Offsets and scanning on PrimeFilm XA

[newPFXA]

I have never experienced a more frustrating scanning experience than using the PFXA and silverfast, and my scanning days go back to the original Nikon coolscans, which had awful software.

If I load an individual film strip by hand and use the scanner buttons to center the frame, then scan, I get a decent result. However, the batch scanning of simple strips seems impossible. Silverfast/PFXA combo cannot find film frames at all. If I use the overview, I will get one or two frames centered OK but several that are cut off. (The distance between frames is consistent on the film, so I have no idea why the software/scanner can't just maintain the proper offset.)

Trying to use the offset adjust is confusing and seems to make things worse. If I choose a frame and choose adjust offset, I get a hand icon -- but where do you put it? I try putting it on the proper edge of the film (next the black bar that is the frame space) and it moves the film, doing a separate prescan, but it moves the film further out of the proper registration.

Can anyone explain step by step how this tool is supposed to work? I am trying to evaluate whether this scanner can actually batch strips, and if it can't, I'm going to return it. I want to give the scanner/software the benefit of the doubt, but having spent hours trying to get a couple dozen scans, I don't see how I could actually use this thing over time. (I am no scanning novice, having scanned thousands of frames over my years as a photog, on half a dozen different systems.)

[LSI_Ketelhohn]

Dear user,

The offset correction on the scanner itself, unfortunately, cannot be used because the scanner does not give feedback about the change. So the scan coordinates cannot be adjusted accordingly.
The Offset correction tool in Silverfast is used by defining the actual film edge. It will then try to move the film accordingly. The adjustment here has to take place in certain steps. So it might not move to the exact edge you defined.
The adjustment also can only be made for the entire film strip. It works best if you use one of the middle images.

Kind regards
Arne