Microtek ArtixScan M1 Pro versus Epson Perfection V750-M Pro ?

Anyone have experience on the Microtek ArtixScan M1 Pro ?
How does it compare to the Epson Perfection V750-M Pro ?
I am "needing" to purchase a scanning solution in the near future.
I've even toyed with the idea of a drum scanner, which I really want,
but all the deals on them are not without caveats, prohibitive shipping costs,
old age - software and hardware reliability, etc...

I have an M-1 (not the Pro). I should have gotten the "Pro" to get Silverfast, since I had to buy it later anyway. The provided scanning software is not well supported for OS upgrades, whether Mac or Windows, and I've never gotten Vuescan to work well.

The Microtek is very slow, very noisy, and I usually have to power cycle it after about 4-6 4x5" film scans.

If I were looking to buy new, I'd get the Epson. The slight advantage of glassless scanning for the Microtek is reduced by the frequency with which the film bows in the holder, and you have to re-scan anyway. Sure, you get a bit less dust with the glassless film holders. I've even bought mylar sheets and scanning fluid to use the glass holder for fluid scanning, which works well enough, provided I don't get bubbles, but it's a tedious process with this scanner.

Get the Epson. I might get rid of my M1 and get an Epson 750 soon myself.

Great information!
Thanks!

I have an M1 Pro at home and a V-700 in the studio for draft scans. Here is an account of my early experience with the M1 Pro. I kept the M1 for scanning 8x10, which it is reasonably good at. I do get unexplained streaks one or two pixels wide running the length of the scans sometimes, but not always. It is quite a nuisance. I think that the resolution is slightly better than the V-700, but only slightly. The glassless film holders of the M1 are not very good - the main holder frame warps easily and does not hold the film holders flat - I got a free replacement set of holders from Microtek, but they were no better than the originals. I tape the film to the glass carrier, and that works well.

The lack of ICE on the M1 is an occasional disadvantage.

Sometimes I use the Betterscanning holders for 4x5 on the V-700, but most of the time I use the ones supplied - we only use it for scans of 4x5 for laying out pages. I wouldn't buy the M1 Pro in preference to the V-700, never mind the V-750, however.

Best,
Helen

Does Microtek even sell in the US?

I bought two of the Microteks and returned both due to excessive fringing. I ended up with a V750 and have no fringing issues, with the same images. YMMV

I have the M-1's predecessor, the 1800F. Mine works great, even after, literally, hundreds of 4x5 scans. It's a little noisy, but I've learned to live with it. If you can find one in good working order, you'll need to use VueScan because Microtek hasn't updated their driver for Win-7 64 bit. However, when it comes time to replace it, I will buy whatever is the latest iteration of the Epson V750Pro.

--P

Quote:

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Originally Posted by cabbiinc

Does Microtek even sell in the US?

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They did abandon the US market for a year or more, but are back for now. Or were last time I checked anyway, Nov-Dec 2011.

A working M1 is a nice scanner, but they can be fraught with issues. Hard to recommend.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by cabbiinc

Does Microtek even sell in the US?

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AFAIK they don't distribute through resellers any more - since they returned to the US retail market, it's been direct only:

http://store2.microtek.com/shop/