How Good are the Microtek Scanners?

[RedSun]

It seems Microtek makes some good film scanners, such as the 1800f and the M1. How about the other models?

Are the glassless film scanning really that good, better than the Epson, such as 4990 and V700?

[Ron Stowell]

I had a Microtek that was absolute crap! Only thing it could do consistantly was freeze up, finally sent it to the computer bone yard.

[RedSun]

Really? I thought the glassless scanners are good. The M1 can do like >4,000 dpi optical?

[jcoldslabs]

I use a Microtek i900 scanner that works fairly well. I really like the snap in glassless holders for all formats. I've never used an Epson so I can't offer a comparison.

I've read lots of negative comments online about Microtek's products and especially their customer service, but this has not been my experience. My #1 complaint is that I get noise in the form of banding in the darkest shadow areas when I scan transparencies. The scanner is now 8 years old so this could be an issue with dust accumulation on the mirrors. I wouldn't make crucial prints from the images I scan with it, but for everyday use it works fine.

Jonathan

[Gem Singer]

A while back, my brand new Microtek M-1 made approx. thirty scans before it stopped working.

It took two weeks of E-mailing, back and forth, to convince the Microtek techs that the problem was caused by a manufacturing defect.

They eventually replaced it with another brand new M-1. That one didn't last long either.

Eventually ended up with an Epson V750 Pro, which is still going strong to this day.

[drew.saunders]

Really? I thought the glassless scanners are good. The M1 can do like >4,000 dpi optical?

Glassless can reduce dust, but a 4x5 negative will often sag in the glassless carrier, so you could have lower resolution and have to re-scan. I have an M1 and it's really about a ~2400spi scanner, even though it's rated at 4800, you don't get more detail, just bigger files, if you scan higher than 2400. You can use the glass carrier and mounting fluid, but that defeats the purpose of the glassless carrier, so you might as well go with the Epson. Honestly, I've been thinking of getting rid of it and replacing it with a V700 or 750 for some time, but it does work well enough.

[Kirk Gittings]

FWIW When I first bought one I had to return it a few times to get one that worked longer than a week. I later replaced it with the Epson 750 which IMO has a slight edge in quality.

[Frank Petronio]

Are they still selling them new? I had two returns before getting my money back....

[Paul Bujak]

I've had an M1 for two-three years and have had no troubles with it. It is very noisy, grunts and groans a lot but continues to work fine. My only complaint is that is is extremely SLOW! To scan a bunch of negs can take an eternity. I do like the 8x10 capability.

[Preston]

I have an 1800F that I've had for several years, and have had zero issues with it. Yes, it's a little noisy, but I just ignore it. I scan 4x5 at 1800 ppi using Vuescan on Win 7 64 bit. I can get a nice looking 16x20 quite easily. If I want a bigger print, I'll get a drum scan.

If you do find an 1800F in good working order and you are using a 64 bit Win OS, you'll need to use Vuescan. The reason is because neither Silverfast or Scan Wizard (Microtek's driver) have updated 64 bit software for this scanner.

I haven't noticed any film flatness issues with the glassless carrier for 4x5. I don't insert the neg/chrome until I'm ready to preview and scan.

I do hope the scanner lasts a good while longer, but I'll go with an Epson V700 or 750, or whatever the equivalent will be when the 1800f gives up the ghost.

--P