Microtek FilmScan 35
bob holly
appeared before.
I'm looking to buy an entry level film scanner and the Microtek looks OK on
price and quality although I've read some criticism of the software which
comes with it.
If anyone with knowledge of this scanner could let me have their views of it
I'd be very grateful.
Bob Holly
Peter Brumby
news:1BcN7.4556$F77.8...@news2-win.server.ntlworld.com...
Bob,
I bought the Pacific Image 1800u from Jessops (UK), which is a Microtek
Filmscan 35 with a different badge.
The scanner came with CyberView driver/TWAIN software. I was extremely
disappointed with its performance when handling 35mm black and white
negatives. There was a tendency to produce excessive contrast and lose mid
tones (posterisation I think is the term), to a degree which was impossible
to correct with the pre-scan controls provided. In the case of some
negatives the effect was extreme. The preview image often bore no relation
to the final scan image imported to Paint Shop Pro.
I sent evidence to Pacific Image, who advised that it looked like a hardware
fault. Armed with this response, I took it to back to Jessops who happily
exchanged it.
The new unit was just the same. I was about to look for a refund ("unfit
for purpose") when I came across Silverfast from Lasersoft Imaging. I
downloaded the trial version and was amazed by the improvement. I bought
Silverfast SE immediately for 49 US$.
While the quality of output and the ease of use are all I could wish for,
I've had two problems with Silverfast, one of which is still outstanding.
On about 50% of the final scans, the scan repeatedly hesitated during the
scan and the final image was corrupted, with horizontal slices displaced.
Sometimes the scan hung at the end, without delivering the image to PSP -
the only way out of that was to end the PSP task via CTRL/ALT/DEL and
reload.
Lasersoft delivered a fix (a replacement DLL) within a couple of days of
reporting this which
completely cured this problem.
The only other remaining problem is that the preview contrast slider is
locked and cannot be operated. For 99% of my negatives this is not a
problem, as I can adjust contrast post-scan in PSP. For the 1% of
excessively contrasty negatives, pre-scan control would be desirable to
avoid loss of picture information in highlights and shadows. Lasersoft
acknowledge the problem and a fix will be forthcoming in due course.
In short - the scanner is badly hobbled by the software bundled with it, but
with the right software does a good job. It has its limitations - it
doesn't scan the entire width of the negative (slightly less than a standard
slide mask), and 1800 dpi would not be sufficient for the more demanding
applications. But you get what you pay for and for viewing images on a
screen or printing up to A4 the scanner does the job admirably. Having
bought it (and Silverfast) I'm now very pleased with it and consider it
money well spent.
Hope this helps.
Peter
Karl-Heinz Zahorsky
• New Version of SilverFast SE for FilmScan 35 / PrimeFilm 1800 •
LaserSoft Imaging will be releasing an enhanced fix to get to even
better quality with the FilmScan35 early next week.
bob holly
and to Karl-Heinz Zahorsky for forwarding the message.
Bob Holly