Film scanners - any point....?

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.scanner (More info?)

I have a Canon FS4000US film scanner. Seems to work OK and has good reviews.
I am a little disappointed when zooming in on detail that it seems rather
grainy. OK I am zooming in a lot on distant faces but will a better scanner
give any improvement in results or have I simply got down to the film grain
(most films ISO 200 or 400) and thats the limit. Is there any technique I
can use or any software that will 'improve' the results i.e. less grainy and
more detail? Neatimage does a cracking job on grain but does not improve
detail. Unsharp mask simply accentuates the grain. I have tried multiple
pass scans but no noticeable difference (even up to 16 passes). Any advice
gratefully received

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.scanner (More info?)

Neither film nor digital has infinite resolution.
Before a digital image breaks up and pixellates as you enlarge a section it
seems "better" to many viewers because it appears to have less grain. In
fact, despite grain, the film image generally contains more pictorial
information.
Is a paradox.
Unless you are asking the impossible there are many techniques for treating
the grainy appearance of film.
Also there is a great difference between what you see in an enlarged section
of an image on your monitor and what a final print looks like. You may find
your prints look better than you think, especially if you do not print the
image too large.