Digitalizing (Scanner CCD or DSLR CCD?)

[Suraki]

Use an analog SLR and digitalizing with a film-scanner or use a DSLR?
Which make a better result? Resolution, dinamic...
Of course I'm not a professional, just a hobby photographer.
Have You any experience in this question?

[Michael Fanelli]

Use an analog SLR and digitalizing with a film-scanner or use a DSLR?
Which make a better result? Resolution, dinamic...
Of course I'm not a professional, just a hobby photographer.
Have You any experience in this question?

If you want to scan film, get a film scanner. Anything else is a real pain with usually mediocre results.

[Franglais]

Use an analog SLR and digitalizing with a film-scanner or use a DSLR?
Which make a better result? Resolution, dinamic...
Of course I'm not a professional, just a hobby photographer.
Have You any experience in this question?

I use a 6Mpix DSLR (D70) and a 3200dpi 24x36 Coolscan IV film scanner. The results are comparable in terms of definition - the D70 has less pixels but there's no grain at low ISO so the result looks cleaner.

In terms of dynamic, the worst is slide film scanned, but then it has tremendous punch so it all depends on the subject. Next is JPG in the D70, which I don't use because if it's wrong then your capacity to correct it is limited. Next is RAW in the D70 combined with Nikon Capture. I like this because I can get nice open shadows and good colours with a minimum of effort. Best dynamic is still colour negative film but sometimes its difficult to find the right colour balance.

Most of the time right now I'm shooting RAW in the D70 with a powerful flash to fill in the shadows under June sunshine and this is giving me better results than I managed to achieve with film.

Charles

[another view]

There's really more to it than the numbers - the results will look different. I've done both, and can tell you that I rarely scan slides because of the time involved. DSLR's aren't perfect but done right, the prints are amazing.

Like Charles says, since there's no film there's no grain, and that may be one reason that the resolution (in my experience) can be lower with a digital capture print than a print from a scanned slide (based on same print size, similar quality). I guess I'd have to say I would choose digital here in most cases.

I've seen incredible results in 16x20 prints from 35mm Velvia, but it was drum scanned, Photoshopped to match the original slide, and printed by experts. It's a very expensive process. Galen Rowell was the photographer, and these were his original prints. I think (not positive) that he used Colorfolio for this work. How do his 16x20's compare to, for example, a 6mp DSLR? I think with some experience in Photoshop you'll get a similar quality level in print. Sadly, he died in '02 and never got into digital capture. I wonder what he would be doing today.