Pacific Image Electronics' PrimeFilm PF1800U USB Film Scanner
by Pacific Image Electronics
(Click here)
Customers in the UK,
buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Photo Product Details
Manufacturer: Pacific Image ElectronicsModel: PF1800U
Product features:
- 35 mm film scanner
- 1,800 dpi maximum optical resolution
- 36-bit color depth
- Linear array color CCD image sensor
- USB interface, PC and Mac compatible
- Targus PAUH212U 7 Port USB 2.0 Hub
- Targus PAUH217U 4 Port Ultra Mini USB 2.0 Hub
- Spikemaster SM-BG8 8 Outlet Block, Standard Protection Surge Protector (White)
- APC BE350U 350VA Back-ups Es
- Epson Premium Glossy 8 1/2 x 11 Inch Photo Paper, 50 Sheets (S041667)
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Pacific Image Electronics' PrimeFilm PF1800U USB Film Scanner
Customer Review: Rotten quality, even more rotten tech support, obsolete drivers make it useless
Summary: 1 Stars
I bought this 1800u a few years ago, scanned about 5 slides, and put it away in a drawer for a few years. A couple days ago I again needed to use it, on a new iMac. First I had to contend with a nightmare of ancient PPC drivers from 2002 and 2003 (they seem only to update Windows software). The old mac software has to be run in emulation as Rosetta or something like that, and with a spinning beachball for about 10 minutes before the software starts. It never worked again. In the system profiler, it never showed up under the USB list as a film scanner. After the first or second try, the USB communication failed completely. Tech support wanted me to buy a new bulb... about the most stupid advice I can imagine for a device with failed USB circuitry. Tech support told me that it probably failed because it wasn't being used enough and that it was my fault that I didn't use it enough when it was under warranty.
I have a device that I paid over $200 for new that gave me a total of 5 scanned slides before it failed. I wasted almost an entire day trying to resurrect it. I experienced the most greedy and unhelpful technical support you can imagine. The scans from the few slides I scanned years ago were mediocre at best.
I just wish there had been more reviews of this product at the time I was looking for a scanner. I would surely have avoided this purchase mistake.
The scanner is so poorly build and undependable that I fail to see how they even stay in business. Couple that with a very lazy attitude about writing and updating software drivers, and you can be assured that anything you buy from them will be a brick in a short time. Don't expect their customer support to solve any of your problems, they will not make any effort to remedy a defective product, and won't even bother to ask a supervisor for permission to replace a completely defective unit.
If you have a recent Mac, please start by downloading the software and drivers from their website and look at the dates for the drivers and software. Almost all system 9 and old PPC OSX stuff and adobe plugins that no longer work with Tiger OSX 10.5. Basically, unless you have a legacy mac from 5 years ago, you won't be able to do much with this.
Run away from anything manufactured by this company, your are in for endless frustration and ultimate failure if you purchase one of their products.
Description of Pacific Image Electronics' PrimeFilm PF1800U USB Film Scanner
The superior inherent detail of 35mm film combined with PrimeFilm 1800's advanced optics provides the uncompromized image quality that traditional flatbed scanners just can't compete with. The PrimeFilm 1800 series captures such excellent image detail from both positive slides and negative filmstrips, you can retouch any image exactly the way you want it. The PrimeFilm 1800 series captures 1800 dots per inch (dpi) giving you 3 times the resolution of the average desktop scanner. For graphics professionals, this means that you can enlarge images to approx. 20 cm x 13 cm (7.8" x 5.1") and still maintain the 1: 1 300 dpi resolution sufficient for color separation and offset printing. Previously the realm of experienced graphics professionals and photographers, high resolution color film scanning is now available to a broad range of home, office or home, office or school users in this compact, inexpensive unit. Now there are no excuses not to own one!Slide & Photo Scanners
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