Top quality film scanner

Advantages: value for money, scan quality
Disadvantages: Install can be a pain, poor included software

...I researched several film scanners before selecting this one, and my main reason for purchasing it was the price: £200 for a film scanner with infra-red scratch correction is a bargain. I have heard many bad reviews about this scanner, and the one message I have is if you have problems (as I did) then with patience and perseverance it is worth it in the end! Out of the box With the scanner, you get two film holders and slide holders, a USB cable, a power adaptor, and a nice case to keep it dust free in. You also get an installation guide and a software CD which includes the drivers and 'free' SilverFast software. Installation This is where I had all the problems. It could be because I am using windows Vista, but I suspect that the fault actually lay with SilverFast. Once I had installed that, nothing worked and I...

schwana 29.03.2008 · Read review
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Review of Plustek OpticFilm 7200i

A Scanner Darkly

Advantages: Good Special Effects
Disadvantages: Not many

..."A Scanner Darkly" is based on the novel by Philip K Dick. Richard Linklater's film stars Keanu Reeves as undercover narcotics policeman; Bob Arctor. This is an interesting film but it didn't really move me deeply. There was some good acting but the story line was simply not exceptional. On deep reflection it is not a film that I would recommend. But if you want to watch it do so at your own risk. 1 hour forty mins Rating (15) The Product details The Actors: Rory Cochrane, Robert Downey Jr., Mitch Baker, Keanu Reeves, Sean Allen (II) Directors: Richard Linklater Format: PAL, Widescreen Language English Region: Region 2 ( DVD formats.) Aspect Ratio: Wide Screen:1 Number of discs: 1 Classification: 15 Studio: Warner Home Video DVD Release Date: 22 Jan 2007 Run Time: 120 minutes...

Nazuku 13.12.2007 (21.12.2007) · Read review
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Review of A Scanner Darkly (DVD)

Microtek ScanMaker 3600

Advantages: Affordable, solid, good quality and you can rest cups of tea on top!
Disadvantages: Sometimes slow to scan and other scanners do have better quality

...We have had out Microtek Scanmaker 3600 for well over 5 years now and it is still going strong and doing the job for our entire family. I'm not sure how much we paid for it, but it was not a lot because we just wanted a basic scanner that could scan in documents. It is very reliable, easy to use, with a suitable range of features but has the tendency to be a bit slow occasionally. 1. Looks, Design and Size The scanner is fairly good looking, quite elegant and fairly compact. It measures approximately 17" long, 10" across and 4" high so can fit into most desktop areas. It has a solid build to it and rather funky curve on the lid that gives it some added style. Furthermore, the main surface is flat and you can easily rest your cup of tea, lunch or bits of paper on top! The white colour is easy on the eye and fits in to most rooms...

sbutler1 26.03.2007 · Read review
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Review of Microtek ScanMaker 3600

A Scanner Darkly

Advantages: Very Stylistic, gerat soundtrack
Disadvantages: difficult to follow

...Having read Philip K Dicks book, A Scanner Darkly, I was eagerly awaiting the film adaptation. Upon hearing that George Clooney had optioned it no less, and that Richard Linklater was down to direct it I was kind of ecstatic. I have a lot of respect for George Clooney, following his efforts to turn out less main stream Hollywood films, in favour of thought provoking and interesting films. So when I heard that Keanu Reeves had go the lead role as Bob Arctor, my heart sank. To be fair to Reeves, his last couple of films have been stinkers. Matrix Reloaded and Revolutions were not bad down to his acting, more to the clunky direction of the Wachowski Brothers. But the lead character for A Scanner Darkly, in my opinion would always have needed someone who had a half decent range, and not someone who cam across as a bit of an airhead...

Lloyd1979 26.01.2007 · Read review
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Review of A Scanner Darkly (DVD)

Great Scanner

Advantages: good quality scanning
Disadvantages: software is rubbish, can take for ever to scan an image

...I bought myself this to scan various things (old photos, documents and some sheet music) and this does the job pretty well. It was a bit on the expensive side but I needed something that would give me good quality and I could trust that it would work well so I went for HP as they are well known for good quality products. TECHNICAL INFORMATION It can scan at up to 4,800 dpi (dots per inch) It has 96 bit colour It has a 216x311mm scanning screen Connects by USB It is 303x508x108mm (wxdxh) It weighs 5.2 kg So it can give you very good quality, it gets a lot of colours, it's got a decent sized scanning screen, it's pretty big and it's not a light weight utility. There is nothing in there to put me off though because I still bought it. A LITTLE BIT ABOUT IT Scanners have been dying out because they are getting beaten by...

dbirse 11.03.2007 (11.04.2007) · Read review
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Review of HP ScanJet G4050 Photo Scanner

More Scanners, not quite as good though

Advantages: Some good plot twists
Disadvantages: Doesn't add anything new to the previous movie

...The great thing about the original Scanners movie is it was a totally new idea combining elements of horror & science fiction with telepathy & telekinesis which gave the sinister but rather compelling story of good versus evil and brother against brother. Throw into that mix one of the first film roles for the awesome Micheal Ironside (as the evil brother) as well as the great film making ability of David Cronenburg and it made for a great underground cult horror 80's video nasty. The Scanners ability was caused by pregnant mothers taking a drug called Ephemerol, the child becoming a Scanner was its side effect. In this 2nd movie we mainly follow a lone good Scanner called David Kellum who it turns out is the son of the 2 surviving Male & Female Scanners from the original movie, he struggles to contain his power as we also see...

atytyut2434 02.05.2009 · Read review
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Review of Scanners 2 - The New Order (DVD)

Inexpensive Veteran Scanner, a Household's Friend

Advantages: Durable, Programmable, Easy to Set
Disadvantages: Too Slow for Offices, Quality Pictures Require Changing Settings

...The Microtec ScanMaker 4850 flatbed scanner might seem obsolete due to its quality, being half of what more modern scanners can offer, and the fact it is not a part of a multi-functional copier, but you should not be assumptuous about this device. Instead of reviewing the mechanics and energy consumption of the scanner, this summary will provide you practical information about the technology in question. The scanner came with an USB wire and power cord, instruction manual (it was unnecessary, as all you have to do is plug it in and install the software), installation CDs (multi-lingual, one for Max, one for Windows) with plenty of software including Microtek's scanner applications and an OCR application, which is gold, as it turns your scanned material available for editing in Word. Value for Money I've gotten this...

Lord_Kelvin 14.01.2009 · Read review
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Review of Microtek ScanMaker 4850

A Scanner Darkly

Advantages: Interesting depiction of future drug use and relationships
Disadvantages: Slightly dated dialogue, introverted like all Phillip K. Dick

...'A Scanner Darkly' is sci-fi, to be sure, and it's good sci-fi, no doubt about it- it gels together fantastic concepts and well thought out ideas with the mores and values of modern society, creating a fairly seamless blend of present and future. But mostly, it's about drugs. And that is partly why I would recommend it. The writing is classic Dick- snappy, looping dialogue, themes of paranoia, conspiracy and shifting interpersonal relationships. But the autobiographical element of the novel is what is most interesting, and that is largely centered around drug use. Despite a final epilogue where Dick laments the effects of drug abuse on himself and his circle, the writing is remarkably even handed during the novel itself. The side affects of 'Substance D' are the real driving force of the novel and its effects on the drug users...

earthbound23 19.06.2008 · Read review
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Review of A Scanner Darkly - Philip K. Dick

New Life to Old Photo's

Advantages: Cheap as chips
Disadvantages: Family ask you to Scan their old photos too

...Do you have boxes of old 35mm film or slides from before you bought that shiny new digital camea? This is the perfect gaget for transferring old films onto your PC and it is one of the cheapest that I was able to find. The FilmScan 2700 can scan 35mm positive and negative film. Once scanned, images can be saved, printed, shared, enhanced and published. The accompanying software contains several image adjustment tools allow scans to be fully optimized with maximum image detail and color accuracy. The unit is able to scan 35mm exposures in slide or strip format with a reasonably high 2700dpi optical resolution. Each top quality scan is complete in arounf 1 minute 10 seconds. So if you have a lot of images it does take some time, but the scanner does not take a lot of attention and you can watch TV or even write...

gizmoregis 09.09.2006 · Read review
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Review of Microtek FilmScan 2700

How to be popular with all your old relatives

Advantages: Value for money, excellent quality
Disadvantages: Will take up all of your time !

...For my birthday, Mrs Saturn decided to contribute to my slide scanner fund. After faffing around with entirely the wrong model, I bought one of these and never looked back. Background ********* I have taken slides for years and wanted a way of recording them for posterity. Also, many of my ancient relatives have huge libraries of slides gathering dust and slowly fading away. I decided that at some point I might like to borrow them to make an electronic family history. I forgot that slides are like gold dust in my family and no one will part with them, but that's another story. Having moaned about it for years, Mrs Saturn decided to contribute to the fund, so I bought a Microtek Filmscanner 35 from Jessops and it was useless. I took it back and swapped it for the Acer 2720s and haven't had a problem since. As an aside, Jessops...

Saturn 25.11.2001 (28.11.2001) · Read review
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Review of Acer ScanWit 2720S Film Scanner