Why Resolution Matters: Getting the Most From Your Film Scans
Every frame of film is an investment. Whether it’s your wedding day, your child’s first steps, or a portrait you’ve carefully planned, that negative is unique and irreplaceable. The scan is what decides how much of it you’ll actually see.
Most labs don’t deliver the full potential of film when they scan it. We have to scan our film for it to be seen anywhere online, or even printed if there is no access to a darkroom. That’s why I built Liquid Light Lab — to give your negatives the scans they deserve, with no shortcuts.
Nationwide service: wherever you are in the UK — London, Manchester, Anglesey, Edinburgh, Orkney, Belfast — you can post your film directly to me and receive archival-quality scans back.
4K, 8K, IMAX, and the Megapixel Myth
We hear about megapixels constantly. But resolution numbers don’t always mean what people think.
4K cinema is only 8.3MP — it’s enough to fill a theatre screen.
The Nikon D700, launched in 2008 with just 12MP, produced gallery-sized prints and magazine covers.
Digital manufacturers push megapixel counts higher every year, but past a certain point, they don’t matter. What matters more is dynamic range, tonal depth, and how detail is preserved. Why
Film has been quietly holding far more detail all along.
IMAX 70mm film is equivalent to ~120MP.
A fine-grain 35mm stock like Rollei Retro 80S can record the equivalent of 77–88MP, based on manufacturer datasheets.
8K is only 33.2 megapixels - far below IMAX film, and many of the 35mm rolls of film you shoot and want developed.
Meanwhile, most lab scans cap you at 6–12MP. That’s the gap Liquid Light Lab exists to close.
A Liquid Light Lab scan of 35mm film. Fine detail, smooth tones, and true 16-bit depth — this is the quality that comes as standard to your negatives.
What Labs Actually Deliver
Most labs still use Noritsu or Frontier scanners. On paper:
Noritsu HS-1800: up to ~30MP, 16-bit capture.
Frontier SP-3000: up to ~20MP, 14-bit capture expanded to 16-bit.
In practice:
Standard scans = 6–12MP JPEGs or TIFFs.
“XL” scans = ~20–30MP, still capped by the scanner.
Effective dynamic range = ~8–9 stops, while film often holds 13+.
So even when you pay extra, the file size grows but the information doesn’t. Liquid Light Lab gives you the full detail and tonal range of your negatives as standard.
A Real Example From a UK Lab
Here’s what a friend of mine actually got back from one of the UK’s most respected and widely used labs. She skipped all of their tiered options, and picked their “premium TIFF scan”. What she got was:
Dimensions: 5444 × 3649 px
Megapixels: ~20MP
Bit depth: 8-bit, not 16-bit
File size: ~56MB
On paper it looked “professional.” In reality, it was just the maximum output of a Frontier scanner, still clipped and limited.
That moment — paying for an upgrade and getting a capped file — does not happen at Liquid Light Lab.
Fomapan 100: What You’ll Lose in a Lab Scan
A great example is Fomapan 100, a traditional black-and-white film known for its classic rendering and grain. It’s one of the less expensive films on the market, and yet it outperforms its price point with resolution. The datasheet shows a resolving power of 120 line pairs per mm, which equates to about 50 megapixels from a single 35mm frame.
Compare that to scanners:
Noritsu max = ~30MP.
Frontier max = ~20MP.
Fomapan 100 comfortably out-resolves both scanners, meaning a standard lab workflow can leave nearly half the detail behind. Why leave 30MP behind?
At Liquid Light Lab, you’ll actually see the film’s resolving power.
Fomapan 100 on 35mm — beautiful classic tonality, but the fine detail has been lost in this standard lab scan. Notice how much resolution is left behind compared to a true Liquid Light Lab scan.
What Does “16-Bit TIFF” Really Mean?
8-bit files = 256 tones per channel.
16-bit files = 65,536 tones per channel.
That extra depth means smoother tones, better colour, and no banding when editing.
But many labs mislead clients:
Some deliver 8-bit TIFFs labelled as “premium.”
Even true 16-bit TIFFs don’t matter if the scan itself is capped at 8–9 stops of range.
At Liquid Light Lab, my scans are true 16-bit TIFFs that preserve the full tonal range and dynamic depth of the film. That’s the difference between a big file and a meaningful file.
Why Resolution Isn’t the Only Factor
Resolution is just one part of the puzzle. My scans also preserve:
Dynamic range: film’s full 13+ stops, not 8–9.
Grain and detail: kept intact, not smoothed.
Colour separation: especially in subtle stocks like Portra and Vision3.
This means prints that stay sharp, with deep colour and tonal gradations at A1 (24×33 inches), and files that are future-proof for archiving.
The Archival Advantage
A high-quality scan today is your insurance policy. It means you’ll never need to rescan when you want bigger prints or future-proof archives.
This matters for artists — but even more for families. Wedding photos, childhood memories, portraits of grandparents. Once they’re gone, they’re gone. A capped 8-bit scan won’t do justice to them.
Why Liquid Light Lab
Shot on Kodak Double-X with a pre-war Leica. 35mm film photography at its most timeless — light leaks at the edges only add to the character.
I don’t offer “minilab scans.” I offer the scans your film is truly capable of:
Higher resolution than Noritsu or Frontier.
True 16-bit depth, full dynamic range.
Grain, colour, and tone preserved.
Nationwide service — post your film from anywhere in the UK.
Film deserves better. Your memories deserve better.
Takeaways
Best film scanning UK — Liquid Light Lab offers nationwide service.
35mm and medium format film scanning UK — up to 100MP equivalent.
Archival film scanning service UK — true 16-bit TIFFs, not capped lab files.
Nationwide postal film scanning — London, Manchester, Anglesey, Edinburgh, Orkney, Belfast and beyond.
FAQ
How many megapixels is 35mm film?
Between 15MP and 80MP+, depending on the film stock. Rollei Retro 80S can hold ~77–88MP.
What’s the difference between Noritsu and Frontier scans?
Noritsu files are flatter and retain more shadows; Frontier files are contrasty but can clip highlights. Both are capped below what film can hold.
Are 16-bit TIFF scans worth it?
Only if they’re true 16-bit scans of the film’s full data. Many labs sell 8-bit TIFFs. Liquid Light Lab delivers real 16-bit archival scans.