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Microtek ScanMaker i900 Flatbed Scanner | List Price: $519.99
Discount Price: $459.95
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Brand: Microtek
Binding: Electronics
Release Date: 2004-06-04
Warranty: 1 year warranty
Features: - 6,400 x 3,200 dpi optical resolution
- 48-bit color depth, 16-bit grayscale; 4.2 optical density
- ColoRescue technology restores faded photos and film
- Batch templates for 35mm slides, strips, 6-by-9-cm, and 4-by-5-inch media
- USB 2.0 and FireWire IEEE1394 connectivity; PC and Mac compatible
No U.S. Service and No Reliability [Posted on 2008-01-04]
One of my principal reasons for purchasing the i900 was to able to scan 8x10 negatives on a reasonably priced flatbed scanner. Its specifications were superior to others then on the market (the Epson 4990 had not yet been introduced when I bought). Unfortunately, the solenoid that reverses the mirror on the scanning light broke (after warranty, of course) and THERE IS NO SERVICE IN THE U.S.!!! While I might be able to use the scanner for negatives and chromes, everytime I scan there are three colored lines going in the direction of the scan that must be removed by Photoshop, a painstaking, mind-numbing process. There is simply nothing to reocmmend this scanner.
scanner ok, software not [Posted on 2008-03-15]
I have a Microtek scanner and just downloaded the latest drivers. It turns out Microtek wants a program called Scan Finder to load at every start-up, and there is no way to disable this. The product works satisfactorily, but for my money, I will purchase something else. Something that doesn't create such a nuisance, and isn't so invasive.
Great Scanner For Photos and Negatives [Posted on 2008-03-22]
I have owned the i900 for about six weeks and I am very happy with the way it scans both negatives and regular photographs and other media. The quality of the scanner itself is excellent and coupled with PhotoShop Elements and ScanWizard Pro, it produces excellent digital files. Installation of the ScanWizard Pro software posed a few challenges but once installed it has worked perfectly. I haven't had the chance to try the SilverFast AI program yet as I am quite happy with the ScanWizard Pro used in twain mode with PhotoShop Elements (supplied with the scanner).
I bought the i900 to replace an older Microtek flatbed and an HP S20 negative and slide scanner. The i900 is far better than the older model on reflective scans and it does an equal or better job with color slides and strip 35mm negatives as compared to the S20. The i900 does make some odd noises as it warms up and calibrates but it is very quiet in actual scan operation. Scan times vary depending on the resolution you set for each operation.
The negative holders that fit into the drawer on the i900 are a neat feature used in conjunction with the ScanWizard software. It takes a little experimentation to seat the negatives property in the holders, especially the 35mm strip holder, but the scans are excellent. Microtek includes a glass holder for odd size negatives that don't fit in the other holders. You can scan up to 12 slides or 12 35mm negatives (two strips of 6 exposures)at a time. The ScanWizard software allows you to make custom settings for each slide or negative or you can just use the same settings for each one. Each slide or exposure is then scanned individually and sent to PhotoShop for further editing if necessary. Compared to my older S20 that allows only one slide to be scanned on each operation, the i900 is a real time-saver.
The only complaint I have so far is that the Digital ICE program doesn't work as well as I hoped. On normal or regular setting, it doesn't remove the scratches or defects very well. Further experimentation is needed to find out if it can be made to work as advertised.
Overall, this is a very nice scanner that I am using on a daily basis and am quite pleased with it.
Good scanner with software from h*ll [Posted on 2008-04-24]
Microtek has always made good hardware and always provided a challenge in terms of its software - hence the professional photographer who sold me her i900 because she "couldn't figure out how to make it work." When running this scanner on Mac OS X Leopard, all kinds of fun awaits - and I do computers for a living. The Microtek ScanWizard software is rated to run on Leopard, but causes the scanner to make sounds like someone hitting it with a ballpeen hammer, and then it locks up. LaserSoft's usually reliable Silverfast software (I paid to cross-grade my long-running SilverFast account to this scanner) works beautifully - once - and then crashes, and locks up the scanner too. Importing into Photoshop (CS3) using the SilverFast or ScanWizard plug-in causes Photoshop to quit unexpectedly.
So... I'm getting ready to do just what the photographer did, and try and find someone with lots of extra time on their hands to de-bug how to get this scanner to do what it's supposed to do.
Spend about $250 for a far superior scanner [Posted on 2008-04-26]
I'm a Mac user so software problems might be different then PC. I bought this scanner in 2006. I'll tell you what you will be in for now and a year and more from now.
The firewire quit functioning on the first one I got so I sent it back under warranty. The firewire quit working about a week after the warranty expired on the second and I was told I could have the scanner replaced with a refurbished one for $250. Believe me the scanner isn't worth it.
The software that comes with it makes you think the scanner is faster then it when using their ScanWizard software. I scanned a 5x7 inch photo at 4800dpi and it took about 3 minutes. Sounds great but the the scans are fuzzy, out of focus. It's like scanning at 72dpi and increasing the resolution to 4800dpi.The file size reflected this too at over 100mb of space. You can boost all the settings and get a half way decent scan but then your back to a very slow scan which sub-par to the SilverFast software they also luckily send with the scanner. SilverFast is a much better program in all repects. I didn't even install their software after reinstalling my system. SilverFast is all you need on a Mac. Besides they boost optical density as 4.2. Optical density, at it's best is only 4. How can this one be 4.2?
Color and density is about medium quality. Luckily I have Photoshop to fix color problems but I can't make the density they say I should have..
I had the same guy more then once also when calling customer service, like previously noted in an earlier review. Probably the same guy. I needed updated calibration data because their charts didn't match the data that came with the scanner. They said they would email it and never did. So I called back and they told me to go to Kodaks website and after about an hour of searching I finally found the data files I needed. Now I don't even calibrate. I don't even think the calibration capability works.
I often have to scan old photos in more then one direction. I found out that scans are out of proportion. I scanned a photo in all four directions. It took me about three hours to align them.
Now the scanner doesn't scan in grayscale. I usually scan in color anyway for editing but it just goes to show the quality of thiis terrible scanner. I will never buy anything Microtek again and I told them that. I feel like I have wasted $465 because I know I need to buy a truer scanner.
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