They believe that digital is a "record" but film is the "original." They scan IMAX to create preservation masters. They want a digital clone so perfect that if the original negative decomposes in 200 years, they can print back to film (via a laser film recorder) and have it be indistinguishable. For them, the scan must exceed the grain. They scan at 16K.
In an era dominated by digital cinema, the remains the ultimate bridge between traditional celluloid and modern high-resolution screens. While digital cameras have made leaps in quality, the sheer information density of 15/70mm IMAX film —which runs horizontally and uses 15 perforations per frame—contains roughly 10 times the image area of a standard 35mm frame. imax film scan
Standard 70mm film uses 5 perforations per frame and runs vertically. IMAX film runs horizontally and uses 15 perforations per frame. They believe that digital is a "record" but