By Arild Båsmo, founder of VALOI
The original easy35 relied on careful manufacturing and tight quality control to achieve a great scanning result. When we were reimagining it for the v2, we didn't want to settle for manufacturing improvements alone — even with injection moulding on the table, we decided to completely reengineer the holder attachment and rotation adjustment assembly.
The Problem
Film scanning at high magnification leaves very little room for error. The film has to sit perfectly parallel in the holder. The holder has to sit perfectly in the housing while still being removable. The housing has to be rotationally adjustable while remaining perfectly parallel to the rest of the system. Each individual component can be manufactured accurately, but the "tolerance stack-up" — the compounding of small errors across an assembly — is enough to impact your scan. We wanted to address that at the design level, not just the manufacturing level.
Parallelism
The easy35 v2 uses the same size and format of film holders as the v1, but their interaction with the body is completely different. Very early in development, we decided to reference the holder against a surface we could guarantee was parallel with the film sensor. The result is four spring-loaded ball bearings — ball plungers — that press the holder firmly down the moment it's inserted. This presses the entire holder flat against a precision injection-moulded component, which is itself mechanically coupled in parallel to the rotation assembly and ultimately to the sensor plane. That’s where the magic of the easy35 concept happens - perfect alignment without the faff.
The original easy35 had a parallelism tolerance range of around 0.9mm. The v2 brings that down to roughly 0.2mm, with far less variation from unit to unit.
Holder Attachment
Removable holders are one of the easy35's best features, but attaching them cleanly is a real design challenge. In the v1, we used a large set screw pressing against the side of the holder — it worked, but it required a hex key, and users risked damaging the holder if they overtightened it.
For the v2, we took a page from the easy35's bigger sibling, the easy120, and made the holders spring-retained with ball bearings. You push the holder in against the spring, it clicks into place, and when you want to swap it out, you push it straight back out. No tools, no risk of damage. The action is so satisfying it doubles as a desk fidget toy — but more importantly, switching formats becomes completely seamless.
Rotation
In our lens-mounted scanning systems, rotation is essential. As you thread the unit onto the front of your lens, you need to fine-tune the alignment between sensor and film frame, then lock it in place.
In the v1, the tube rotated directly against the plastic housing. The tolerances were reasonable, but there was more variation than we were happy with. For the v2, we built a new rotation assembly with more components — each one earning its place. The mechanism exploits the precision of laser-cut aluminium plates, locking rotation against that surface with a very fine gap maintained by a shoulder on the rotation tube and a new locking ring that holds everything together. It also happens to look quite stylish in red.
Small Changes, Big Difference
The easy35 was great. The easy35 v2 does the same things, but better — tighter tolerances, smoother holder changes, more consistent alignment from the first frame to the last.
But here's the thing: I think you'll notice something else before any of that. It just feels different. Tight. Solid. Like everything is exactly where it should be. That's hard to put into words, and impossible to convey in a spec sheet. If you get the chance, go and see one in person — at a retailer or with a friend who has one. The difference is immediate.
If you have not already read our article about the new easy35 v2 Integrating Dome light source (patent pending), I think you will enjoy that too.
Components from the holder assembly
A view of 9 components that make up the rotation and holder retention assembly.
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