3600ppi Firewire film scanner from Pacific

16th February - 2002
By Ian Burley

The Pacific Image Electronics PrimeFilm brand of film scanners has been notable for its competitive pricing. However, one area Pacific has not been competitive is sheer resolution, with 1800ppi (pixels per inch) being its maximum on most models to date. With the launched of the PrimeFilm 3600Pro this week, Pacific deals with that gap in its armoury.

As the product’s name implies, the new scanner has a maxium resolution of 3600ppi. That boosts the pixel count for a full 35mm frame (24x36mm) scan from about 4.3 megapixels to about 17 megapixels. With all that data to manage, faster Firewire (IEEE1394) interfacing to the host PC or Mac has been provided compared to other USB-only models in the range.

Like its sibling, the PrimeFilm 1800AFL (click here), the new 3600Pro has a motorised film loading system that can take an entire 35mm roll at a time. No film holders are used at all.

For a suggested price of US$499 (about £360), the PrimeFilm 3600Pro continues its stablemates’ competitive pricing. Only hardware scratch and dust removal or APS (Advanced Phpto System) compatibility would appear to be missing compared to some much more expensive alternatives.

Pacific Imaging Electronics Web site: www.scanace.com

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