PACIFIC IMAGE ELECTRONICS MEMOR-EASE DIGITAL FILM CONVERTER

13 June, 2009

Fast Film Scanning




If you're like most people, you probably have someboxes sitting around filled with photos from yourpre-digital life. Well, if the photos in those boxesare on 35mm slides and negatives, the Memor-easeDigital Film Converter could be right up your alley.Though it's speedy and simple, the device is clearlydesigned for the kind of casual photographer whoapproaches photos primarily as captured memories,rather than someone who worries about things likecomposition and photo quality.

The Memor-ease is just 3.7 by 4.3 by 6.7 inches(HWD) and weighs less than 3 ounces, so finding room for it won't be a problem. It comes with aUSI3 cable, Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.0, and thescanner's Twain driver for Windows XP and Vista.You also get a film holder for up to four 35mm slidesand another for one 35mm strip of film with up tosix frames. The Memor-ease is a converter ratherthan a scanner, so it operates like a camera, with a5-megapixel sensor that captures the entire image atonce. The final result is an 1,800-pixel-pa-inch (ppi)image, indistinguishable from an 1,800-ppi scan.And thanks to its sensor, the Memor-ease deliversthat image at an impressively fast speed.



Unfortunately, the Memor-ease doesn't score aswell on image quality as on speed. The relatively lowresolution doesn't hurt the image much for printingat 4 by 6 inches, but it will make a noticeable difference at larger sizes. Though I can't recommend theMemor-ease unequivocally, for now it's a good solution for casual photographers who are happy with snapshot quality—M. David Stone


PC Magazine April 2009

0 comments: