Yeah, drum scanning is expensive but it is the absolute best. Rather tedious for the operator as he/she has to unmount the slide to drum-scan it (as far as I know). Regarding home PC scanners: the flatbed ones with neg/slide adapters will do the job, but the main problem is anything even remotely in shadow (or contra jour) will drop out to black. I believe this is due to a low dynamic range.
Personally, I use a Minolta Dimage Scan Dual film scanner. I got it for about 375.00 and it offers auto-focus, multiple scan, decent software, etc. This was an upgrade from a canon flatbed with neg adapter. The difference was huge! Shadows retained detail, and images were so sharp that I swear even the grain of the film was in focus. For an amateur, this one does a great job.
If you are a film shooter then it is a wise investment. If it's an occasional thing and you want a scan that rivals digital slr output, drum scanning is really the accurate way to do it.
I hope this helps!
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