The “Virtual Drum” concept is something that started with the Imacon scanners, and even earlier- if memory serves, the first Imacon FlexTight Precision scanner was a development of an earlier design by a company that Imacon acquired.
It is, however, a great, simple concept. Curve the film as you scan it, so you have a predictable and flat plane of focus, without any cover glass or platen. The scanning workflow is remarkably fast- simply place the film in the magnetic film holders- they come in every imaginable format, including panorama and customizable- place the holder into the magnetic feed clip, and hit Preview. From there, it will make one of the fastest, highest resolution scans possible. Total elapsed time, from pulling the film to putting it back into it’s sleeve, for 4×5 film? About 7 minutes- depending on your speed with the software.
This video, most of which is originally from the Hasselblad site, but with our explanation, shows the system in action.
