Drum scan vs Nikon Coolscan

[Mr Fish]

Does anyone know if Drum scanning is really worth the extra money over using something like a Nikon Coolscan V.

 

[voodoocat]

If you need the quality it most certainly is better than CCD scanning. You get extra noise especially in the shadow detail with CCD scanners. I don't own a dedicated medium format scanner so when I want a high quality print I just pay to get a 16-bit drum scan ($45 each). I've seen 16-bit drumscans that cost $80/each :shock:

 

[Cuervo79]

sorry to hijack, what is a drum scan?

 

[voodoocat]

here is some information on drum scanning.

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/scanners/drum_scans.shtml

 

[voodoocat]

sorry to hijack, what is a drum scan?

Drum scanners spin your film around on a drum while a fixed laser or other beam of light looks at the art as it spins. The beam is them picked up by a very sensitive vacuum tube called a Photo Multiplier Tube (PMT). This big single, fixed tube is much more sensitive to light than any of the teeny-tiny pixels on a CCD and therefore can see a broader range of light from white to black, and also sees it without the noise of a CCD.

 

[airgunr]

voodoocat,

Thanks for posting that link, very interesting and helps clear it up in my mind a bit.