Introduction

The Plustek OpticFilm 120 is one of the most compelling, most flexible multi-format film scanners with a compact form factor ever made.

Looking for excellent ultimate quality and practicability I bought an OF120.

Now, four years later and after digitizing hundreds of films I’d like to share my experiences.

Key Specifications

Multi-format (35mm, 6x4.5cm, 6x6cm, 6x7cm, 6x9cm, 6x12cm) - comes with all the holders
CCD-sensor
Resolution max. 10.600dpi
Built-in infrared for automatic scratch & dust removal
Maximum dynamic range 4.01
48-bit output
Dimensions (wxdh) 210x374x189mm
Weight ~5.7 Kgs
USB 2.0
IT8 target for calibration included
Premium build quality

Plustek OF120 hidden under a padded dust cover fromdigitaldeckcovers

Scan Quality

Resolution

According to the manufacturer, the OF120 is capable of scanning at 10.600dpi. Having scanned at this insanely high resolution, I can tell you that even if the scanner truly achieves 10.600dpi, I find almost no practical use for this.

Only once - for 3x4m prints - I scanned a 6x7 negative at 10.600dpi which resulted in a 418mpx file! Obviously, the scanner “outresolved” the actual photographic material. The sharpness and crispness of the final print, however, stunned every visitor of the exhibition.

While it is nice to have such a high resolution at my disposal, I mostly scan at 5.300dpi. This gives me around 35mpx when scanning 35mm - enough to capture every relevant nuance present in the emulsion.

Sharpness

Buying a film scanner is not only about resolution, but also about sharpness.

For example, when copying a negative with a digital camera, one can easily achieve a 35mpx digital copy. So, as I found out in my recent comparison, even with the most high-end setup, the Plustek OF120 always delivered crisper results, requiring almost no sharpening in post production.

The lab applied a different film profile for the conversion, hence the colour shift. Apart from that, I don’t find the Plustek scan lacking quality, actually it looks a bit sharper.

Dynamic Range

When used in conjunction with the bundled high-end scanning software SilverFast, the OF120 is able to execute a multiple exposure scan to achieve a maximum dynamic range of 4.01.

Even without enabling this feature - which more than doubles the scanning time per frame - the Dmax is very good.

Nonetheless, when digitizing grossly overexposed and therefore very dense film, I found using the multiple exposure feature necessary.

Dust & Scratch Removal

When working with colour material, the scanner is capable of scanning an IR-channel to automatically remove dust and scratches from the final scan.

It is a useful feature, but always introduces small pixel-level artifacts to the final image. You have to simply try it out and see for yourself.

Speed & Workflow

Plustek 35mm holder & adjustable 6x4.5 holder

Analogue photography takes time, there is no exception. So unless you decide to go the camera scanning route, there is no way around that.

The good news is that the Plustek OF120 comes with some features to reduce the time you have to actually sit in front of the computer / scanner, especially when scanning 35mm film.

Citing from plustek.com:

The OpticFilm 120 includes patented, adjustable pitch 120 film holders that ensures flat film for in-focus scans. Users do not need to cut 3-frame 6x7 120 film strips. The Opticfilm 120 also uses an automatic motorized film transport system that speeds the scanning workflow.

This means that once you have to strips of up to six frames of 35mm inserted in the high-quality holder, you have to run a prescan and adjust the framing. This takes about 10 minutes.

After choosing resolution, IR-channel, double-exposure, file format and so on, the scanner automatically digitizes all 12 frames. If you choose resolution of 5.300dpi and more, this might take around 45min, but the you don’t have to sit there, it just does its thing.

In the end, if you really want to speed things up, I recommend buying the SilverFast ArchiveSuite (SilverFast HDR). With that, you can do a 64bit TIFF-scan, which is like shooting RAW with a digital camera and edit it later. I found this piece of software money well spent, and SilverFast offers usually significant discounts for users of bundled scanner software.

Using this software and setting the scanner to a resolution of 2.650dpi, which results in a 6mpx for 35mm film (sufficient!), the scan time for a whole roll + image editing goes down to around 45min. This is pretty acceptable.

To be fair, though, right out of the box it is not the fastest scanner and newbies who don’t have there workflow sorted out might end up being frustrated by the time it takes them to digitize a roll of film.

Verdict

Image-quality wise, the scanner blows every flatbed scanner out of the water and is able to go toe to toe with high-end lab scanner costing many thousands of Euros.

A professional lab scanner is significantly faster though, but for professional home users looking for the best image quality possible, there is no way around this model.

Features like automatic film holder advance keep the amount of time spent in front of a computer acceptably low.

Availability & Successor

The bad news is that the Plustek OF120 went out of stock around 2019, currently only remaining stock is sold. So if you happen to find one, go for it. As I had no reliability issues with mine, I would not hesitate buying a used one.

The Plustek OpticFilm 120 Pro was released in 2020.

Plustek OpticFilm 120