The Aura 35’s maker says it’s the first new professional scanner to be launched in at least a decade, with many existing alternatives 30 years old or more. So if you’ve been having trouble finding a lab that can supply high-quality scans from your 35mm films, that could change!
The Aura 35 isn’t due for release until autumn/winter 2024, but you can get an early look at The Photography & Video Show in the UK this weekend, March 16-19. An early pre-production model will be on display on the Capix stand for the four days of the show, along with a number of other analog-inspired products that bridge the analog-digital divide and fuel the resurgence in film photography.
Aura 35 specifications and features
The Aura 35 has an optical resolution of 4150dpi, producing 24-megapixel images from 35mm film scans. It has an antistatic ionizing brush to tackle that major issue with film scans – dust. The magnification needed to turn 35mm originals into full size digital images also magnifies tiny dust spots into blobs potentially every bit as annoying as sensor spots with digital images.
Many of us will be familiar with home/enthusiast scanners like the Nikon CoolScan range or Minolta DiMAGE, but these are no longer being made and anyone looking for the best film scanners right now has limited options.
Above: video shoting the Aura 35 scanner in action
That’s not where the Aura 35 is aimed, though. It’s destined for professional labs with high throughput where the device will get intensive, daily use. Interestingly, it features a modular design with repairable and upgradable parts that Aura describes as ‘industry standard’, and it’s clearly designed to address some of the spare part issues that have taken older scanners out of action.
We don’t have a price for the Aura 35 as it’s a commercial product aimed at labs rather than home users. It will be distributed exclusively by Capix in the UK.
You will be able to see it in action, though, at the Capix stand at The Photography & Video Show at the Birmingham NEC 16-19 March.
