96 Megapixel Film Scans: Are They Worth the Extra Effort and File Size?

The LUMIX S5IIx offers a High-Resolution mode where it combines multiple images into one massive 96 Megapixel image, and I always wondered if it actually makes a difference when scanning 35mm film.

My Setup

• LUMIX S5IIx with a Sigma 70mm F2.8 DG MACRO | A
• VALOI easy35
• Negative Lab Pro
• Scanned Film: Kodak TMax 400 shot at 1600 and pushed 2 stops

Comparison

The thing is, when I compress and upload the photos to my blog, you probably won't see any differences between the two. That's why I decided to show you some zoomed in comparisons. Furthermore, you can download the original files and have a closer look on your own!

Left is the regular 24MP Image - Right is the high-res 96MP Image

The Good

• Better Details: There’s definitely a noticeable difference when zooming in, but honestly not as significant as I thought.
• More Resolution: That is pretty obvious, but it is nice to have some extra pixels when you want to crop your film frames.

Honestly, that's already it. Overall, I'm pleased with the results and I'm really pleased by the quality you can get out of a 35mm negative.

The Bad

• File Size: The 24MP RAW files from the Lumix are usually between 30MB and 40MB. The high-res images are usually between 130MB and 150MB. That means you need roughly 5GB per 35mm roll.
• Processing Time: After taking the photo, the camera will create the high-resolution photo, which takes a few seconds. This will slow down your scanning process. Besides that, processing in Lightroom and with Negative Lab Pro will take more time due to the bigger files.