exactly a tech wizard. I also considered just getting a flatbed like the V600 because of the versatility, but then someone else said the sharpness on 35mm is basically garbage compared to a dedicated scanner, so now Im stuck. Im trying to keep this under $400 or so if possible, maybe even used? I just want something that makes the skin tones in the Portra look right without me spending five hours in Lightroom trying to fix the color shifts. Is the Plustek really that annoying to use, or should I just look for a used DSLR scanning setup instead? Im totally lost here...
TL;DR: Skip the dedicated scanners. I've been through three of these, and the software is always a headache. If you want speed, build a mirrorless setup. Get a used Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II 20.4MP and an Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 60mm f/2.8 Macro. It's cheaper than a dedicated scanner, handles Portra colors better, and takes seconds per frame. You won't miss the clunky Plustek interface.
> I just want something that makes the skin tones in the Portra look right without me spending five hours in Lightroom Oh man, this is exactly my thing. If you want those Portra tones without the headache, skip the scanner software and just build a DSLR rig. Grab a used Sony A7R III 42MP Full Frame and a Sigma 70mm f/2.8 DG Macro Art Lens. It is honestly lightyears faster than any Plustek. Anyway, bottom line is it saves SO much time...
Honestly, skip the flatbeds if you care about sharpness; the Epson V600 6400dpi is gonna leave you super frustrated with 35mm. If you want those Portra skin tones without the software headache, go for a used Plustek OpticFilm 8200i Ai 7200dpi and pick up SilverFast Ai Studio 8 or just learn how to use Negative Lab Pro in Lightroom. The Plustek software is definitely dated and honestly kinda TRASH, but the actual optics are solid enough to pull all that detail out of the grain. If you have a decent mirrorless camera already, just build a DSLR scanning rig instead because it is way faster and gives you way more control over the colors than any dedicated consumer scanner ever could. Dont overthink it, just pick one and start shooting...
@Reply #6 - good point! Honestly, I wasted so much time fighting the SilverFast interface before I finally gave up and bought a used Pacific Image PowerSlide X 24MP. It handles 35mm rolls automatically, so I can just load a strip and walk away while it does its thing.
- The dynamic range on the PowerSlide is solid for Portra 400.
- It basically eliminates the clunky software headache since it just spits out DNG files. My bank account is definitely happier now that I'm not paying for lab scans, and I dont have to babysit the scanner for hours. If you want a dedicated machine that just works without forcing you to be a computer engineer, this is the move...
Tbh I disagree about the DSLR rig. If you want a dedicated scanner, the Plustek OpticFilm 8200i is fine if you use SilverFast Ai Studio 8 instead of the stock software.
My buddy told me the exact same thing last week. Guess he was right lol.
Can confirm this works. Did the same thing on mine and its been solid ever since.
@Reply #2 - good point! Honestly, if you dont use Negative Lab Pro, youre just wasting your time. Just watch out for messy dust spots, they ruin scans instantly. Keep it clean...
Coming back to this, I stopped paying labs years ago. I built my own rig using a digital camera I already owned and a second-hand lens. The dealer wanted $400 for a dedicated scanner, but I did it for $80. It saved me a ton of cash. My current setup takes me two minutes per roll. Learning the conversion process once saved me a fortune in the long run.
+1
Regarding what #1 said about skipping flatbeds, I agree 100%. I used the Epson V600 6400dpi for years and the soft focus on 35mm Portra is painful. If you want speed and accuracy:
- Get a Plustek OpticFilm 8200i 7200dpi.
- Use Negative Lab Pro v3.0 for the color science. The software is dated, but the hardware resolution beats any flatbed. DSLRs are faster, but the Plustek is plug-and-play.
Huh interesting. I had no idea. The more you know I guess 🤷