Scanning trade-offs / kitten / DA70

[Nesster]

here's something different from me - an actual photograph made using auto focus Pentax equipment. The camera's a ZX-L, the lens is DA 70 Limited, the film is CVS ASA200. Lighting via AF200T flash in TTL mode. The kitten is less than 6 weeks old, a new arrival. He's very pale yellow.

First image: home scan using Epson software and Epson 4490 at native resolution of 4800 dpi. It makes a huge bitmap/file. I cropped the center and then downsized it.

Second image: slight crop (off top and bottom) of a CVS minilab scan (at approx 1200 dpi) but no resizing.

I did touch curves and levels on these.

Observations: at 4800 dpi, supposedly optimum for the 4490, I note scanner noise in the image. I'm wondering if there is a trade-off between dpi and noise, sort of like with digital cameras...

Observations: the CVS scan does not scale up well, I made the same crop and same size bitmap & the fur on his forehead started to block up with ugly color stuff.

Observations: the DA 70 still works fine with film. Always has. It's even not too bad to focus manually







I haven't seen much discussion of scanner noise - whether correlated with the movement (banded) or uncorrelated (digital noise). Having read a bit yesterday, I see the cheaper 4490 has more such noise than the dearer 4990, for example. I also wonder if there is a trade-off between dpi and noise - this would make some sense - and that sometimes scanning at the native optical resolution isn't necessarily the best compromise. Thoughts?

[Katastrofo]

Nesster, I'm just amazed at the detail in this shot! I'd be plum tickled
to make such an one, scanner noise or no. I've read where it doesn't
avail you much to scan more than 2400dpi on 35mm negs/slides. But
I've also seen some marvey results with those that have the Nikon
Coolscans scanning at 4000dpi, so who knows.

Simply fine job of a shot, Nesster!

BTW, voted for yours on that Purina Pet Chart thingie.