Introduction

The process of archiving your old photos has never been simpler, thanks to today's high resolution scanning technology. However, most users we know actually archive their photos from prints instead of scanning them directly from the source, which is the film itself. Unless the film is no longer within the user's possession, we don't see why users should scan their photos directly from the prints as that is actually one of the worst archiving methods. This is due to the fact that prints are never a correct representation of what is originally imprinted on the film as prints generally suffer from color inaccuracies, poor focus, degradation and dirt.

This is why we'll recommend users to archive their old (and new) films with a proper film scanner. Some time back, we looked at the PrimeFilm PF3600 PRO which is a relatively inexpensive film scanner that could do the job pretty well. However, there are certain limitations to the PF3600 PRO - such as the inability to remove dust and scratches from the final scanned image.

We all know that dust and scratches are one of the most lethal enemies of the celluloid film and they are most of the time not within our control. Poor processing, dusty cameras, improper handling and poorly maintained cameras all lead to the degradation of your precious films. Even films stored in cool, clean and dry places are probably not going to last the test of time as chemical (color) degradation will occur whether you like it or not.

This is why Pacific Image Electronics, a company dedicated to solely designing and manufacturing high quality scanners, have recently introduced the new PF3650 PRO3 which is meant to address the issues related to dust, scratches and degradation. The PF3650 PRO3 does not only scan, but will actively restore your precious photos through its Digital ICE3 technology.


Before we go into the details of this new film scanner, let's examine the technical specifications in the table below :-