Format resolution comparison.

[Don_ih]

So let me get this straight.
To get the film scans to look as good as the images on my SD card going straight to my computer will set me back $2,000 a roll…?

No. Your film scans won't look as good as the Leica+Zeiss digital images -- ever. It won't happen. And that is because of how you are looking at these things - not because of what they are. You are assessing them on digital ground, where that Leica clearly has the advantage.

Stuff a roll of film in the Leica and see how well it enlarges optically once developed. Oh, wait....

 

[Nikon 2]

No. Your film scans won't look as good as the Leica+Zeiss digital images -- ever. It won't happen. And that is because of how you are looking at these things - not because of what they are. You are assessing them on digital ground, where that Leica clearly has the advantage.

Stuff a roll of film in the Leica and see how well it enlarges optically once developed. Oh, wait....

My last ten rolls of Ektar 100 were optically developed at Blue moon…!

 

[Chan Tran]

So let me get this straight.
To get the film scans to look as good as the images on my SD card going straight to my computer will set me back $2,000 a roll…?

You can't get the film scan from a 35mm frame as good as a 24MP digital camera. I found 35mm film is only equivalent to about 12MP digital sensor.

 

[Nikon 2]

You can't get the film scan from a 35mm frame as good as a 24MP digital camera. I found 35mm film is only equivalent to about 12MP digital sensor.

Kind of thought so…!

 

[George Mann]

So let me get this straight.
To get the film scans to look as good as the images on my SD card going straight to my computer will set me back $2,000 a roll…?

You can stop wasting your time right now by shooting slide film (preferable Ektachrome with you Nikkor 50mm f2), and view it directly with a high quality loupe.

You are never going to get the results you are looking for with a scan.

 

[George Mann]

I found 35mm film is only equivalent to about 12MP digital sensor.

You mean that scans of 35mm are only good for less than 20mpx of useable resolution.

 

[Nikon 2]

You can't get the film scan from a 35mm frame as good as a 24MP digital camera. I found 35mm film is only equivalent to about 12MP digital sensor

You can stop wasting your time right now by shooting slide film (preferable Ektachrome with you Nikkor 50mm f2), and view it directly with a high quality loupe.

You are never going to get the results you are looking for with a scan.

Thank you for that…!

 

[MattKing]

My last ten rolls of Ektar 100 were optically developed at Blue moon…!

On a minilab machine!
Where speed of handling is an important component of their need to make a profit.
And very little customization is applied.

 

[Chan Tran]

You mean that scans of 35mm are only good for less than 20mpx of useable resolution.

Yes beyond about 12-13MP you don't get any more details out of a 35mm frame.

 

[wiltw]

I prefer photos to details and don't see much point assessing the "quality" of an image at any magnification higher than the final print size. If it looks good on a piece of 8x10 paper, it looks good. If I want a photo of a pine needle, I won't take a photo of a tree - let alone of a forest.

At a viewing distance of 12" or about 30 cm, the human eye can resolve detail that amounts to about 1/11th of a millimeter (one half-minute of arc). So to resolve all the detail possible in an 8" x 12" print would only take an 8MPixel image!

 

[pbromaghin]

It's pretty easy to go well beyond the scan's resolution by zooming in. I quit getting scans from the lab years ago because ALL of them ALWAYS suck. Because I'm not charging by the hour, I can put in a lot more time and care than any lab technician can and so I get much better quality from my own $300 Epson flatbed than I ever got from a lab. Also, film image quality when using a tripod beats the pants off when not using one, especially when you zoom in.

So basically, I'd say what you're seeing results from 3 points in your work flow - no tripod, storebought scans, and zooming in.

 

[Nikon 2]

It's pretty easy to go well beyond the scan's resolution by zooming in. I quit getting scans from the lab years ago because ALL of them ALWAYS suck. Because I'm not charging by the hour, I can put in a lot more time and care than any lab technician can and so I get much better quality from my own $300 Epson flatbed than I ever got from a lab. Also, film image quality when using a tripod beats the pants off when not using one, especially when you zoom in.

So basically, I'd say what you're seeing results from 3 points in your work flow - no tripod, storebought scans, and zooming in.

I’m developing, pun intended, into understanding what I was amiss…!

 

[Don_ih]

My last ten rolls of Ektar 100 were optically developed at Blue moon…!

But were they shot in your digital Leica?

 

[Nikon 2]

But were they shot in your digital Leica?

I shoot Ektar 100 with my Nikon F2…!

 

[Don_ih]

….

 

[Nikon 2]

….

 

[pbromaghin]

Oh, my god. Ektar 100 in 120 on a tripod. Life doesn't get much better than that. Now you got me thinking I should start shooting color again!

 

[Nikon 2]

Oh, my god. Ektar 100 in 120 on a tripod. Life doesn't get much better than that. Now you got me thinking I should start shooting color again!

I might agree those film scans are just not on the same page as the images straight from the SD card to computer, but the colors of Ektar 100 film are in another chapter…!

 

[brbo]

I like how scientific sometimes these comparisons can get. Most of the time people would just upload full res tiff and raw file of a shot taken with same lens somewhere. This thread takes it to another level, though...

I'd never have believed that "SD straight to computer" thing has gotten so good by now...!

 

[Nikon 2]

I like how scientific sometimes these comparisons can get. Most of the time people would just upload full res tiff and raw file of a shot taken with same lens somewhere. This thread takes it to another level, though...

I'd never have believed that "SD straight to computer" thing has gotten so good by now...!

I can remember my first time using the digital format and inserting the SD card in the computer.
Since I was just shooting film before I didn’t know what to expect.
The first shots from the Leica, SD card took a long time to download being RAW.
As soon as the images were displayed on my screen I found myself staring at them for hours and it became an obsession because of how beautiful they looked…!

 

[Nikon 2]

Did you know what SLR really means?

Shakes Lens Regularly…!

 

[Nikon 2]

I can remember my first time using the digital format and inserting the SD card in the computer.
Since I was just shooting film before I didn’t know what to expect.
The first shots from the Leica, SD card took a long time to download being RAW.
As soon as the images were displayed on my screen I found myself staring at them for hours and it became an obsession because of how beautiful they looked…!

I like your use of…!

 

[BrianShaw]

…!

 

[Nikon 2]

…!

…!

 

[grain elevator]

I like your use of…!

Must be nice to be completely independent of others to have a nice conversation