diff --git a/nxtomomill/converter/edf/edfconverter.py b/nxtomomill/converter/edf/edfconverter.py
index 978c62efd4759750476109ab365435ef53d18b75..6083677e1768f0d14ed659b2bb68c4d85579b0e0 100644
--- a/nxtomomill/converter/edf/edfconverter.py
+++ b/nxtomomill/converter/edf/edfconverter.py
@@ -197,6 +197,16 @@ def from_edf_to_nx(configuration: TomoEDFConfig, progress=None) -> tuple:
     else:
         scan_info = None
 
+    if progress and hasattr(progress, "set_name"):
+        progress.set_name(
+            "preprocessing - retrieve all metadata (can take a few seconds - cannot display real advancement)"
+        )
+        progress.reset()
+        if hasattr(progress, "progress"):
+            progress.progress = 50.0
+        else:
+            progress = 50.0
+
     scan = EDFTomoScan(
         scan=configuration.input_folder,
         dataset_basename=configuration.dataset_basename,
diff --git a/nxtomomill/io/config/edfconfig.py b/nxtomomill/io/config/edfconfig.py
index f6fc22738fca513c36abb2f6038ebcb7a010d873..add7901ad45d9c295ea34c2c300030b0e109dd1e 100644
--- a/nxtomomill/io/config/edfconfig.py
+++ b/nxtomomill/io/config/edfconfig.py
@@ -331,11 +331,11 @@ class TomoEDFConfig(ConfigBase):
 
         # units
         self._pixel_size_unit = MetricSystem.MICROMETER
-        self._distance_unit = MetricSystem.CENTIMETER
+        self._distance_unit = MetricSystem.MILLIMETER
         self._energy_unit = EnergySI.KILOELECTRONVOLT
-        self._x_trans_unit = MetricSystem.CENTIMETER
-        self._y_trans_unit = MetricSystem.CENTIMETER
-        self._z_trans_unit = MetricSystem.CENTIMETER
+        self._x_trans_unit = MetricSystem.MILLIMETER
+        self._y_trans_unit = MetricSystem.MILLIMETER
+        self._z_trans_unit = MetricSystem.MILLIMETER
 
         # sample
         self._sample_name = None