learned how to use a drum scanner. used the scanmate 11000. the "11000" stands for maxiumum optical dpi! that's absurd. i know a lot of consumer scanners boast silly high dpi, but they mean constructed or enhanced dpi (the scanner software going through and replicating pixels instead of truly pulling those pixels from the image). for comparison, the consumer standard scanner is the epson v600 at has an optical dpi of 6400. not that dpi is all or even the most important factor in a scanner. epson v series are out of focus and collect poor color information. not putting anyone's efforts down who is using a consumer grade scanner. that's what i did for over a year when i started, and i learned to make it work. quality user output creates worthwhile results, not pro equipment -- cliche and true.
it's difficult to use. i took a lesson and then two day laters used it by myself to lock as much of it in my head as possible. will still be something i get better at with time. wet mounting a drum is not something you are naturally good at. takes a bit of practice. in addition to getting straight and clean frames, you're about to put that drum in a $10k scanner so it's important your seal is perfect.
once i run my curves, levels, and cleaning mask in photoshop, my files are about 6gb for 120 film. you can't even save that as a tiff, which maxes at out 4gb. so you have to use photoshop's proprietary "large document" format, which is pretty much a tiff. still lossless, still allows layers. my new macbook pro was a holiday sale at b&h and came with about every upgrade available, but editing a 6gb file still has it stopping to think.
edit:
on that note, i can now start shooting medium format again. no film curl on a drum mount! shot a roll and a half of it today. depending on which medium format camera, it can also be disarming for street.