NAB 2025 is in full swing, and Blackmagic Design has been among many companies to have showcased new products this year, including the brand-new Pyxis 12K G2 and a mega update for DaVinci Resolve. One announcment that did fly under the radar, however, was the all-new Cintel Scanner G3 HDR+ 8/16, a film scanner specifically designed to support 8mm HD and 16mm Ultra HD film scanning.
Cintel has been a leading manufacturer of film scanners for decades, and since joining Blackmagic Design in 2012, the Cintel Scanner has seen a redesign that places it among the best-looking pieces of tech on the market. While the Cintel Scanner G3 HDR+ Scanner has been available in a model that scans 35mm and 16mm for some time, the new offering introduces support for the 8mm HD and 16mm Ultra HD formats.
Despite many similarities in appearance and features, the new 8/16 scanner features a completely new optical assembly that enables users to get up to 2.5 times higher resolution image scanning of these smaller formats. This is ideal for digitizing archived or historical footage and, of course, scanning new works shot in these timeless formats. It also retains the same capstan drives and real-time HDR film scanning.
Including both 16mm and 8mm film gates, users can create high dynamic range digital masters with enhanced colors, textures, and sharpness than ever before. Once scanned, the masters can be further improved with DaVinci Resolve Studio, which the scanner is designed especially for working with and is available for free. The Revival tools automatically remove de-flickering, dirt, patch repairs, and reduce noise, making the digital master smooth and clean.
Other standout features of the scanner include an RGB LED grid array illumination source facilitating advanced color science for incredibly sharp scans, PCIe connection as well as Thunderbolt 3 for use across Mac, Linux, and Windows, real-time scanning speeds, an optional Audio and KeyKode Reader that enables you to capture audio along with KeyKode information from the scanned film.
Shooting with film is becoming more and more popular both for photographers but also filmmakers who have the budget to do so, with The Brutalist, one of this year's biggest hits, being captured on film. Kodak has also recently developed a brand new Super 8 camera, and the new Cintel Scanner is the ideal tool to digitize your creations.
Now, as with most things analog and cinema, the Cintel Scanner G3 HDR+ 8/16 does not come cheap and will set users back around $35,255 / £26,775 / AU $52,355. This may seem like an out-of-this-world price, however, if you are a filmmaker or production house working with film as your medium, it's sure to pay off in the long run. And hey, it will also double as a statement piece of contemporary art in any studio!
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