METIS EDS ALPHA
Manufacturer: METIS Systems S.r.l., Italy
Desktop planetary scanner for A3/A2 formats with a V-table made of two independent tilting plates: Canon EOS R10 or EOS 850D camera with a zoom lens, up to 600 ppi, capture in under 1 second.
- A3 / A2+
- up to 600 ppi
- Capture < 1 s
Key specifications
- Max. format
- Larger than A2 (A2 = 594 × 420 mm)
- Resolution
- approx. 240–600 ppi (optical)
- Speed
- Capture in less than 1 s, full cycle approx. 2 s
- Dimensions (H × W × D)
- 80 × 67 × 71 cm
- Weight
- 24 kg (without camera, computer, and monitor)
Overview
The EDS ALPHA is a desktop planetary scanner from the Italian company METIS Systems (Rome) for digitizing books, maps, drawings, and other A3/A2 originals in libraries, museums, and archives. The maximum acquisition format is larger than A2 (A2+), and the optical resolution is adjustable from approximately 240 to 600 ppi thanks to the integrated zoom lens with motorized focus. The scanner works with a Canon EOS R10 mirrorless camera (24.2 MP) or a Canon EOS 850D DSLR (24 MP).
The original is placed on the METIS V-table, made of two independent plates that tilt and shift: this way even old books with a limited opening angle are held gently, and the book can be up to 10 cm thick. Capture takes less than a second, and the full cycle with processing and saving takes approximately 2 s (approx. 30 full scans per minute). The METIS EDS software with its icon-based interface supports touchscreens, automatically recognizes the book shape and fingers, corrects page curvature, and splits the spread into pages; capture is triggered with the included USB foot pedal.
Applications
Features
- Capture format larger than A2 (A2+): large books, maps, drawings, and other originals
- Integrated zoom lens with motorized focus: optical resolution from approx. 240 to 600 ppi
- Integrated real-time sensors for exposure, color temperature, and autofocus
- Capture in less than 1 s, full cycle approx. 2 s (approx. 30 full scans per minute)
- METIS V-table: two independent plates that tilt and shift, for books up to 10 cm thick
- Automatic book shape and finger recognition, curvature correction, and finger removal
- Live Video feature for real-time monitoring of the capture area
- Icon-based METIS EDS software interface with touchscreen support
- A USB foot pedal for triggering capture is included; an LCD screen, touchscreen, or all-in-one PC can be attached to a standard VESA 75/100 mount
Models and versions
Canon EOS R10
24.2 MP mirrorless camera
Canon EOS 850D
24 MP DSLR
Specifications
| Scanning | |
|---|---|
| Max. acquisition format | Larger than A2 (A2 = 594 × 420 mm) |
| Optical resolution | Adjustable, from approx. 240 to 600 ppi |
| Acquisition time | Less than 1 s |
| Full cycle (acquisition, processing, saving) | Approx. 2 s |
| Productivity | Approx. 30 full scans per minute |
| Output modes | Color, grayscale, 1-bit black and white |
| Optics and camera | |
| Supported cameras | Canon EOS R10, mirrorless, 24.2 MP; Canon EOS 850D, DSLR, 24 MP |
| Optics | Integrated zoom lens with motorized focus |
| Sensors | Integrated sensors for exposure, color temperature, and autofocus (in real time) |
| Lighting | |
| Lighting kit | Optional |
| Documents | |
| Work surface | V-table: two independent plates that tilt and shift |
| Originals | Large books, maps, drawings, and other originals, including those larger than A2 |
| Max. book thickness | Up to 10 cm |
| Software and connectivity | |
| Software | METIS EDS, icon-based interface, touchscreen support |
| Software functions | Automatic or manual control of exposure, focus, and gray balance; software correction of exposure and contrast; automatic or manual cropping; automatic deskewing and curvature correction; filters for light uniformity and paper color; automatic book center and shape recognition; automatic page split with user-definable overlap; user-definable image orientation; automatic finger recognition and removal; unsharp masking; Live Video; image review and navigation; adding, deleting, and inserting shots; automatic image naming; keyboard shortcuts; automatic job management |
| File formats (24-bit) | TIFF, JPEG, JPEG2000, BMP, PNG, PDF, PDF-A, multipage PDF, multipage TIFF, 1-bit TIFF G4 |
| Foot pedal | USB foot pedal to trigger acquisition (included) |
| Screen (optional) | LCD screen, touchscreen, or all-in-one PC via a standard VESA 75/100 mount |
| Minimum PC requirements | Intel i5 processor, 8 GB RAM, 2 × USB 2.0 and 2 × USB 3.0, Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit) |
| Dimensions and weight | |
| Dimensions (H × W × D) | 80 × 67 × 71 cm |
| Width with lighting kit | Approx. 115 cm |
| Weight | 24 kg (without camera, computer, and monitor) |
| Lighting kit weight | 2.5 kg |
Sources: the manufacturer’s official website and materials: metis-group.com/…/eds-alpha · metis-group.com/…/EDS_ALPHA_v2022-12-EN_webp.pdf · metis-group.com/…/EDS_ALPHA_v2022.12-IT_webp.pdf · metis-group.com/cultural-heritage · metis-group.com · metis-group.com/…/media · youtube.com/watch
Specifications according to the manufacturer; the manufacturer may change them without notice.
Equipment
Connectivity and software
- Interfaces
- USB: requires a PC with 2 × USB 2.0 and 2 × USB 3.0 ports
- Screen
- Optional: LCD screen, touchscreen, or all-in-one PC via a VESA 75/100 mount
- Software
- METIS EDS
Standard equipment
- USB foot pedal for triggering capture
Options
- Lighting kit (weight 2.5 kg; scanner width with the kit approx. 115 cm)
- LCD screen, touchscreen, or all-in-one PC via a standard VESA 75/100 mount
Documents
Manufacturer documents (PDF) open on the manufacturer’s website.
Brochures
Videos
Manufacturer videos on YouTube.
