Once you're up and running this machine scans high quality images of slides and negatives. At 7000+ ppi it tales my computer and this machine about 5 minutes per slide. If you use dust reduction it takes twice as long, but worth it.
If you're really into archiving your family slide/negative archive this machine will get the job done.

I really like the unit and online support has been very good. I ONLY wish the scan area was .5 wider in all directions.
That way i could get a true full frame by filing out the slide neg holder. I'm want that arty look where you see outside the 35mm frame for some shots. I filed out the plastic neg holder and I can get three side but not the 4th. I've written them but they say not possible beyond 35mm. That sucks cause the only other option is the $1300 120 film scanner. The software from Silverfast is a mystery and you are pretty much on your own. Support is sketchy at best or non-existent. I have been looking at other options but silverfast works. Oh my one Plustek grip - I upgraded from the 8100 to the 8200 for the iSRD laser fix on neg scratches. They should say it doesn't work on b&w. However they do also include the SRDx which is on the 8100 model so BOTH programs are on the 8200. They sorta say it as a check in a box but if you don't know what is what, you're in the dark. They should be clearer on that point. Hell, its a sales feature. So would be the FULL FRAME Fine art scan if they could increase the scan area just a hair!!!

Setup was easy, I suggest downloading the driver from the Plustek site. The driver installation window didn't close or even say it was finished, but it was installed correctly. I opted for the SE package (rather than the AI) because I don't have a need for the additional calibration. I believe the hardware is the same for either bundle, so you're not sacrificing any specs by going with the SE. :)

Most reviews say that the included SilverFast software is hard to use and may have installation problems. VueScan is one of the user-recommended programs, and I gave it a trial first. It's easy to use and as powerful as you'd like in terms of image adjustments when scanning (and will work with your other installed scanners.) I explored SilverFast further via its instruction booklet and online help videos, and while it's very capable, it's also very daunting. If you're scanning a few negatives and want to do a lot of fine-tuning up-front, it may be okay. But my intention is to capture 300+ rolls of film with a minimum of manipulation, and worry about retouching later as needed (knowing that only a small percentage would actually require revisiting.) So VueScan it is, and while it costs $90-100 on top of the scanner, it saves a lot of time and I feel is worth the investment.

The Plustek's infrared dust/scratch removal is very helpful, but not perfect. It only gets you about 75% there (see photo comparison) but the little extra scanning time up-front will save a LOT of time (and frusration) retouching later. If you're not an absolute perfectionist, you will find the existing removal suitable, especially for the web or printing at home (home printer ink 'blurs' just a little bit and will disguise most remaining blems.) But if you're a perfectionist like I am, it's easy enough to spend an few minutes later to make each image 100%. :)

Speed depends on the quality you demand. I am scanning color film with full 7200dpi resolution, using two "passes" and "heavy" infrared cleaning, and a strip of four frames takes just over 27 minutes from start (loading the negative strip into the carrier and scanning the frames) to finish (removing strip from carrier.) So it's easy to budget my time: a roll of 24 frames takes 2 hrs 45 min, and a roll of 36 frames takes about 4 hours. You can save a few minutes per frame by doing only one pass, and skipping the infrared cleaning, but I highly recommend the latter. When it comes to retouching them, you'll wish you'd spent that extra minute up-front. B&W film (one pass and no infrared cleaning available) scans considerably faster.

Some reviews said the scanner is noisy or loud, but it's no louder than my Epson flatbed (which is quietish.) Other reviews suggested that the scanner sometimes crashes with full 7200dpi scanning, but with almost 20 rolls under my belt it hasn't happened yet using VueScan.

The carrier was reoprted to break in a few cases, and it did start out hard to open and close, but it got a little easier over several rolls and no problems... yet. It might be smart to order an extra carrier or two, which covers you if one does break, and also improves your workflow as you load the next set of negs while the other set is in the scanner. I also saw a report of the frames always being skewed, and there's a little 'play' in the carrier, so it can happen. Easy to fix if needed, simply shift the strip. Same with the frame dividing slats that don't always match with the spacing on the film. That's a camera issue, and easily fixed by nudging the strip as needed.

This scanner is manual feed - you advance each frame by sliding the carrier with click-stops, so there's no guesswork about lining-up the frames. I don't mind going frame-by-frame, since there's usually some adjustment that needs to be made to each frame anyway (density, crop, etc.)

None of the scanners I compared in a wide price range got perfect reviews. The 8200i had the fewest objections, and I'm happy with it. It's not super-crisp... the film grain is a little soft without sharpening, but it can be sharpened afterwards and the grain 'pops' better. I would recommend it to 99% of the people who want to preserve their memories.

I purchased the Plustek 8200i two months ago, and I have used it to scan hundreds of slides and negatives since. The scanner and included Silverfast software have made it possible for me to begin to create a digital archive of my analog slides and negatives from the pre-digital camera era. I have found this scanner to be an invaluable tool for unearthing my own past, and I recommend it highly to anyone with the time and inclination to embark on such a project.

Installation and registration: I installed first on a Windows 8.1 machine, using the included disks. The supplied installation instructions are a bit confusing, but installation went smoothly, and I was quickly prompted to download and install an update. I also wanted to install the software on my Macbook Pro, and that was a little more complicated. First, I had to contact Silverfast for a download of the installation package, since my Mac doesn't have an optical drive. But I also had to get a new serial number for the Mac installation. Silverfast allows you to use the software on multiple computers, but only with one scanner. Thus your software is tied to the scanner, and the tracking associated with this may seem a bit complex. Communication with Silverfast support was fast and efficient.

The software has a myriad of options. Learning to scan slides and negatives effectively takes some time and experimentation. You will get surprisingly good results quickly and with little effort, but if you want to get the most out of your data, you will need to learn to exploit the many features available to you. You will also need to learn how to properly handle and mount slides and negatives on provided brackets. Also you'll want to check the film brand, type, and ISO and set it for those parameters or the closest alternatives in the scanning software.

As others have noted, many slides and negatives will have dust and scratches. You can try to clean them, and I would recommend using compressed air very carefully to remove visible particles before mounting the media. But this is where the 8200i really earns its keep. It has an infrared scanning option that detects and removes scratches and dust from the image. It really works! I've scanned images that on prescan looked horrible, but had no trace of dust or scratches when fully scanned with the IR. So experiment with this function early in your initial tests!

Another important feature is the ME option. Selecting ME instructs the scanner to do two passes at two different exposures. The results of the two scans are averaged, and the results are generally noticeably better than single scans. I almost always use this feature, though often the difference between an ME scan and a non-ME scan is subtle.

Each additional scan, the IR scan and the ME scan, adds time to the total scan time for each image. Increasing the resolution also increases scanning time. Because I'm interested mainly in viewing images on a monitor rather than in printing images, I usually set the resolution to 2400 ppi. Higher resolution will not be noticeable on today's monitors. At this resolution, each tiff file is just over 20mb.
Problems? The scanner has gotten confused once or twice, for example, when I've hibernated my Windows machine with the scanner powered on and connected. I agree with other reviewers that the video-based help system takes some getting used to, but it is particularly useful when one first tries to gain familiarity with the software interface. But overall, the 8200i has exceeded my expectations.

Sometimes it produces a blocked distorted image. Black and white film it occurs more.
(update: an update warns that you can't use the scanner software infrared scratch and dust removal on black and white. Only the built in hardware sys
Think windows 98 software. Seriously . Made me feel 25 years younger.
UPDATE: YOU HAVE TWO MONTHS TO UPDATE TO SILVERFAST 9 FOR FREE IF NOT $99

OK . Got the free upgrade to Silverfast 9 and it is nice. The scanner is nice. four stars.
My upgrade came in minutes after upload of orig. sn and proof of purchase