Film Scanners
See below a list of the main film scanners currently used by film archives around the world. You can click on each image to access the website of the scanner's manufacturer. Note that the forum functionality of this page is only available to connected members of the FIAF community. Note that the scanners are are listed under three headings: scanners available commercially, commercial prototypes, and archive prototypes.
For further information about how to choose a scanner, see the FIAF Technical Commission's guide HERE.
See also the FIAF Technical Commission's Digital Statement.
Scanners available commercially
Manufacturer: Sondor
Model: Altra
Formats: 35mm / 16mm
Audio Recording: optical and magnetic
Wet Gate: no
HDR: no
Manufacturer: Lasergraphics
Model: Archivist
Sensors: Color Filter Array (CFA) with Bayer pattern color capture
Resolution: 1.25K, 2.5K, or 5K
Formats: 8mm / Super 8mm / Double 8mm / 16mm / Super 16mm / 35mm
Obsolete Formats: 9.5 mm / 17.5 mm
Audio Recording: optical and magnetic
Sprocketless: Yes
Wet Gate: No
HDR: No
Overscan: Yes
Full Overscan With Edges: No
Manufacturer: ARRI
Model: ARRISCAN
Sensors: Area-based sensors
Resolution: 2K / 4K / 6K
Formats: 35mm / 16mm / S16mm
Obsolete Formats: no
Audio Recording: no
Sprocketless: yes
Wet Gate: yes
HDR: no
Overscan: yes
Full Overscan With Edges: no
Manufacturer: Cintel
Model: Blackmagic Design
Sensors: Bayer pattern
Resolution: 2K / 4K
Formats: 35mm / 16mm / S16mm
Obsolete Formats: no
Audio Recording: optical
Wet Gate: no
HDR: no
Overscan: yes
Full Overscan With Edges: no
Manufacturer: DFT
Model: DFT POLAR HQ - Native 8K Archive Scanner
Sensors: Monochrome field array sensor 9.3K resolution
Resolution: Up to 8K
Formats: 8mm, S16/16mm, S35mm/35mm
Audio Recording: Additional option
Sprocketless: Yes
Wet Gate: Wet Gate ready
HDR: Yes
Overscan: Yes
Full Overscan With Edges: Optical zoom user definable up to “edge to edge” E
Manufacturer: Lasergraphics
Model: Director 10K
Sensors: Monochromatic CMOS area array with sequential RGB Infrared color capture per pixel
Resolution: 5K and 10K
Formats: 8mm / 16mm / Super 16mm / 35mm / 65/70mm 95-perf)
Obsolete Formats: no
Audio Recording: optical or soft decoding
Sprocketless: yes
Wet Gate: no, but infrared dust/scratch detection/reduction
HDR: yes
Overscan: yes
Full Overscan With Edges: no
Manufacturer: Filmic
Model: EZ16
Sensors: Sony IMX530, Sony IMX250
Resolution: 5328 x 4600, 2448 x 2048
Formats: 16mm, S8mm
Obsolete Formats: S16mm, 8mm, 9.5mm
Audio Recording: yes, magnetic and optical
Sprocketless: yes
Wet Gate: no
HDR: optional
Overscan: yes
Full Overscan With Edges: yes
Manufacturer: MWA Nova
Model: Flashscan
Sensors: Bayer pattern
Resolution: HD
Formats: S8mm / 16mm
Obsolete Formats: 8mm / 9.5mm
Audio Recording: optical
Sprocketless: yes
Wet Gate: no
HDR: no
Overscan: yes
Full Overscan With Edges: no
Manufacturer: MWA Nova
Model: Flashscan NOVA
Sensors: Bayer CFA sensor
Resolution: 4k
Formats: 8mm / Super 8mm / 16mm / Super 16mm with optional 9.5mm / 17.5mm
Audio Recording: Optical and magnetic
Sprocketless: yes (and no capstan)
Wet Gate: yes
HDR: No
Overscan: yes
Full Overscan With Edges: yes
Manufacturer: MWA Nova
Model: Flashtransfer Choice
Sensors: Bayer pattern
Resolution: 2K / 4K / up to 5.1K
Formats: S8mm / 16mm
Obsolete Formats: 8mm / 9.5mm
Audio Recording: optical and magnetic
Sprocketless: yes
Wet Gate: no
HDR: no
Overscan: yes
Full Overscan With Edges: no
Manufacturer: MWA Nova
Model: Flashtransfer Vario
Sensors: Bayer pattern
Resolution: HD / 2.3K / 2.5K / up to 5.1K
Formats: 35mm / 16mm / S16mm / S8mm
Obsolete Formats: 8mm / 9.5mm
Audio Recording: optical and magnetic
Sprocketless: yes
Wet Gate: yes
HDR: no
Overscan: yes
Full Overscan With Edges: no
Manufacturer: Digital Vision
Model: Golden Eye
Sensors: Line sensors
Resolution: SD / HD / 2K / 4K
Formats: 70mm / 35mm / 16mm / S8mm
Obsolete Formats: 17.5mm / 28mm / 8mm
Audio Recording: optical
Sprocketless: yes
Wet Gate: no
HDR: no
Overscan: no
Full Overscan With Edges: no
Manufacturer: FilmFabriek
Model: HDS
Sensors: Area-based sensors
Resolution: 2K / 4K
Formats: S8mm/16mm
Obsolete Formats: 8mm/9.5mm
Audio Recording: no
Sprocketless: yes
Wet Gate: yes
HDR: no
Overscan: yes
Full Overscan With Edges: no
Manufacturer: iMetafilm
Model: iMetafilm Type 2
Sensors: Bayer
Resolution: 4K/6K
Formats: 8mm / Super 8mm / 16mm / Super 16mm / 35mm / Super 35mm
Obsolete Formats: 9.5 mm / 17.5 mm / 28mm (optional)
Audio Recording: Optical (optional Magnetic)
Sprocketless: Yes
Wet Gate: No
HDR: Optional
Overscan: Yes
Full Overscan With Edges: Yes
Manufacturer: Kinetta
Model: Kinetta
Resolution: 2K / 4K
Formats: 35mm / 16mm
Obsolete Formats: no
Audio Recording: no
Sprocketless: yes
Wet Gate: no
HDR: no
Overscan: yes
Full Overscan With Edges: no
Manufacturer: Filmlight
Model: Northlight
Sensors: Line sensors
Resolution: 2K / 4K
Formats: 35mm / 16mm / S16mm
Obsolete Formats: no
Audio Recording: no
Sprocketless: yes
Wet Gate: no
HDR: no
Overscan: yes
Full Overscan With Edges: no
Manufacturer: Filmlight
Model: Northlight II
Sensors: line sensor (TDI)
Resolution: line sensor (TDI) Resolution: 2K/4K/8K
Formats: 35mm / 16mm / S16mm
Obsolete Formats: no
Audio Recording: no
Sprocketless: optional (capstan, shrunken pins, pinless scanning
Wet Gate: no
HDR: no
Overscan: yes
Full Overscan With Edges: no
Manufacturer: DFT
Model: Oxscan 14K
Sensors: Native 14K CMOS sensor 14308 x 10760 active sensor pixels 3.76µm pixel size
Resolution: 14308 x 10760 active sensor pixels
Formats: 35mm 4 Perf. and 65/70mm 5 and 15 Perf.
Manufacturer: CTM Film
Model: Perenity
Sensors: Bayer pattern
Resolution: 2K /
Formats: 35mm / 16mm
Obsolete Formats: no
Audio Recording: optical and magnetic
Sprocketless: yes
Wet Gate: no
HDR: no
Overscan: no
Full Overscan With Edges: no
Manufacturer: DFT
Model: Scanity
Sensors: Line sensors
Resolution: 2K / 4K
Formats: 8 mm/ 35mm / 16mm / S16mm
Obsolete Formats: no
Audio Recording: optical, commmag
Sprocketless: yes
Wet Gate: yes
HDR: yes
Overscan: yes
Full Overscan With Edges: no
Manufacturer: Lasergraphics
Model: Scanstation
Sensors: Color Filter Array (CFA) with Bayer pattern color capture
Resolution: 1.25K, 2.5K, 4K, 5K or 6.5K
Formats: 8mm/ Super 8mm / Double 8mm / 16mm / 35mm / 65/70mm (5-perf)
Obsolete Formats: 8mm / 9.5mm / 17.5mm / 28mm
Audio Recording: optical and magnetic
Sprocketless: yes
Wet Gate: no
HDR: yes
Overscan: yes
Full Overscan With Edges: yes
Manufacturer: DFT
Model: Sondor OMA-E with Resonances (Sound scanner)
Sensors: CMOS line
Resolution: 2K
Formats: 35mm / 16mm
Obsolete Formats: no
Audio Recording: optical sound (variable density/variable area/push-pull)
Sprocketless: no
Wet Gate: no
Manufacturer: MWA Nova
Model: sound follower spinner T
Sensors: no
Resolution: no
Formats: 35mm / 16mm with optional formats 8mm / 17.5mm
Audio Recording: optical sound (variable density/variable area) and magnetic
Sprocketless: yes (and no capstan)
Wet Gate: no
HDR: n/a
Overscan: n/a
Full Overscan With Edges: n/a
Manufacturer: MWA-Nova
Model: Spinner S
Sensors: Area sensor with bayer-pattern
Resolution: 5K
Formats: 35mm / 28mm / 17,5mm / 16mm / 9,5mm / 8mm
Obsolete Formats: yes
Audio Recording: sepopt, comopt, sepmag, commag
Sprocketless: yes
Wet Gate: no
Manufacturer: MWA Nova
Model: spinner S2
Sensors: Bayer CFA sensor / monochrome with sequential RGB
Resolution: 6.5K / 13.4k
Formats: 35mm / S35mm / 16mm / S16mm / S8mm / 8mm and 65/70mm stand-alone version
Obsolete Formats: (optional formats) 9.5mm / 17.5mm / 22mm/ 28mm
Audio Recording: Optical and magnetic
Sprocketless: yes (and no capstan)
Wet Gate: yes
HDR: yes
Overscan: yes
Full Overscan With Edges: yes
Manufacturer: DFT (former: Grass Valley, Thomson)
Model: Spirit 4K, Spirit 2K, Spirit HD
Sensors: Full Resolution RGB Line Sensor RGB
Resolution: 4K
Formats: 35mm / 16mm / S16mm
Obsolete Formats: no
Audio Recording: optical and magnetic (COMMAG)
Sprocketless: no
Wet Gate: no
HDR: no
Overscan: no
Full Overscan With Edges: no
Manufacturer: DFT (former GrassValley, Thomson, Philips)
Model: Spirit Datacine
Sensors: RGB Detail Line Sensor (KODAK)
Resolution: 1920
Formats: 35mm / 16mm / S16mm
Obsolete Formats: no
Audio Recording: optical and magnetic (COMMAG)
Sprocketless: no
Wet Gate: yes (Schmitzer)
HDR: no
Overscan: no
Full Overscan With Edges: no
Manufacturer: MWA Nova
Model: viewing table spinner V
Sensors: Bayer CFA sensor
Resolution: 4k
Formats: 8mm / Super 8 mm / 9.5mm / 17.5 mm / 22mm / 28 mm
Audio Recording: Optical and magnetic
Sprocketless: yes (and no capstan)
Wet Gate: no
HDR: no
Overscan: yes
Full Overscan With Edges: yes
Manufacturer: Vintage Cloud A/S
Model: Vintage Cloud Steenbeck 16 or 35mm
Formats: 16mm / 35mm
Wet Gate: no
HDR: no
Commercial prototypes
Manufacturer: Eclair
Model: Nitroscan
Sensors: Area-based sensors
Resolution: 2K / 4K / 6K / up to 10K
Formats: 35mm / 16mm / S16mm
Obsolete Formats: 17.5mm / 28mm / 8mm / all formats up to 70mm
Audio Recording: no
Sprocketless: yes
Wet Gate: yes
HDR: no
Overscan: yes
Full Overscan With Edges: yes
Manufacturer: Cineric
Model: Oxberry
Sensors: Area-based sensors
Resolution: 2K / 4K / 6K
Formats: 16mm / 35mm / 65mm
Obsolete Formats: 17.5mm / 28mm / 8mm
Audio Recording: no
Sprocketless: yes
Wet Gate: yes
HDR: yes
Overscan: yes
Full Overscan With Edges: yes
Archive prototypes
Manufacturer: Film Light and CNC France
Model: Arc Light
Sensors: Line sensors
Resolution: 2K / 4K / 6K up to 8K
Formats: 16mm / 35mm
Obsolete Formats: from 8mm up to 90mm
Audio Recording: no
Sprocketless: yes
Wet Gate: yes
HDR: no
Overscan: yes
Full Overscan With Edges: yes
Manufacturer: LAPA (Laboratorio de Preservación Audiovisual) Uruguay
Model: Escanner
Sensors: Bayer pattern
Resolution: 2K / 4K / 5K
Formats: 35mm / 16mm / 8mm
Obsolete Formats: no
Sprocketless: yes
Wet Gate: no
HDR: no
Overscan: yes
Full Overscan With Edges: Yes
