Pacific Image PowerSlide X 135 Slide Scanner. Auto Batch Scan Mounted Slides. Maximum 50 Slides/Batch Scan. 10000 dpi/48-bit Output. 4.2 Dynamic Dange. Mac/Pc. (Renewed)

Bought this scanner to digitize all of my parents old slides, they have both since passed and it has been great being able to see all the old memories we used to watch every year at thanksgiving with the whole family, I am scanning all the slides and making photo DVD's for other family members. A friend of mine had the previous model of this scanner so I was able to see how the device operates before buying, I will say this though I got the better product, the new scanner produces a quality image far superior to the previous model, the image clarity is awesome, and being able to batch scan by loading the tray and just letting it do its thing, cleaning the dirt and scratches automatically so I do not have to manually edit has been fantastic, previously I was scanning one by one then editing using a Photoshop, it could take me 10 minutes to clean one image it was so dirty. I have been extremely pleased with the color re-creation and the speed at which it scans, hey it is no Ferrari but I am not having to feed them one by one so 2-3 hours per tray automatically suits me just fine. I load the tray and let it go, while I go about my business doing other things, I did read some of the reviews mentioning they had trouble with it scanning 1/2 slides and blanks, I read in the manual that the included tray was for slides 2.0-3.0 mm thick, most of my old Ektachromes scan fine but some Kodachrome batches were thinner, so also purchased the Paximat Compact Magazine also mentioned in the manual to use when I have to scan those thin mounted slides, it holds the same 50 Qty. but is much shorter due to the thinner slots, but it worked like a dream on those thin mounts. This is a great device and has saved me loads of time not having to manually scan each slide.

I bought this scanner primarily for its ability to scan slides from a 50-slide tray rather than the hand-loading process I was used to. That and the potential 10,000 dpi resolution appealed to me. I wanted a machine that would let me set a batch running and go do something else. Not the case. The "calibration" step automatically precedes every prescan plus each scan, and the calibration gives an error message to which one must respond. Why hasn't there been a fix? The color quality is all wrong. Each scan is a mirror image unless one remembers to flip the prescan image, not feasible if one is hoping for a time-saving processs. Why doesn't the software yield an accurate image? Big programming flaw. Batch scanning doesn't work unless all the slides are oriented the same way, and even then a partially inserted or jammed slide will be truncated. The machine does jam. If one scans the entire square of slide plus mount to account for orientation, one must crop each image manually afterwards in addition to eliminating the mirror image and correcting the color. So much for batch scanning. Very unhappy, disappointed and frustrated. (Note: I have been happy with my PrimeFilm3560u by the same manufacturer, despite its max resolution of 3600dpi. The photos are the same 1969 Ektachrome slide scanned by the PowerSlideX vs the PrimeFilm 3650u.)

I bought this scanner for professional/business use. I mostly work with video, but clients often ask about scanning slides. Easy money, you'd think! Well...nope.First scan worked OK. Picture quality was a little on the soft side (even at 2500 DPI), even the specks of dirt on the slides looked super-blurry. Sadly, after scan number 1, I was left with the scanner "frozen", with an on-screen message saying the scanner was calibrating. After many minutes of waiting, it was clear that the scanner wasn't "calibrating" at all...it had simply stopped responding/doing anything useful.Tried using the scanner on a second Mac (also an M1 Mac)...same deal. A few scans in (out of a batch of 50) and suddenly it would just "die", at some random point. Usually whilst "calibrating", but sometimes mid-scan. Clearly something wrong here, and it would appear to be the software.Next, I tried it with a Windows PC. So far, no "freezing", but this is of no use to me. I NEED a scanner that works with my Mac. I don't normally have a Windows PC in this particular office...I had to borrow one from another department. I do have an Intel-based Mac here, which it might work with, but again that's not a workable solution (that Mac is always busy with other things!). Unfortunately, it looks like I'll have to return this scanner.Two more big problems: On the 7th slide (out of 50), the damned thing managed to mis-load a slide somehow, and I had to take off the "inspection hatch" and fish out the slide with a pair of tweezers. Ughh!Second HUGE problem: the results of using "Magic Touch" were BAD. I had horrible artifacts all over my scans. I then found out that this feature doesn't work properly with Kodak color slides. HUGE problem, since the vast majority of slides (from this client) are Kodak!All in all, a horrible experience. I truly cannot see where $1000 has gone into making this machine, either. (yes, I do realize it doesn't cost $1000 to make, but hear me out!). Some items you buy, you can truly see where the money was spent. This thing, God...I honestly can't see how it could POSSIBLY be worth more than about $400 retail. $500 at a push. Image sensors are NOT expensive these days, and the mechanism is nothing special. The software is old, clunky, and apparently not fully compatible with new Macs.FWIW, I did also download the latest firmware from the manufacturer's website. It didn't help fix the Mac issue. No change. Guess it's going back to Amazon :-(. Sadly there don't appear to be any real alternatives to this model - at least not with 50-slide automation. I think I'll just forget about offering slide scanning as a service! Seems to be a hassle!