Pacific Image Electronics PrimeFilm PF1800U USB Film Scanner

The first Pacific Image Electronics PrimeFilm PF1800U USB Film Scanner I received was damaged and would not work at all. I returned it and was sent another as a replacement. The scans from this scanner are terrible. This thing is junk. I returned the second PF1800U scanner and purchased a Minolta DiMAGE Scan Dual IV. It cost a little more but was well worth it. The Minolta is wonderful I have scanned close to 9000 slides with it and have had no problems.

For little money the PrimeFilm PF1800U Scanner is a powerful tool. Its 1800 dpi max resolution is very good and the quality of scans is simply superb!

Its as bad as the other reviewers noted back in 2003. Mine runs properly but the resolution is worse than your kids Barbie camera. If you had Kmart make prints when you had your film developed, scan those paper prints on a flatbed scanner to get better digital images than you can obtain from this. Buy something else. If you are determined to proceed - Recent 2013 edition TWAIN software, SF_ENG_1.3.exe, is available from scanace.com (The manufacturer). This makes the scanner visible to Photoshop, Irfanview etc. But the scanner still wont be visible to MS Paint or Paint.Net since those use a different protocol. Some of the prior 5-star reviews have to be shills who intended to raise the ratings average. This device needs both hands to release the film clamp before your negative is free to move to the next frame.(Or fall to the floor). Clumsy. Then each scan is done individually. I wouldnt have the patience to capture and edit a collection of negatives as was claimed. Your type of film can be specified in a menu. Choosing raw type, then editing in separate software, gave better color balance for me compared to the scanners presets. This devices era has passed. Much better gear is available now. At least I didnt pay too much for it. It had been on the shelf so long that it was marked 75% off from Goodwills original $3.98. It will soon go back.

Cant get it to scan. Unable to get it loaded properly. We had the product but needed the CD to download. So far, no luck getting the job done. Will call tech support..

Customer support [is bad]; the drivers and software that I bought in March 2003 had a 1996-1998 copyright date; and worst of all, scans get progressively darker. A scanner that cant handle exposure settings! its OK until it runs thru its calibration routine, then its the beginning of the end. I went thru two different units, they both were terrible.

Its always galling when a product has poor reviews exclusively and a guest reviewer shows up proclaiming the companys virtue as only an employee can. Its obvious Pacific Image sent someone over to perform a weak attempt at spin after so many disappointing customer comments. DONT BELIEVE THEM!!! This product is poor quality compounded with weak customer support. Its ironic that all of the reviews complain about the service yet the company clearly has time to counter opinions they dont like in a poorly composed anonymous review. That employee could have been helping one of these poor people! Nikon and Minolta are two reputable companies in this field - Pacific Image is not.

This is not a bad item when you need to scan a couple, but its very slow and the resolution is not good. If you need it for your family photos it can be a good product, but you have to think you will need a lot of time, if I could Ill try to get one with autofeed.

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Ive had this unit for several years, giving it light duty. Ive been happy enough with the scans it produces. Color and contrast are plenty good enough, especially considering Ive used it on slides some of which are 40 years old and some with inferior off-brand film. I had a bit of trouble with the software that came with it, but I was able to get a newer version from the web site, and that one works fine. Recently the sensor failed. I think Ill try a different one next time. Solid state components should last decades. 3.5 stars

After reading the many negative comments, I was pleasantly surprised at the results. Much better than the flatbed and transparency adapter that Id been using. Good sharpness. Only 1800 dpi, but thats more than adequate for web-work. Tried it with both slides and negatives - color balance required only minor adjustment. No grinding sounds. For what its worth, Im using the current TWAIN driver from the website, and did not install anything from the CD. If you decide to buy one - just make sure that the price is favorable, because there is much better gear available.