I would also be using the digital files as a backup of my negatives. Yeah, I know, my computer will probably bite it long before the negs do. But here's a thought I had. My work only charges me $3-5 to develop negatives, depending on the size of the roll. I could just get them developed and scan them all in myself using a scanning device. So if I'm out with my laptop and away from home but I want access to a certain batch of photos, being able to pull up high-quality scans of my negatives, which are safely nestled away at home, is a nice option so I can subsequently have prints made if necessary.
I looked up the specs on a few different models. I think a dedicated film scanner is out of the question, cost wise. We used to sell a CoolScan IV at work for $800, but that's pretty steep for a dedicated-task device. The one that caught my eye of the bunch was the Epson V700. $549 is still a fair chunk of cash, and I don't necessarily need 6400dpi, but I am very interested in Digital ICE and the dual-lens pickup these are equipped with. Dust and defect correction is a major plus if I want to be able to make prints from the digital backups.
And I can burn optical backups way cheaper than from work. At $3 per DVD, they'd better be coated in titanium.
Thanks for the input guys.
BTW: I guess this seems like a lot of attention to some very small details, but thank you for the information anyways. I don't have any issue with the digital workflow, what I don't like is the output that digital provides. Film is a wonderful medium to create with, but the workflow is tedious. I'm trying to marry the two.