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View Full Version : Microtek 2500F - something alive inside it?



Steve Baggett
14-Apr-2004, 23:10
In the last couple of months I've switched to scanning my 4x5's and digitally printing on a 7600. My LF scanner is a Microtek 2500F purchased new. It works very well and delivers excellent (and very large!) scans, as well as being a physically large scanner. When using the transparency scanning drawer (which is specifically for hi-res scans of film) the machine makes the scariest noises when first starting the scan. These can best be described as "thumps, bumps, clacks, snaps, and whizzes". The "thumps" and "clacks" are quite loud and sound like a large rodent or small person trying to hammer their way out of the casing. My cat usually snoozes on the shelf above the area on my desk where I placed the new scanner, and the first time I cranked the monster up she ran like the devil was after her. I nearly took off running myself. I was sure I had a defective scanner and that it was about to "throw a rod" right through the casing. However, it has worked flawlessly and produces beautiful scans. For those of you out there that use this scanner, does yours make these same noises when starting a scan? If this is common to these scanners, do you know what species of critter is shipped inside the thing?

Brian McGuiness
14-Apr-2004, 23:14
I too have a microtech scanner, although a different model than yours. What you are hearing is the scanner physically shifting the focus from the reflective scan area (glass) to the transparency area (drawer). It is a horrible sound, I have lived with it for over two years. Scanner still works flawlessly though.

Brian bmacphoto.com

Steve Baggett
14-Apr-2004, 23:28
Thanks, Brian. I feel better now that I know what the noises are and that I don't need to worry about food and water for whatever is inside the thing.

Ken Lee
15-Apr-2004, 04:11
I have a 2500F, and yes, is makes a lot of noice. On the other hand, it will allow me to scan 4 4x5's at a time, great for "proofing".

I also suspect that there is a large slab of stone inside it, making it rather stable, but heavy.

May I ask, what software are you using on it ? I found that with VueScan, I can get the best resolution and best image quality. With the Microtek software, I get a clipped tonal range (especially in the low values), and with the Silverfast software, I got lower resolution.

Steve Baggett
15-Apr-2004, 10:58
Ken, I'm using Vuescan. I tried both Microtek's software and the Silverfast that came with the scanner. I had already been using Vuescan on an LS-4000, so I was familiar with it before getting this scanner. I tried the Silverfast for a while, and it is "OK", but I like Vuescan better. (Microtek's software was really hard to use and I stopped using it after 2 days.) One thing Silverfast does that Vuescan doesn't is "rapid preview". For some reason, a Vuescan "preview" takes the same amount of time as a full 2500dpi scan, whereas Silverfast can get an image preview in about 30 seconds. I tried various options in Vuescan to see if I could speed up the preview function, but I have been unsuccessful so far. Overall, however, Vuescan seems to deliver somewhat better scans, as you have also discovered. I also am annoyed with Silverfast's "window layout", with the floating panes always being in the way and having to move them around. They should use a "tabbed" window system like Vuescan.