For "everyday photos" suitable - for more but not.

My task was: save nearly 2,000 slides and negatives of the past decades and digital preservation. To this end, I have a few years every now and then dealt myself with the topic "film scanner" and I ultimately decided the reviews and the apparent useful price / performance ratio, for this device. I returned today because of lack of power and want others to share in my tentative experiences. First,

BENEFITS:

* Overall impression and processing:
The device is not fundamentally bad. The processing and packaging are solid and make a good impression. The holding frames are solid and fix all image sources reliably and largely plane.

* Delivery:
It is neatly furnished with accessories, it (unfortunately not HDMI) are different power plug adapter, USB cable, video cable, two negative and Diaschlitten and a cleaning Spin moose for the inner workings at.

* Connections:
In addition to the USB / power port, there is a video output. So you can examine the just scanned images on the TV (to which the use of apparently targeted by the manufacturers target audience is probably limited as well).

* Handling:
Scanning goes really fast out of hand: record, save, done. Optionally, about 25 images are stored in internal memory or as many as the (optional insertable) SD card fit. The images are saved as JPEG files and can, if you like, directly after switching can be read on the USB mode via cable to the computer - the scanner is detected as a normal USB drive and allows all the usual file operations like renaming, deleting etc . This saves the back and herstecken of cards or cables and the power from the USB port is also sufficient for the operation during scanning.

* Image Quality:
The picture quality is indeed "quite ok" - as long as you "balanced" (sorry :) Allerweltsbilder scans, obtained results that the domestic flat-screen TV are sufficient for the "Slide Show" in any case. This is especially true for color negatives, which converts the unit in appropriate mode directly in Positive (there are for color and b / w films per a separate mode). But as soon as snapshots from the "fully automatic exposure program" leaves quite quickly reveal the

DISADVANTAGES:

* Image sensor and exposure:
Even in black and white negatives, which are often rich in contrast compared to color materials, but even more so at home from mostly very "hard" slides the boundaries of the image sensor and especially the automatic exposure can be achieved too quickly. Since it is enough if you Aunt Emma flashed against the light or an atmospheric night shot has made the beach with strong chiaroscuro differences. That's why annoying because to do that with a manual exposure (as a supplement to the seemingly firmly on "medium gray value" programmed exposure) the firmware could significantly alleviate what but no one has thought (for firmware see below). Especially "stick" in contrast making each light and dark parts hardly differentiable, low detail areas, and make this the high nominal resolution of the sensor again effectively destroyed.

* Color fidelity:
Almost all files (except the black and white) have a slight blue tinge. This was both negatives and slides, and especially in the case, and not only among those who have suffered even to the naked eye under the years but also in well-preserved photographs.

* Resulting image files:
Although you can with a good image editing program on the built-in correction filter (eg gamma etc.) sometimes even bring out a little, but also because it will quickly problematic because there is no way to get to the uncompressed scans. The device delivers JPEGs whose parameters are also not to be adjusted on the device, and so you have at least himself without further processing in any case a loss of compression, which no longer can be compensated for and destroys the details in darker areas and the subsequent optimization quickly sets limits ,

* Easy to use and firmware
You can scan (a frame at a time), the storage medium format (and delete), the picture just taken can reject each, unique (!) To the left or right tilt (but not rotate about 180 °), and it tilted, or not save. There is also a setting menu (with virtually no useful submenu) and the playback mode. In the USB mode you get, and here you quickly realize that little if anything has been invested for a practical Endbenutzertest the firmware, only immediately after switching on, or after taking a picture (then indirectly via the "Main Menu"). If the memory is full, you get an error message - must then off, then on again and can change only. Likewise, one comes from the USB mode is not reset again without the scan mode. Although these are all small things, to which one can certainly get used, but for a few thousand scans which is then but quite annoying. One already criticized by other reviewers point is that the built-in display is not to be used in the normal sitting at a desk, you have to the device then tilt (or make a hump).

* Missing or missing functions
Well, a manual exposure compensation, or at least the manual specification of a mean gray value / gamma value than individual recording standard can not be expected in this price range perhaps. But that it is not even is a way via the settings menu default values ​​for the exif data (which then read "Description: My beautiful picture, Date / time: 2008-01-01, 12:00 AM"), or even at least date and set the time, that's pretty weak.

CONCLUSION:
As previously by others and already written up in full version of me: Who just wants to convert only the holiday snaps from the fully automated small compact camera image into a PowerPoint show, will be satisfied with this device definitely. But I believe that many of the resulting images not even suck for further processing in a digital lab, at least not if you want more than 10x13 prints or printed coffee cups out. I personally put my hopes for my something more complex designs next to a Slide Duplicator for DSLR I've already ordered.

NOTE:
If I do not forget it, I will on occasion for comparing a scan from the device, and an image from the DSLR with the duplicator upload times. // Update: See below.

TIP:
Another fundamental advice for film scanning (with any device): Soft film brush and blower to get rid of dust and lint, unless you want afterwards herumretuschieren laboriously on the screen.

UPDATE / SUPPLEMENT:
I have now the Kaiser Slide Duplicator (which I will review on occasion). For comparison, I've uploaded images; see "Customer Images" on the product page. Conclusion: Anyone who already has a decent digital camera with good optics, to which one can connect a duplicator, surely thus receives higher-quality results.