Finally an informative video on the Primefilm XA, maybe I'll pull the trigger on it now. Sooo painfull to scan every frame manually with the plustek 8100... Thanks for the video mate!
I believe your issue with Silverfast is that you have to buy a license for each model of scanner that you own. A bit of a rip off IMO, and Vuescan+NLP does a fantastic job for a cheaper price overall.
I remember asking "silverfast" this very question ( I was trying to choose between 2 scanners and wanted to know if I'd need to buy silverfast again if I changed my mind) and the reply was no, you only need to buy it once and the only reason for asking which model scanner you owned when registering the software was for their market research. Having said that, and having bought and used a plustek 8200i scanner, I prefer scanning with a dslr. I had a system where I just dragged the film through a gadget I'd glued together and screwed to the front of a lens. Since I didn't have to chop the film into bits it was super fast once you'd set it up. I'll probably end up selling the scanner, using the money to buy a good macro lens and make another film holding gadget to screw into the filter threads on the front of the lens. The main issues I remember having were holding the film flat, and finding a good diffusion material. Nikon have a stupidly expensive slide scanner attachment but it's only made for slides which are obviously thicker than unmounted film so I'd have to modify it to hold the film flat. If somebody could 3d print something with a bit of diffusion glass on the front they'd make a killing.
Just an F3 that’s actually very helpful in regards to the multiple licenses, I just got the Ai Studio for my V800 and will test it on my pacific image scanner as well. I’ve heard issues regarding the inversion process with DSLRs; Even with the use of Negative Lab Pro, I wasn’t fond of people’s examples, specifically color
@@filmdigitalvideos This must have changed then. I had to buy an "upgrade" license a few years back to be able to handle a second scanner model. Each scanner model has its own module and you couldn't download/activate it without a separate license number.
I believe this to be correct. Also, the version of sliverfast that comes with the pacificimage is Silverfast SE, which won't let you scan full 48 bit inversions. So pretty much no matter what you have to invest in software for this thing.
Hey man, thanks so much for the video. I ordered one from B&H and have been impressed thus far. Agree that Silverfast is NOT INTUITIVE with this scanner but Vuescan is super easy. I know DSLR scanning enthusiasts get great scans, but this is way more easier. There is a real lack of info on this scanner out there so once again, kudos for you to go out on a limb and make this recommendation. Hello from wintery Canada!
I’m the market for one of these but I’m seeing mixed reviews on its ability to properly execute batch scanning, specifically on how it doesn’t frame properly. Any thoughts/experience on how yours has been?
Welcome back! I've had this machine for a few years now and love it. To feed the film, I use the box that Ilford bulk film comes in... cut a slit in the side, roll up the film and put it in the box with the film coming out of the slit. I also lined the slit with felt from used film canisters to remove the dust and minimise scratches.
Also, with 'Batch scan' set to On you only need to put the starting frame number into 'Frame number' and it will scan the whole roll. If you set 'Batch scan' to List then you can use a range in the Batch List input box that will appear, such as 2-5 (to scan frames 2, 3, 4 & 5) or you can set specific frames 2,6,22,31 or a combination of specific and range; 2,6,9,12-19... or 4-* will start at frame 4 treat the * as the end of the roll.
Corey Adams not at all. The scanner has never shown signs of scratching the film but I just didn't want to risk it with the film dragging along a desk. I lined the slit with felt to take off any dust as it came out. It just keeps it compact and safe :)
Any experience with the scanner not finding frames properly? I’ve read the auto feed feature sometimes advances too much that it cuts part of a frame, so people end up having to manually do it which was the selling point of this over the plus tek
It's pretty amazing how much detail you can potentially get out of a 35mm negative. I used an old Nikon Coolscan V that tops out at a (legit) 4000DPI but it's old, temperamental, slow as hell, and costs the same as the XA which is brand new. Seems like a solid choice! Love the review.
Great video Coops. As a fellow Perth lad I agree that some of the labs in Perth don't do an amazing job when it comes to scans. I have started just asking the labs to develop it so I can start scanning it at home. Thank you for this informative video. That scanner does incredible scans. Will definitely keep it in mind when I decide to purchase a film scanner.
Hi Brendan, why not try developing too once you get your scanning consistent. It's pretty easy and much cheaper. Just don't be dumb like me and try to do everything all at once, you know, expired film, untested camera, first time self developing, first time scanning with just a dslr - when it all turns to crap you don't know where you went wrong !! :-)
Wow thats impressive! I haven’t looked to see how much it costs but coming from a camera scan person, this is a fantastic (and likely less fiddly) alternative.
Hey idk if this will help anyone but on the fuji system the 60mm isn't a true macro lens, only gets you to about 0.5 to 1 magnification. Obviously the 80mm is expensive as hell but the Laowa 65mm macro that recently came out is brilliant, it's manual focus and has no electronics but it's brilliant quality. Absolutely recommend it, 399$ american, it's still not cheap but is so amazing.
The Tokina 100mm 2.8 is also a fantastic macro lens for around $200 and it has both manual and autofocus! I adapt the EF version to Sony and get great results in NLP
Bought this super excited to use with silverfast since I use silverfast with my flatbed, but I cannot get the XAs to scan properly in silverfast at all. Like I can't get it to complete the prescan or even display a partial scan that is usable. very frustrating!
I had a Pakon back in the day and loved to hate it. Wonderful images and SUPER fast, but a total PITA to actually fire it up. I've been kicking myself for selling it, but now DGAF. Imma buy one of these. Thanks dude!
I’ve been using NLP with an old Nikon macro on my xt2 but I’m considering this. Could you make a video using Negative Lab Pro and this scanner sometime? I’d be really interested in seeing the workflow and end results. Cheers man.
Thanks! I am looking for a scanner and this looks like the best option. Thanks for the review. A upside down show box might make a good dust cover. For the roll film holder - search for a "Dental Disposable Barrier Film Dispenser Box Acrylic Plastic Stand Holder"
I actually recently just stopped shooting film mostly because there are no good 120 scanners for a reasonable price on the market. I still have a Nikonos that I will probably shoot some tri x through and print in the darkroom. I don't know why Kodak doesn't look into bringing out a Nikon coolscan equivalent, they would sell like hotcakes I reckon.
How consistent are your results? Is the scanner still working? I I'd like to get one (in sick if the high Res scan prices in UK) but the reviews are really bad. Thanks for quality content ❤️
Been getting really frustrated with consistency using DSLR scanning, and this looks like exactly what I need. Any other update on workflow since using this for a year? Great video, thanks!
About 75 rolls deep, no issues, still love it. Has made life so much easier. Couple tips. Keep the dust out, can cause blue lines to appear in scans. But using a rocket blower does work. Keep firmware updated. Can only be done using the crap cyberX Software. Silver fast version 9 has been fantastic
nice review mate. was looking to rebuy a pakon and totally unaware of this scanner until seeing this. guessing you've scanned heaps since rec this video.... still recommend? any annoying quirks?
Hey I have 2 questions for you. With the 35MM Xas do you see linear scratches that the dust removal function (in silverfast) doesn't remove? I see it a lot. And last question there does seem to be more resolution with the Xas over the V700, but I am also getting some color noise and not really grain, are you getting this too? Trying to see if mine needs to be returned. Thanks!
Hey, great video! I just purchased VueScan and got myself the PrimeFilmXAs after seeing this video - now the problem that I am facing is that VueScan does not recognize the scanner. Do you know how I can fix this? Thanks!
Great vid Coops and good to see you back making videos, hope that GF670 is treating you well. Just further information on the Pakons (I have both a f135 plus and f335) - they run mostly on Windows XP (perhaps 2000, but native to XP; you can use a Virtual Machine to boot it from modern software such as Windows 10). They can produce up to a maximum 3000x2000 image (which is 6 megapixels), but its a very sharp 6 megapixels and you can get incredible colours but most importantly for me, extremely fast and very good hardware based dust correction which to me is priceless. I was lucky enough to purchase before the massive price increase (you used to be able to pick up the Pakons for $300 near their lowest point) but to me they deserve the price tag that they carry.
In case it wasn't already mentioned, the XA scanner is basically a rebranded Reflecta RPS 10M, which retails for $1000 USD. Pretty good value at $460 (B&H price).
awesome review, mate! couple of Qs if you don't mind though... does this come with an autovolt power supply (US version works in AU/NZ)? can you use this for a single frame 35mm film? i found some old ones from my folks that for some reason have been cut into 1 or 2 frames. wondering if i can feed it into this?
The power adapter says input 120-240 volt. For strips of 2 you're out of luck, but for single frames there is an option. The XA can scan mounted slides, so if you can get your hands on some simple plastic slide mounts you can use that as a sort of single frame carrier.
Re:Silverfast... I had this problem with my V550 and then I got a Plustek 8100 which came with a copy. The only way I could get it to work was to install another copy of Silverfast into a different location. Their software only works with one type of scanner which is a huge turn-off but if you get it for free, then just install it to a different location and run it like it's a separate program from your Epson version. Worked for me anyways. Edit to add - good to see you back!
Love my Z6 and tokina 100mm macro for dslr scans. Use neg lab pro for conversion. Love affair with film has grown so much I’ve started building a darkroom in the garage.
Gret video! I bought the Primefilme XA myself one week ago because I'm tired of using my Plustek 8200i and poke every single negative through it... This little beast will save me so much time. And I'm really happy with the results. I'm also using Vuescan because it can store the infrared dust removal information inside the raw file for Negative Lab Pro. I think you don't need to write "1-2-3-4-5 ...." into VueScan. If you set it to "1" and start batch scanning it will also scan the whole film. Enjoy your scanning. :)
@@filmdigitalvideos Hi, "just" the time I safe for a whole role. (Moseley I liked to scan the whole roll and not just single images. The quality is the same like the Plustek 8200i for me I can't see a big difference in quality. I don't know if that was a Plustek or a silverfish problem but with the XAs I can scan as a negative (for negative lab pro) and activate infrared scan with VueScan. With the Plustek and Silverfast there was no option to do this. Hope this helped.
@@riswanc I can‘t complain anything about the XAs. Mine works perfectly is way faster as the Plustek. It is still not so fast as a Pakon scanner but I also don’t have enough energy to maintain a Windows XP VM to get a Pakon running… :D Currently I only scan negatives and do the converting with Negativ Lab Pro afterwards. Hope this helps. :)
@bluesilver7489 Hi Pablo, I'm on the market for one of these but read mixed reviews on the batch scan. Some people complain that the machine sometimes advances too far and it wont properly scan an entire frame. Does yours advance frames flawlessly or have you experienced this?
I think it's important to note for anyone viewing this that the Noritsu can do far higher res scans that what is shown in this video. A Noritsu full-res image will blow this scanner out of the water but of course labs tend to pump out quicker scans so they can do more per hour. I own a Fuji Frontier and it has various settings that allow you to do high-res or high-res at a quicker rate (Quality over Performance as it is called) and the difference is very noticeable. The scans out of the Pacific are pretty good but a Noritsu or Fuji operated by someone who understands colour will win every time....especially the colour which is the hardest part of colour film scanning. The Pacific is a $1000 scanner - the Noritsu sells for about $30k. Having said that the Pacific does quite a good job for the price if you are prepared to put in the post-processing work.
ive put properly done lab scans on a noritsu and a nikon and a frontier next to each other as well as a epson and the differences were nill in most cases. not worth the extra money
Nice....A noritsu cost $15,000....If it breaks for whatever reason, there goes several more thousand dollars. "A porsche will beat a toyota corolla",, well no shit.
This is probably a very silly question. But, do you scan with the emulsion (dull part) facing up or down? The instructions on the scanner say the emulsion side should be facing upwards but this doesn't look right to me. Anybody who has experience with scanner, please give me the clue. I just started testing this scanner last night. Results where good enough but I am sure the scanner can do a better job, it is also me that I have no experience with Silverfast SE (included with the scanner), I need to investigate more about the right settings to use into the software.
Hey Coops, great video. Reckon a comparison with DSLR scanning video would be great (for me personally, but many others I’m sure). I’m thinking of starting DSLR scanning with my XT-2, and think a vintage macro (micro Nikkor 55/2.8 or 3.5) + extension tubes might be a good cheap option for me.
Hi, my husband has bought the scanner and is having a lot of trouble using it. He contacted Pacific and they advised him to update the drivers and firmware but that is not working out, maybe because he is trying to use it on his Macbook Pro instead of his PC. From what I can see you seem to be using a PC, is that right? We are in Perth so I am trying to find someone to come and help him who is familiar with the Apple system, do you know anyone? Thanks for the really great video, I am sure it will be invaluable once he actually gets going!!
Thank you very much! I have been using Nikon 4000Ed for 20 years but my second one died. I love Nikon one because I can do batch scan! I knew about this scanner but I judged it by looks! It looks like a toy! But looking at your review, I am sold! This is the one I need! I hope my old mac with vuescan would support this! Yep not sold in OZ so B&H has it in stock but looks like I need to wait until chaos in USA ends...? Also I love your workflow!!!! Simple enough! Thank you so much!
Just wondering, is it possible to include the sprockets in the scan? Been doing shooting a lot of 135 film in 6x6 and 6x9 cameras and the exposed sprockets are too cool to be cropped out
On the SilverFast splash screen you need to go to 'service dialog' then click 'upgrade license' then add the key you got with the XAs . I had the first version (PacificImage PrimeFilm XA) and it was VERY bad at detecting frames and it would scan an entire strip with each picture having half of one photo and half of the next. I ended up getting a Plustek so I wouldn't have that problem. Maybe this new version is better.
Great review. Excellent scan quality. But agonizingly slow if you have a lot of color slides to digitize one-by-one. As you said at the beginning, "I hate scanning!" 😊
My Primefilm XA scanner manual says to insert the negatives with the emulsion side up. You seem to be inserting the film the other way around (shiny side up). Have you noticed any difference in scan quality based on the film orientation? What I don’t like about inserting emulation side up is that I get an inverted image that I need to “mirror” after.
Shootswithcoops thanks, good to know. Lately I’m only scanning B&W at home. When I shoot color is mostly slide film which I send to a lab to get them developed and mounted (for projector viewing).
Not automatically. The scanning bed is only just wider than a standard 35mm frame. You could scan each side of the frame and stitch them together after, but I don't think you could use the batch scan option.
Wow, the results look great! Sounds like it's about equivalent to 24 megapixels in terms of resolution which is fantastic, sharpness looks perfect, and considering how much fussing you would have to do with a DSLR or flatbed to get anywhere near that quality, that's a bargain. Cheaper than a mid-tier APS-C camera, and it does all the work for you? I think I'm sold.
First attempts with Vuescan and the Primefilm XAs Super Edition were rough (B&W negatives). Little white worms all over the image with negatives right out of the sealed envelope and a thin line running the length of the image. My download scans from Dwayne’s were clean. Hopefully, I can figure it out.
As Simon mentioned - you have to buy a license for each model of scanner that you own. But you already get a copy of this software on a CD with the scanner - use your new serial number when starting the Silverfast and make sure Xas is attached directly to usb port of your computer. Select XAs as your scanning device in the Silverfast UI and use new serial. If you still have troubles - just contact Lasersoft with your license number. I'm sure they are able to solve an issue like this.
The XAs comes with a version of Silverfast included now and I was able to get a 10000dpi scan from it, which turned out considerably nicer than the 5000 dpi.
The claimed 10000 dpi is just pure fantasy. This is interpolated resolution and not real optical resolution. The max optical resolution of this scanner is actually 4100 dpi @ 5000 dpi setting, quite high in fact , but a long way away from 10000 dpi. Scan @ 5000 dpi for the max 4100 dpi true optical resolution. To date the only scanners that come within 95% of the stated resolutions are the now defunct and out of production Nikon Coolscan ED ( LS9000, Coolscan V and LS 50 ) series of scanners, which claim 4000 dpi and achieve around 3900 dpi as a minimum.
@@lensman5762 I do believe you're incorrect as the spec on the XAs on Pacific Prime's website lists resolution as true optical 10000dpi as of 2018. This is the newer model, than the model reviewed on this video.
@@vastrida The quoted figure of 4100 ( still very impressive ) was the result of the tests carried out by filmscanner.info who carry out detailed tests on all the available scanners, and the resolution figures were derived from direct scanning of USAF-1951 resolution test chart. This alone gives the true optical resolution of the system. Manufacturers have their own way of quoting resolutions, and it could include, Optical ( lens ), CCD, Interpolated, x,y axis etc. None gives the true system optical resolution which can only be determined by actual scan of a test chart. You have a cheap Chinese made scanner who claims hardware resolution of 10000 and an Imacon Flextight X5 that costs the best part of $30000 and has a tested true system optical resolution of 6300. I leave you to judge the matter for yourself.
@@lensman5762 thanks for background, will do some reading. I have a really beautiful old 60's b/w film archive and I'm trying to suss out the best scan for it. The places I can get in the USA may not cut it.
@@vastrida The one here may do it. I would read about the number of cycles it is guaranteed for first. It is not the resolution that is the main concern for me ( its plenty enough ), but the D-Max and how it can cope with difficult to read dense negatives of yesteryears, given that it wasn't fashionable to coat the film on clear Estar.
plastic bags holding negatives sound to me to be a static electricity generator. Maybe not significant, but might be. I got a coolscan for a higher price a few decades ago, and it doesn't do batch like yours. I like what you have. I've never had much luck with silverfast, I like the vuescan.
It's a janky solution, but it seems to work for me. The film moves slowly, so there shouldn't be much static build-up. Have an antistatic cloth on hand just in case.
Hey are you having any recent issues with VueScan? I’ve been using it for a while, but this last month, I’ve noticed it isn’t batch scanning. It tends to stop after about the third scan at 5k DPI. Rather, it freezes.
Hey man. No issues with vuescan. I managed to get silver fast working also and have been using the batch function with that program which works a bit more seamlessly
Shootswithcoops are you using the base SilverFast SE 8 or do you use the SE plus? I can’t seem to get it to scan at anything above 1000 ppi/dpi. If I type 5000 ppi in it just resets to 1000 unless I go through the workflow pilot. I switched to VueScan because it’s color accuracy out of the box was better and I don’t have a color accurate screen. So if you have any advice. I’ll take any. Thank you for replying!
Yes, resolution wise. Pulstek effective DPI is 3200, compared to 4300 DPI for this scanner (which is just a rebranded Reflecta RPS 10M). Check here: www.filmscanner.info/en/FilmscannerRangliste.html
I was thinking similar, just wipe the desk down with a damp cloth to remove dust, set everything up and place a large plastic container upside down with out the lid over the whole setup, get a clear container so you can keep an eye on things.
@@cadamsinbali so i did two things. I initially replaced it because of a different issue. Then i bought a can of dust off for the entry ways on the scanner. Instructions are on the website. That has improved it a lot. Using the dust removal software gives a really clean file. Definitely upgrade software to silverfast or viewscan vs CyberView
I have the regular XA model (I think they changed a light bulb or something on the XAs). The main issue I have with this scanner is that if your camera does not space frames evenly it will have a hard time batch scanning correctly so it might not work for those with older cameras. EDIT: Just to clarify, what I mean by may not work is batch scanning may not work for older cameras where the spacing between frames is not consistent. One other detail about this scanner. If you are using a Apple computer with USB-C there were changes to how hardware can access some things so the scanner may not work right away. To get the scanner to work you will have to turn off your computer, plugin and power on your scanner then turn on your computer. Super lame but once it is up it works.
You can do an "overview" prescan in Silverfast and adjust the individual frames. Kinda time-consuming though. Another workaround would be to scan 6-8 frames at a time and then adjust for the subsequent frames and scan some more. This works for me because some of my older cameras tend to widen the gap in the film frame as you approach the end of the roll. I have a review on my channel. Hope this helps!
@@FilmPhotographyChannel Thanks. I seen your review before. I did notice the overview feature in Silverfast a couple weeks ago when I was scanning a roll. I was not sure if I could adjust the gap. I will have to give this a try. I also ended up getting Vuescan because I found a nice used v700 and just could not stomach spending another $200+ (with discount) on the Ai version of SF so now I have two apps for scanning with the XA. Negafix is nice but I decided to with with a RAW scan plus ColorPerfect workflow for the images I really like. Oh the rabbit hole of scanning.
How old would you consider as old? I’m in the market for one of these but the reviews on tricky auto feed feature is what’s hindering me. I have a Pentax k1000 though I have no idea which year from (anywhere from 1975-1997 I believe is when they manufactured these)
@@MoeyMikeGaming I think cameras where you have to manualy wind are more likely to not have a consistent gaping between frames. I have a Leica M3 with just about perfect frame advancing so it is not an issue. I had a old Yashica Lynx there it was not as clean. I have a F100 with auto advance and the spacing is perfect. Had a AE-1 and don't think spacing was that even (maybe). I don't have any shooting experience with the K1000 so I don't know. K1000 is newer than my M3 but so was the Yashica. Honestly though, the PrimeFilm XA is a chad of a 35mm scanner and I would not let something like the gapping stop you. Once you figure out the quirks and how to use you will be able to make it work for you.
@@Being_Joe thanks for your detailed response! I read that the primefilm xa is indeed slightly better than plustek if setup properly. So I was thinking of just doing manual scans frame by frameif for whatever reason autofeed is messed up - that's still possible right? auto feed is just a feature and not the one and only default setting on these?
Nice Vid mate. Just wondering amongst the viewers if anyone has had issues with the machine scratching negatives 🎞? Seems to be happening for me. Going to do some tests with the machine vs DSLR scans to aim to prove. But pretty sure at the moment it’s the machine itself. Scratches are from left to right so not from the scanning head. Best guess the film moving in the machine
I would love to get an answer to this question too... I have been going back and forth between the Plustek and XAs and keep leaning towards the XAs however, although mostly good feedback there are a few comments floating around the internet about scratch damage that have kept me from purchasing.. Any idea if this is a common problem?/ have you had any luck fixing or working around it?
I hear these complaints about a lot of machines. Some say that if you run a few batches through the machine the scratching disappears (so start with negatives you don't care about to see what happens).
You never answered to the Silverfast comments, so hopefully you made it work and compared to VueScan, back when I got my film scanner I prefered SF over Vue Scan and stuck with it. And yes, their licensing is confusing and sucks! (Edit: I just saw you're using it in your newer video, nevermind). One possible reason why the scanner might not be talked about more is that it's named differently in different parts of the world, Pacific Image is just the US version. Here in Germany it's called the Reflecta RPS 10M, it might be the original but I'm not sure, maybe the original has an unpronouncable chinese name or whatever. :D
Silverfast is licensed to the scanner, you need a different version for each scanner. It also means you can use Silverfast on multiple computers with the same scanner.
@@shootswithcoops Goes to Amazon " oh look, this thing I wanted is only $100 ! Yay, oh wait, that's US dollars so factor in the conversion and it's $160, oh well still okay, oh wait, plus $50 shipping, so that's $210, well it's a bit pricey but I, oh wait, plus GST on everything, so that's ah.... oh Fuck it!
Is that lab Fitzgerald’s? Great lab, but I agree their scans are nowhere near as good as what I get with my Plustek 8100 and vuescan. The plustek can’t batch scan, but is otherwise a great alternative in terms of quality. I don’t understand why people use dslrs, they should get one of these scanners instead.
Hi Jai, I used to get my film developed and scanned in Fremantle and they offered 2 different levels of scan, the first one was included with developing but was low resolution, and another option was to pay I think $10 more and they'd give a higher quality scan. Maybe try them out if you're not happy with Fitzgeralds? However they can only do colour negative developing, no black and white.
Just an F3 I think Fitzgerald’s is one of the best labs in Australia. But my point is that scanning yourself with a good dedicated film scanner will always be better, unless you pay big money for a drum scan. Full 48 bit colour tiff files are the key
There was something seriously wrong with your Noritsu lab scan. There’s no way it produced such a crappy file, so either you got the budget lowest quality, somebody downrez’d it badly, or something. I have “large” (their second tier) 13MP Noritsu scans from theFINDlab, and you can see individual hairs on people’s arms in street photos.
Silver fast licenses by type of scanner.....your flatbed software will not work on your scanner unless you buy a silver fast license for the new scanner
Fantastic video. Had read about the Pacific Image, but the details so bad I went for the Plustek 8200I instead. Don’t regret it, but auto batch would have been handy.
These scanners appear to be a generic Chinese made scanner available at varying prices, and under different names in different part of the world. In Europe they are marketed as the Reflecta series of scanners and the one under review is the Reflecta RPS 10M version. I guess the 10M refers to the fantastical 10000 dpi interpolated ' resolution '. What is worrying for me is the very short life cycle of the scanners, which is stated somewhere on a very credible German review site, that states loss of quality should be expected at around 10000 scans. This is due to the wear to the optomechanical components of the scanner. For a casual user 10000 scans is reasonable, but to a film shooter who wishes to digitize the negs at max resolution this figure is actually quite low.
Interesting. What do you think the best consumer grade scanner is currently ? The market seems very thin and there are big tradeoffs between price, quality, reliability and speed. I thought the manufacturer is pacific image which is based on Taiwan.
@@juandenz2008 None TBH, unless you shoot medium or large format where the Epson V series ( I believe this also been thinned down to V850 only now ) of scanners. Here the V series shine. The only other solution is to find an old Nikon ED series ( 5000, 9000 or 50V ) and hope that it would last the course, some of the asking prices for these used and old scanners are comical. Nikon stopped producing these a long time ago, and I doubt if spare parts were widely available these days. The Epson scnners are not at their best with 35mm but at least they can scan. The other solution is to use a digital camera to digitise your 35mm negative. Contrary to what all the Mega Pixel loving aficionados claim, a digtal camera of 16~24 MP at base iso coupled to a proper Macro lens, will extract all the information from a 35 mm negative. Most 35 mm negatives shot these days do not contain more than 12~16 Mp of data. There is also the choice to go for something like a Plustek scanner. These are not either a Nikon or even a Minolta but they do a half decent job of manual scanning of 35 mm negs. Hope this helps.
You have way TOO Much items on your desktop. Your Hogging the Memory - I was like that when I got my first Desktop, now it is on the Main Folder like Printer folder, Photo Folder in which it has 4 programs, etc. And I too have a Pacific Image scanner, and your right that older scanners cannot be use to newer OS systems that when using my PI Scanner that I have to use a Laptop that has XP, but I manage in using Windows 10 on a Paint Shop Pro9 and still using the scanner, abit slow, but I am happy that it is working... And I do have a Flat bed scanner - Canon Canoscan 9000F..
Been looking at this scanner for a while. Great to finally have a proper review! Thanks!
Finally an informative video on the Primefilm XA, maybe I'll pull the trigger on it now. Sooo painfull to scan every frame manually with the plustek 8100... Thanks for the video mate!
Thanks for watching
I believe your issue with Silverfast is that you have to buy a license for each model of scanner that you own. A bit of a rip off IMO, and Vuescan+NLP does a fantastic job for a cheaper price overall.
I remember asking "silverfast" this very question ( I was trying to choose between 2 scanners and wanted to know if I'd need to buy silverfast again if I changed my mind) and the reply was no, you only need to buy it once and the only reason for asking which model scanner you owned when registering the software was for their market research. Having said that, and having bought and used a plustek 8200i scanner, I prefer scanning with a dslr. I had a system where I just dragged the film through a gadget I'd glued together and screwed to the front of a lens. Since I didn't have to chop the film into bits it was super fast once you'd set it up. I'll probably end up selling the scanner, using the money to buy a good macro lens and make another film holding gadget to screw into the filter threads on the front of the lens. The main issues I remember having were holding the film flat, and finding a good diffusion material. Nikon have a stupidly expensive slide scanner attachment but it's only made for slides which are obviously thicker than unmounted film so I'd have to modify it to hold the film flat. If somebody could 3d print something with a bit of diffusion glass on the front they'd make a killing.
Just an F3 that’s actually very helpful in regards to the multiple licenses, I just got the Ai Studio for my V800 and will test it on my pacific image scanner as well.
I’ve heard issues regarding the inversion process with DSLRs; Even with the use of Negative Lab Pro, I wasn’t fond of people’s examples, specifically color
@@filmdigitalvideos This must have changed then. I had to buy an "upgrade" license a few years back to be able to handle a second scanner model. Each scanner model has its own module and you couldn't download/activate it without a separate license number.
I believe this to be correct. Also, the version of sliverfast that comes with the pacificimage is Silverfast SE, which won't let you scan full 48 bit inversions. So pretty much no matter what you have to invest in software for this thing.
Thank you. Very useful and informative. This seems to be a good solution. Old scanners are prone to failure and yet so expensive.
cheers mate
Hey man, thanks so much for the video. I ordered one from B&H and have been impressed thus far. Agree that Silverfast is NOT INTUITIVE with this scanner but Vuescan is super easy. I know DSLR scanning enthusiasts get great scans, but this is way more easier. There is a real lack of info on this scanner out there so once again, kudos for you to go out on a limb and make this recommendation. Hello from wintery Canada!
I’m the market for one of these but I’m seeing mixed reviews on its ability to properly execute batch scanning, specifically on how it doesn’t frame properly. Any thoughts/experience on how yours has been?
Welcome back! I've had this machine for a few years now and love it. To feed the film, I use the box that Ilford bulk film comes in... cut a slit in the side, roll up the film and put it in the box with the film coming out of the slit. I also lined the slit with felt from used film canisters to remove the dust and minimise scratches.
Also, with 'Batch scan' set to On you only need to put the starting frame number into 'Frame number' and it will scan the whole roll. If you set 'Batch scan' to List then you can use a range in the Batch List input box that will appear, such as 2-5 (to scan frames 2, 3, 4 & 5) or you can set specific frames 2,6,22,31 or a combination of specific and range; 2,6,9,12-19... or 4-* will start at frame 4 treat the * as the end of the roll.
Did you find your film was getting scratched with the way the machine feeds the film from left to right? Is this why you lined the slit with felt?
Corey Adams not at all. The scanner has never shown signs of scratching the film but I just didn't want to risk it with the film dragging along a desk. I lined the slit with felt to take off any dust as it came out. It just keeps it compact and safe :)
Hi Kristian, i have read durability issues after long usage such as banding issue for instance… how’s yours going?
Any experience with the scanner not finding frames properly? I’ve read the auto feed feature sometimes advances too much that it cuts part of a frame, so people end up having to manually do it which was the selling point of this over the plus tek
It's pretty amazing how much detail you can potentially get out of a 35mm negative. I used an old Nikon Coolscan V that tops out at a (legit) 4000DPI but it's old, temperamental, slow as hell, and costs the same as the XA which is brand new. Seems like a solid choice! Love the review.
I hear nothing but good things about those old coolscans. But yeah, getting pretty old now
Nice Video! Is there enough frame around the negative to use NLP? Thx!
Just wanted to say, I noticed that your video quality has improved noticeably from your earlier work! Keep it up, always enjoy the content
Thanks mate
Great video Coops. As a fellow Perth lad I agree that some of the labs in Perth don't do an amazing job when it comes to scans. I have started just asking the labs to develop it so I can start scanning it at home. Thank you for this informative video. That scanner does incredible scans. Will definitely keep it in mind when I decide to purchase a film scanner.
Yeah, I’ve been burned by our labs a few to many times
Hi Brendan, why not try developing too once you get your scanning consistent. It's pretty easy and much cheaper. Just don't be dumb like me and try to do everything all at once, you know, expired film, untested camera, first time self developing, first time scanning with just a dslr - when it all turns to crap you don't know where you went wrong !! :-)
I just bought the PrimeFilm 7250Pro3 (very similar to this) because of this video.
Much appreciate the info!
Hows ur primefilm 7250pro3 now? Interested to buy soon
Wow thats impressive! I haven’t looked to see how much it costs but coming from a camera scan person, this is a fantastic (and likely less fiddly) alternative.
Hey idk if this will help anyone but on the fuji system the 60mm isn't a true macro lens, only gets you to about 0.5 to 1 magnification. Obviously the 80mm is expensive as hell but the Laowa 65mm macro that recently came out is brilliant, it's manual focus and has no electronics but it's brilliant quality. Absolutely recommend it, 399$ american, it's still not cheap but is so amazing.
The Tokina 100mm 2.8 is also a fantastic macro lens for around $200 and it has both manual and autofocus! I adapt the EF version to Sony and get great results in NLP
Bought this super excited to use with silverfast since I use silverfast with my flatbed, but I cannot get the XAs to scan properly in silverfast at all. Like I can't get it to complete the prescan or even display a partial scan that is usable. very frustrating!
I had a Pakon back in the day and loved to hate it. Wonderful images and SUPER fast, but a total PITA to actually fire it up. I've been kicking myself for selling it, but now DGAF. Imma buy one of these. Thanks dude!
I’ve been using NLP with an old Nikon macro on my xt2 but I’m considering this. Could you make a video using Negative Lab Pro and this scanner sometime? I’d be really interested in seeing the workflow and end results.
Cheers man.
Thanks! I am looking for a scanner and this looks like the best option. Thanks for the review. A upside down show box might make a good dust cover. For the roll film holder - search for a "Dental Disposable Barrier Film Dispenser Box Acrylic Plastic Stand Holder"
Also can you try NLP demo and compare to the lab scan? I'd be very much interested in seeing that. Might be close to the same results imo
Awesome trick with the plastic bag to keep dust down!
I actually recently just stopped shooting film mostly because there are no good 120 scanners for a reasonable price on the market. I still have a Nikonos that I will probably shoot some tri x through and print in the darkroom. I don't know why Kodak doesn't look into bringing out a Nikon coolscan equivalent, they would sell like hotcakes I reckon.
im with you there, would be great if the big players would invest some resources in a new scanner.
I’m also from australia. Where did you buy this scanner from?
I'm on the mac version of VueScan but I only see Portra 400NC and 400VC which one do you use?
How good is the sharpness from corner to corner? Is this a problem with slightly to moderately curved film?
Nope. Holds the film really flat from all
4 sides
How consistent are your results? Is the scanner still working? I I'd like to get one (in sick if the high Res scan prices in UK) but the reviews are really bad. Thanks for quality content ❤️
nice...did not know about this scanner til i watch this
Been getting really frustrated with consistency using DSLR scanning, and this looks like exactly what I need. Any other update on workflow since using this for a year? Great video, thanks!
About 75 rolls deep, no issues, still love it. Has made life so much easier.
Couple tips.
Keep the dust out, can cause blue lines to appear in scans. But using a rocket blower does work.
Keep firmware updated. Can only be done using the crap cyberX Software.
Silver fast version 9 has been fantastic
nice review mate. was looking to rebuy a pakon and totally unaware of this scanner until seeing this. guessing you've scanned heaps since rec this video.... still recommend? any annoying quirks?
I got two of those, one under the Reflecta branding, the other one with the Pacific Image branding, with VueScan these things are beasts.
Hey I have 2 questions for you. With the 35MM Xas do you see linear scratches that the dust removal function (in silverfast) doesn't remove? I see it a lot. And last question there does seem to be more resolution with the Xas over the V700, but I am also getting some color noise and not really grain, are you getting this too? Trying to see if mine needs to be returned. Thanks!
Thanks for the review! I'm sold.
So glad to see you back bro!
Hey, great video! I just purchased VueScan and got myself the PrimeFilmXAs after seeing this video - now the problem that I am facing is that VueScan does not recognize the scanner. Do you know how I can fix this? Thanks!
Exactly what ive been looking for. Thank you
Great vid Coops and good to see you back making videos, hope that GF670 is treating you well. Just further information on the Pakons (I have both a f135 plus and f335) - they run mostly on Windows XP (perhaps 2000, but native to XP; you can use a Virtual Machine to boot it from modern software such as Windows 10). They can produce up to a maximum 3000x2000 image (which is 6 megapixels), but its a very sharp 6 megapixels and you can get incredible colours but most importantly for me, extremely fast and very good hardware based dust correction which to me is priceless. I was lucky enough to purchase before the massive price increase (you used to be able to pick up the Pakons for $300 near their lowest point) but to me they deserve the price tag that they carry.
thanks for the info
In case it wasn't already mentioned, the XA scanner is basically a rebranded Reflecta RPS 10M, which retails for $1000 USD. Pretty good value at $460 (B&H price).
The opposite, it's made by Pacific Image and rebranded by Reflecta.
awesome review, mate! couple of Qs if you don't mind though... does this come with an autovolt power supply (US version works in AU/NZ)? can you use this for a single frame 35mm film? i found some old ones from my folks that for some reason have been cut into 1 or 2 frames. wondering if i can feed it into this?
The power adapter says input 120-240 volt. For strips of 2 you're out of luck, but for single frames there is an option. The XA can scan mounted slides, so if you can get your hands on some simple plastic slide mounts you can use that as a sort of single frame carrier.
Re:Silverfast... I had this problem with my V550 and then I got a Plustek 8100 which came with a copy. The only way I could get it to work was to install another copy of Silverfast into a different location. Their software only works with one type of scanner which is a huge turn-off but if you get it for free, then just install it to a different location and run it like it's a separate program from your Epson version. Worked for me anyways. Edit to add - good to see you back!
Love my Z6 and tokina 100mm macro for dslr scans. Use neg lab pro for conversion. Love affair with film has grown so much I’ve started building a darkroom in the garage.
Gret video! I bought the Primefilme XA myself one week ago because I'm tired of using my Plustek 8200i and poke every single negative through it... This little beast will save me so much time. And I'm really happy with the results.
I'm also using Vuescan because it can store the infrared dust removal information inside the raw file for Negative Lab Pro.
I think you don't need to write "1-2-3-4-5 ...." into VueScan. If you set it to "1" and start batch scanning it will also scan the whole film.
Enjoy your scanning. :)
HI Pablo, apart from being faster is the XA better than the plustek in any other ways like image quality?
@@filmdigitalvideos Hi, "just" the time I safe for a whole role. (Moseley I liked to scan the whole roll and not just single images. The quality is the same like the Plustek 8200i for me I can't see a big difference in quality.
I don't know if that was a Plustek or a silverfish problem but with the XAs I can scan as a negative (for negative lab pro) and activate infrared scan with VueScan. With the Plustek and Silverfast there was no option to do this.
Hope this helped.
Hi pablo, i too feel like wanting to get this batch scanner over my plustek but i read some problem after long time usage…how’d you find yours so far?
@@riswanc I can‘t complain anything about the XAs. Mine works perfectly is way faster as the Plustek. It is still not so fast as a Pakon scanner but I also don’t have enough energy to maintain a Windows XP VM to get a Pakon running… :D Currently I only scan negatives and do the converting with Negativ Lab Pro afterwards. Hope this helps. :)
@bluesilver7489 Hi Pablo, I'm on the market for one of these but read mixed reviews on the batch scan. Some people complain that the machine sometimes advances too far and it wont properly scan an entire frame. Does yours advance frames flawlessly or have you experienced this?
I think it's important to note for anyone viewing this that the Noritsu can do far higher res scans that what is shown in this video. A Noritsu full-res image will blow this scanner out of the water but of course labs tend to pump out quicker scans so they can do more per hour. I own a Fuji Frontier and it has various settings that allow you to do high-res or high-res at a quicker rate (Quality over Performance as it is called) and the difference is very noticeable.
The scans out of the Pacific are pretty good but a Noritsu or Fuji operated by someone who understands colour will win every time....especially the colour which is the hardest part of colour film scanning. The Pacific is a $1000 scanner - the Noritsu sells for about $30k. Having said that the Pacific does quite a good job for the price if you are prepared to put in the post-processing work.
ive put properly done lab scans on a noritsu and a nikon and a frontier next to each other as well as a epson and the differences were nill in most cases. not worth the extra money
Nice....A noritsu cost $15,000....If it breaks for whatever reason, there goes several more thousand dollars.
"A porsche will beat a toyota corolla",, well no shit.
How long does a whole roll usually take?
This is probably a very silly question. But, do you scan with the emulsion (dull part) facing up or down? The instructions on the scanner say the emulsion side should be facing upwards but this doesn't look right to me. Anybody who has experience with scanner, please give me the clue. I just started testing this scanner last night. Results where good enough but I am sure the scanner can do a better job, it is also me that I have no experience with Silverfast SE (included with the scanner), I need to investigate more about the right settings to use into the software.
Would be interesting in comparison between this scanner and some of the Nikon's
If only I could get my hands on one I would
Hey Coops, great video. Reckon a comparison with DSLR scanning video would be great (for me personally, but many others I’m sure). I’m thinking of starting DSLR scanning with my XT-2, and think a vintage macro (micro Nikkor 55/2.8 or 3.5) + extension tubes might be a good cheap option for me.
Hi, my husband has bought the scanner and is having a lot of trouble using it. He contacted Pacific and they advised him to update the drivers and firmware but that is not working out, maybe because he is trying to use it on his Macbook Pro instead of his PC. From what I can see you seem to be using a PC, is that right? We are in Perth so I am trying to find someone to come and help him who is familiar with the Apple system, do you know anyone? Thanks for the really great video, I am sure it will be invaluable once he actually gets going!!
Thank you very much! I have been using Nikon 4000Ed for 20 years but my second one died. I love Nikon one because I can do batch scan! I knew about this scanner but I judged it by looks! It looks like a toy! But looking at your review, I am sold! This is the one I need! I hope my old mac with vuescan would support this! Yep not sold in OZ so B&H has it in stock but looks like I need to wait until chaos in USA ends...? Also I love your workflow!!!! Simple enough! Thank you so much!
Just wondering, is it possible to include the sprockets in the scan? Been doing shooting a lot of 135 film in 6x6 and 6x9 cameras and the exposed sprockets are too cool to be cropped out
No won’t be able to do that
HI Tom, the only way I can think of doing this is either flatbed scanning, or just taking a photo of the neg with a digital camera.
Pakons are magic
On the SilverFast splash screen you need to go to 'service dialog' then click 'upgrade license' then add the key you got with the XAs .
I had the first version (PacificImage PrimeFilm XA) and it was VERY bad at detecting frames and it would scan an entire strip with each picture having half of one photo and half of the next. I ended up getting a Plustek so I wouldn't have that problem. Maybe this new version is better.
Great review. Excellent scan quality. But agonizingly slow if you have a lot of color slides to digitize one-by-one. As you said at the beginning, "I hate scanning!" 😊
I've had my eye on this scanner as well, but the reviews are few and far between. One thing not covered here - how loud is it when in operation?
Not loud, but not quiet. It’s got servo motors in it or a belt driven film track, just from what it sounds like.
I would say it's distractingly loud and the variety of different noises is fairly annoying.
Looks good man! Cooper is gonna be shooting more 35 again 😁👌🏼
I got more than 60 rolls give me a tip in what to shoot.
how long does it take to scan a roll of 36exposure color?
My Primefilm XA scanner manual says to insert the negatives with the emulsion side up. You seem to be inserting the film the other way around (shiny side up). Have you noticed any difference in scan quality based on the film orientation? What I don’t like about inserting emulation side up is that I get an inverted image that I need to “mirror” after.
all my colour results have been amazing doing it that way, but ive found with Black and white film i get better results when i do it your way
Shootswithcoops thanks, good to know. Lately I’m only scanning B&W at home. When I shoot color is mostly slide film which I send to a lab to get them developed and mounted (for projector viewing).
Is this scanner still working well for you?
Coops where did you buy machine….at the moment very hard to get and expensive.
From B&H photo, was around $850 AUD with shipping and the exchange rate
@@shootswithcoops Just ordered one from B & H….way cheaper than Amazon.
I scan my negatives with the 7artisans 60mm 2.8 macro for just 170$. Anyone who has a fujifilm camera should take a look at this lens
Good lens. I own it, too.
Thank for the great video. Is there any possibility of scanning 35mm panoramics, for instance shot with a x-pan?
Not automatically. The scanning bed is only just wider than a standard 35mm frame. You could scan each side of the frame and stitch them together after, but I don't think you could use the batch scan option.
Wow, the results look great! Sounds like it's about equivalent to 24 megapixels in terms of resolution which is fantastic, sharpness looks perfect, and considering how much fussing you would have to do with a DSLR or flatbed to get anywhere near that quality, that's a bargain. Cheaper than a mid-tier APS-C camera, and it does all the work for you? I think I'm sold.
First attempts with Vuescan and the Primefilm XAs Super Edition were rough (B&W negatives). Little white worms all over the image with negatives right out of the sealed envelope and a thin line running the length of the image. My download scans from Dwayne’s were clean. Hopefully, I can figure it out.
If you haven’t, go on the pacific image website and download the firmware update, they have released several, may fix the issue
As Simon mentioned - you have to buy a license for each model of scanner that you own. But you already get a copy of this software on a CD with the scanner - use your new serial number when starting the Silverfast and make sure Xas is attached directly to usb port of your computer. Select XAs as your scanning device in the Silverfast UI and use new serial. If you still have troubles - just contact Lasersoft with your license number. I'm sure they are able to solve an issue like this.
Do you know if the gate will allow for panoramic 35mm?
Do you have a 3D printer, I found the perfect solution to holding the input and output fill roll.
What’s your solution?
In Silverfast how do I scan the whole roll or a whole strip at once? I've been doing it one by one lol
When you click scan,
Option. make sure to click “batch scan”
Thanks Coops!
Video starts at 3:40.
The XAs comes with a version of Silverfast included now and I was able to get a 10000dpi scan from it, which turned out considerably nicer than the 5000 dpi.
The claimed 10000 dpi is just pure fantasy. This is interpolated resolution and not real optical resolution. The max optical resolution of this scanner is actually 4100 dpi @ 5000 dpi setting, quite high in fact , but a long way away from 10000 dpi. Scan @ 5000 dpi for the max 4100 dpi true optical resolution. To date the only scanners that come within 95% of the stated resolutions are the now defunct and out of production Nikon Coolscan ED ( LS9000, Coolscan V and LS 50 ) series of scanners, which claim 4000 dpi and achieve around 3900 dpi as a minimum.
@@lensman5762 I do believe you're incorrect as the spec on the XAs on Pacific Prime's website lists resolution as true optical 10000dpi as of 2018. This is the newer model, than the model reviewed on this video.
@@vastrida The quoted figure of 4100 ( still very impressive ) was the result of the tests carried out by filmscanner.info who carry out detailed tests on all the available scanners, and the resolution figures were derived from direct scanning of USAF-1951 resolution test chart. This alone gives the true optical resolution of the system. Manufacturers have their own way of quoting resolutions, and it could include, Optical ( lens ), CCD, Interpolated, x,y axis etc. None gives the true system optical resolution which can only be determined by actual scan of a test chart. You have a cheap Chinese made scanner who claims hardware resolution of 10000 and an Imacon Flextight X5 that costs the best part of $30000 and has a tested true system optical resolution of 6300. I leave you to judge the matter for yourself.
@@lensman5762 thanks for background, will do some reading. I have a really beautiful old 60's b/w film archive and I'm trying to suss out the best scan for it. The places I can get in the USA may not cut it.
@@vastrida The one here may do it. I would read about the number of cycles it is guaranteed for first. It is not the resolution that is the main concern for me ( its plenty enough ), but the D-Max and how it can cope with difficult to read dense negatives of yesteryears, given that it wasn't fashionable to coat the film on clear Estar.
I might have to replace my Pakon135 with this scanner.
The Pacific Image won't win any beauty contests, but makes some impressive scans!
Did you ever replace it? I’ve yet to find people actually comparing the two
plastic bags holding negatives sound to me to be a static electricity generator.
Maybe not significant, but might be.
I got a coolscan for a higher price a few decades ago, and it doesn't do batch like yours.
I like what you have.
I've never had much luck with silverfast, I like the vuescan.
It's a janky solution, but it seems to work for me. The film moves slowly, so there shouldn't be much static build-up. Have an antistatic cloth on hand just in case.
Is there a minimum amount of frames you can send through it?
Great job!
Great video, I also really like DSLR scanning
What is your set up?
How long does it take to batch scan a roll with this?
Hey are you having any recent issues with VueScan? I’ve been using it for a while, but this last month, I’ve noticed it isn’t batch scanning. It tends to stop after about the third scan at 5k DPI. Rather, it freezes.
Hey man. No issues with vuescan. I managed to get silver fast working also and have been using the batch function with that program which works a bit more seamlessly
Shootswithcoops are you using the base SilverFast SE 8 or do you use the SE plus? I can’t seem to get it to scan at anything above 1000 ppi/dpi. If I type 5000 ppi in it just resets to 1000 unless I go through the workflow pilot. I switched to VueScan because it’s color accuracy out of the box was better and I don’t have a color accurate screen. So if you have any advice. I’ll take any. Thank you for replying!
What do you use to convert to AC 50Hz 220-240v?
I thought the scanner powersupply was 12V ? (But I could be wrong).
Is this a better scanner than the Plustek 8200i?
Yes, resolution wise. Pulstek effective DPI is 3200, compared to 4300 DPI for this scanner (which is just a rebranded Reflecta RPS 10M). Check here: www.filmscanner.info/en/FilmscannerRangliste.html
Just get a $10 clear plastic tub with lid from Walmart to put the scanner in.
I was thinking similar, just wipe the desk down with a damp cloth to remove dust, set everything up and place a large plastic container upside down with out the lid over the whole setup, get a clear container so you can keep an eye on things.
Do you have any issues with light thin lines on your scans? Looks somewhat like scratches
I've just bought the scanner and appear to be having the same issue
@@cadamsinbali so i did two things. I initially replaced it because of a different issue. Then i bought a can of dust off for the entry ways on the scanner. Instructions are on the website. That has improved it a lot. Using the dust removal software gives a really clean file. Definitely upgrade software to silverfast or viewscan vs CyberView
what is the difference between that scanner and a Reflecta RPS 10M ?
Same scanner rebranded.
I have the regular XA model (I think they changed a light bulb or something on the XAs). The main issue I have with this scanner is that if your camera does not space frames evenly it will have a hard time batch scanning correctly so it might not work for those with older cameras.
EDIT: Just to clarify, what I mean by may not work is batch scanning may not work for older cameras where the spacing between frames is not consistent.
One other detail about this scanner. If you are using a Apple computer with USB-C there were changes to how hardware can access some things so the scanner may not work right away. To get the scanner to work you will have to turn off your computer, plugin and power on your scanner then turn on your computer. Super lame but once it is up it works.
You can do an "overview" prescan in Silverfast and adjust the individual frames. Kinda time-consuming though. Another workaround would be to scan 6-8 frames at a time and then adjust for the subsequent frames and scan some more. This works for me because some of my older cameras tend to widen the gap in the film frame as you approach the end of the roll. I have a review on my channel. Hope this helps!
@@FilmPhotographyChannel Thanks. I seen your review before. I did notice the overview feature in Silverfast a couple weeks ago when I was scanning a roll. I was not sure if I could adjust the gap. I will have to give this a try. I also ended up getting Vuescan because I found a nice used v700 and just could not stomach spending another $200+ (with discount) on the Ai version of SF so now I have two apps for scanning with the XA. Negafix is nice but I decided to with with a RAW scan plus ColorPerfect workflow for the images I really like. Oh the rabbit hole of scanning.
How old would you consider as old? I’m in the market for one of these but the reviews on tricky auto feed feature is what’s hindering me. I have a Pentax k1000 though I have no idea which year from (anywhere from 1975-1997 I believe is when they manufactured these)
@@MoeyMikeGaming I think cameras where you have to manualy wind are more likely to not have a consistent gaping between frames. I have a Leica M3 with just about perfect frame advancing so it is not an issue. I had a old Yashica Lynx there it was not as clean. I have a F100 with auto advance and the spacing is perfect. Had a AE-1 and don't think spacing was that even (maybe). I don't have any shooting experience with the K1000 so I don't know. K1000 is newer than my M3 but so was the Yashica. Honestly though, the PrimeFilm XA is a chad of a 35mm scanner and I would not let something like the gapping stop you. Once you figure out the quirks and how to use you will be able to make it work for you.
@@Being_Joe thanks for your detailed response! I read that the primefilm xa is indeed slightly better than plustek if setup properly. So I was thinking of just doing manual scans frame by frameif for whatever reason autofeed is messed up - that's still possible right? auto feed is just a feature and not the one and only default setting on these?
There's still one spot on the wall for one more framed photo!
Nice Vid mate. Just wondering amongst the viewers if anyone has had issues with the machine scratching negatives 🎞? Seems to be happening for me. Going to do some tests with the machine vs DSLR scans to aim to prove. But pretty sure at the moment it’s the machine itself. Scratches are from left to right so not from the scanning head. Best guess the film moving in the machine
I would love to get an answer to this question too... I have been going back and forth between the Plustek and XAs and keep leaning towards the XAs however, although mostly good feedback there are a few comments floating around the internet about scratch damage that have kept me from purchasing.. Any idea if this is a common problem?/ have you had any luck fixing or working around it?
I seem to be having the same issue with scratches :(
I hear these complaints about a lot of machines. Some say that if you run a few batches through the machine the scratching disappears (so start with negatives you don't care about to see what happens).
Well, now I want one but don't wanna spend the money. Sticking to DSLR scanning for now but maybe down the road a bit. Thanks for the review!
Thanks for watching
Hey man, can you post some high res scan samples on Dropbox or similar? That would be really helpful. Thanks
Actual discussion starts at 3:45, FYI.
You never answered to the Silverfast comments, so hopefully you made it work and compared to VueScan, back when I got my film scanner I prefered SF over Vue Scan and stuck with it. And yes, their licensing is confusing and sucks! (Edit: I just saw you're using it in your newer video, nevermind).
One possible reason why the scanner might not be talked about more is that it's named differently in different parts of the world, Pacific Image is just the US version. Here in Germany it's called the Reflecta RPS 10M, it might be the original but I'm not sure, maybe the original has an unpronouncable chinese name or whatever. :D
Silverfast is licensed to the scanner, you need a different version for each scanner. It also means you can use Silverfast on multiple computers with the same scanner.
You think its worth buying a pakonf135+ over this one?
Shoots with coops is the best film youtuber
Great vid! Definitely uninstall WoW and hop on OSRS instead though 😂
Where’d you buy this from?
B&H photo or Amazon seem to be the only places that stock it
@@shootswithcoops Goes to Amazon " oh look, this thing I wanted is only $100 ! Yay, oh wait, that's US dollars so factor in the conversion and it's $160, oh well still okay, oh wait, plus $50 shipping, so that's $210, well it's a bit pricey but I, oh wait, plus GST on everything, so that's ah.... oh Fuck it!
Is that lab Fitzgerald’s? Great lab, but I agree their scans are nowhere near as good as what I get with my Plustek 8100 and vuescan. The plustek can’t batch scan, but is otherwise a great alternative in terms of quality. I don’t understand why people use dslrs, they should get one of these scanners instead.
Hi Jai, I used to get my film developed and scanned in Fremantle and they offered 2 different levels of scan, the first one was included with developing but was low resolution, and another option was to pay I think $10 more and they'd give a higher quality scan. Maybe try them out if you're not happy with Fitzgeralds? However they can only do colour negative developing, no black and white.
Just an F3 I think Fitzgerald’s is one of the best labs in Australia. But my point is that scanning yourself with a good dedicated film scanner will always be better, unless you pay big money for a drum scan. Full 48 bit colour tiff files are the key
There was something seriously wrong with your Noritsu lab scan. There’s no way it produced such a crappy file, so either you got the budget lowest quality, somebody downrez’d it badly, or something.
I have “large” (their second tier) 13MP Noritsu scans from theFINDlab, and you can see individual hairs on people’s arms in street photos.
Silver fast licenses by type of scanner.....your flatbed software will not work on your scanner unless you buy a silver fast license for the new scanner
Fantastic video. Had read about the Pacific Image, but the details so bad I went for the Plustek 8200I instead. Don’t regret it, but auto batch would have been handy.
Plustek scanners w/Vuescan are another reliable quality option.
These scanners appear to be a generic Chinese made scanner available at varying prices, and under different names in different part of the world. In Europe they are marketed as the Reflecta series of scanners and the one under review is the Reflecta RPS 10M version. I guess the 10M refers to the fantastical 10000 dpi interpolated ' resolution '. What is worrying for me is the very short life cycle of the scanners, which is stated somewhere on a very credible German review site, that states loss of quality should be expected at around 10000 scans. This is due to the wear to the optomechanical components of the scanner. For a casual user 10000 scans is reasonable, but to a film shooter who wishes to digitize the negs at max resolution this figure is actually quite low.
Interesting. What do you think the best consumer grade scanner is currently ? The market seems very thin and there are big tradeoffs between price, quality, reliability and speed. I thought the manufacturer is pacific image which is based on Taiwan.
@@juandenz2008 None TBH, unless you shoot medium or large format where the Epson V series ( I believe this also been thinned down to V850 only now ) of scanners. Here the V series shine. The only other solution is to find an old Nikon ED series ( 5000, 9000 or 50V ) and hope that it would last the course, some of the asking prices for these used and old scanners are comical. Nikon stopped producing these a long time ago, and I doubt if spare parts were widely available these days. The Epson scnners are not at their best with 35mm but at least they can scan. The other solution is to use a digital camera to digitise your 35mm negative. Contrary to what all the Mega Pixel loving aficionados claim, a digtal camera of 16~24 MP at base iso coupled to a proper Macro lens, will extract all the information from a 35 mm negative. Most 35 mm negatives shot these days do not contain more than 12~16 Mp of data. There is also the choice to go for something like a Plustek scanner. These are not either a Nikon or even a Minolta but they do a half decent job of manual scanning of 35 mm negs. Hope this helps.
hows it compare to dslr scans?
Better than the scans i had been getting with the Xt3
Shootswithcoops how about for your medium format? do you digital print from scans? what type of printer do you use there, tnx
Coops is a WoW player!
helped pass the time on lockdown lol
You have way TOO Much items on your desktop. Your Hogging the Memory - I was like that when I got my first Desktop, now it is on the Main Folder like Printer folder, Photo Folder in which it has 4 programs, etc. And I too have a Pacific Image scanner, and your right that older scanners cannot be use to newer OS systems that when using my PI Scanner that I have to use a Laptop that has XP, but I manage in using Windows 10 on a Paint Shop Pro9 and still using the scanner, abit slow, but I am happy that it is working... And I do have a Flat bed scanner - Canon Canoscan 9000F..
can i scan xpan frame with it?
I’d love to know the same.