Film scanner advice

[Zombie]

I decided to wait to go the full frame digital road and stick with my old gear.
I found this as CoolScan is either too expensive as new or I can't take it on my company bill if second-hand:
Plustek OpticFilm 7300 35mm film scanner on ePay:http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Plustek-OpticFilm-7300-35mm-film-scanner-882051_W0QQitemZ350028944724QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Scanners?hash=item350028944724&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1300%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318

Is this good enough for ripping old negatives and slides for amateur use? Reliable? Good software?

Thanks for the advice...

 

[guybat]

Review here: http://www.filmscanner.info/en/PlustekOpticFilm7300.html
I've never heard much of them before,and the review sounds a bit iffy. Unless you're making big enlargements, or trying to drag the absolute maximum from every slide, a cheap Epson V500 flatbed scanner would probably be good enough if you don't want to go the Coolscan route.

 

[wobbleu]

I had a Plustek cheapie, and a Minoltal (£300+ jobbie)
The plustek was ok, but the Minolta made a big difference and produced some pretty good results - downside for me was it highlighted how badly I had stored my slides (mildew problems).

Maplin have got a couple of USB film scanners at the moment that may be worth checking out - don't know if you could buy, try & return if no good under their return policy.

I have a friend who's semi-pro with a coolscan - gets some fantastic results with it - definitely a case of getting what you pay for.

 

[cliffpatte]

The plustek isn't very good and the software that comes with it crashes every time you start it. Sometimes it works after you reboot, sometimes not. The Coolscan 9000 is brilliant but expensive, so I would second Guy's suggestion of one of the Epsons rather than the Plustek.

cheers
Cliff