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Frontier vs Noritsu: Which Scanner is Better?
You googled, “Which is the best scanner to get my film scanned on?” and landed here looking for a clear answer. Here’s the answer… it depends. Like any creative process, scanning film is subjective. The scanner is just a tool, and the right one depends on the look you're after.
Before diving into the details, take a look at the images below. They're from the same negative, but one is a Frontier scan, and the other is a Noritsu.
Heres' a quick overview of the characteristics of each scanner.
Frontier
- Cooler images, shadows lean blue/cyan
- Grain is smooth but is more chromatic
- Strong contrast
- Strong Saturation
- Skin tones lean yellow
Noritsu
- Able to scan at higer resolution
- Warmer tones
- Less contrast
- Grain is sharper, mono-chromatic
- Skin tones lean reddish/pink
- Higher dynamic range
Where Did They Come From?
Any professional film lab you visit today is likely to use either a Noritsu or a Frontier scanner. Some even have both. All of these machines were built over twenty years ago, which is part of the reason why film scans are so expensive these days.
With the rise of digital photography, the interest in film began to fall, naturally causing the demand for film scanners to fall too. Companies like Fuji and Noritsu began to shift their focus away from film technology, until eventually they stopped producing these machines all together.
There really hasn't been much innovation with film scans in the last 20 years. Interestingly, this lack of innovation could contribute to the timeless quality film has – the look you are getting now is mostly the same as what you would get 20+ years ago.
When to Use the Frontier?
- You don't want to edit your photos too much.
- You like strong contrast and saturation.
- You prefer a cooler image.
When to Use the Frontier?
- You need a super high resolution scan.
- You like editing your photos.
- You like low contrast images.
- You prefer a warmer image.
- You shot black and white film.
Using what you know now, can you guess which image came from which scanner? Scoll down for the answers.
Noritsu Scan 1st Image – Frontier Scan 2nd Image
What's in the Details?
The images above are zoomed-in sections from a 35mm film frame, allowing you to clearly see the grain detail. These were scanned at 6K resolution, which brings out the full texture and sharpness of the negative. Although if your lab doesn't scan at this resolution, the grain in your photos will appear much less pronounced. Also, these examples were not edited after scanning. What you’re seeing is how the images look straight out of the scanner.
By viewing the magnified film, you can clearly see the differences in color, contrast, and grain that set these scanners apart. The most noticeable distinction is the color temperature. Take the gray square next to the red one; it’s a neutral middle gray. On the Noritsu scan, that gray appears slightly warmer compared to the same square in the Frontier scan. This reflects how each scanner interprets "neutral" tones differently.
The middle gray square is also a helpful spot to observe the grain characteristics. In the Noritsu scan, the grain appears mostly monochromatic. In contrast, the Frontier scan shows more variation, with subtle color shifts within the grain pattern. When adding digital grain in Lightroom, there’s no option to add chromatic grain, which makes it harder to authentically mimic the look of a Frontier scan.
Still Deciding?
It would be great to always get your film scanned on both scanners, but those costs would add up fast. Really, there is no right option, it just depends how you want to start out. With digital editing techniques these days you can pretty much get any image to look like another depending on how much time you put into it.
But if you're someone who likes to see more examples, you could check out our film comparison tool. It allows you to cycle through different scanners, film stocks, and exposures to analyze how each variable affects the image.
You can also check out our film emulations, which include both Frontier and Noritsu scanner profiles. This lets you get a feel for how the scanners effect your image differently. Then, when you're ready to shoot film and choose a scanner, can feel more confident in your decision thanks to the familiarity you've built with the Color Precision emulations.