Here's an oversimplification to illustrate the point: CCD scanners are generally measured in total pixels across their "bed". If you have a 4000 ppi scanner, and you have a 1 inch piece of film, you can get 4000 ppi. However, if you have a 4 inch piece of film you get 1000. The number is the total pixels.
You also have to take into account the optical resolution, which is different from the amount of pixels something is capable of generating. These are often mixed up. You don't get 8,000 ppi of optical resolution in the X5, it's somewhere between 2 and 3, I would imagine, close to 3.
Drum scanners take one sample at a time, and so when there is a 4x5 piece of piece of film and its generating 4000 ppi, then its 20,000 total pixels (on the long edge).
Lenny
EigerStudios
Museum Quality Drum Scanning and Printing
So, you have line-pairs in your eyes? That looks like 4,000 to you? Maybe it is, they can do much better with 35mm, apparently around 4k. That's under the right circumstances. However, I'm not really interested in expanding. I was trying to answer a different question and I don't want to diss anyone's scanner or get into pissing contests. If you are happy, then all is good.
Lenny
EigerStudios
Museum Quality Drum Scanning and Printing
Bookmarks