Why not printing one and see!
Never use the digital zoom if you want good pictures.
I use a Canon G1 and a D30 both give me good up to 8x10s. The lens is a very important factor.
If you print at 240ppi like I do you get an 8×10 without interpolation (read Best Print) with 1.920 X 2.400 Pix, this is about 4.6Mpix.
Photoshop does a very good job in upsampling using Bicubic, and you should get good pictures 2 or 3 times bigger using Resample.
You´d need at least 3 megapixels for A4 output. More, and you could do A3 as well. (I´ve printed fair A3´s from my 3.3MP Coolpix camera).
– That´s just the raw resolution deal.
Mathias
I moved recently from 4MP 2 6MP. Admitedly the camera is better in a number of ways but the jump in pixels is worth a lot. I seem to be able to tweak the pictures more in PS without any noticable deterioration in quality you know, sharpening, tonal adjustments etc. So for me it’s not just about output size.
Martin
I’ve always heard that megapixels are like RAM – you can never have enough!
I’m also in the market for a new camera – with 2 sons, a wife & mortgage, my budget is in the $00-500 range ~ any suggestions? I’m leaning towards the Olymp C4000 – – – ?
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<mike>
http://digiart.graficalicus.com October challenge: "orange"
I have a C4000 and was so unimpressed that I bought a 50 year old Rolleiflex! I think I was disappointed by the speed at which the pixels become visible when trying to enlarge a print. Yet, there are images that I have got that are not too bad. They have printed small, in a book, and on the web of course. At the moment I’m waiting for the 30 megapixel camera for $500 then I throw out the analogue stuff.
John
Mark,
if you already have 35mm or advantix film camera there is the option of a film scanner. Nikon seems to be getting the best reviews and they recently cut prices. The newer ones (which you can get at $500) will give you between 16 and 20 MP and use USB or Firewire. My older one required a SCSI card (but I just love it).
As a Photoshop user you can use the Nikon software directly from PS to retrieve/scan your film. The scanner takes 35 mm negatives and positives, plus the 24mm Advantix format.
I would only do this if you already have a camera and don’t mind the film development and picture scan processes, which you never need to think about in digital.
For me it is important to maintain the highest possible quality source for my pictures. Hence, I don’t worry about increased pixels until I need them. Then I buy a new scanner and still have a good source.
Someone once told me that in practical terms 16 MP is equivalent to 35mm film, although light sensitive "cells" on a film frame is 100 million+.
For printing I guess you can mulitply up by using 300 dpi to find your megapixels. I.e. a 6×4 should have 1,800 x 1,200 pixels or 2.16 MP, etc.
If you want to print bigger than your "new camera" allows, using the rule-of-thumb, you could reduce resolution (240 dpi) or try Genuine Fractals which gets high marks in reviews (I have never tried it). www.dcpsystems.co.uk or a quick search on google!-)
You should always be aware of the 3:2 or 7×5 etc, print formats, though. Digital cameras, too, get a certain ratio on their CCD/CMOS sensors and you need to crop (quite a bit some times) to fit your picture on a particular paper size, hence, losing some resolution. I think this is why the camera manufacturers are pushing the megapixel game so hard and letting you see less in the view finder than is received on the sensor. I have a lot of 6×4 prints of people without feet!-) It was that or their face!-) However, once you get to know your camera you learn to manage your compromises.
No matter your budget, digital photography still requires you to compromise. I bit the bullet yesterday and ordered the Canon 10D which I will get in two weeks.
For the compact digital cameras I have used there is always the zoom vs megapixels choice, glass vs "plastic" lens glass, dark corners on long zoom vs distortions on wide angle, sRGB vs Adobe RGB, etc.
If you like to have a lot of fun with your camera and can break your budget, you "should" wait for the new Sony F828 to be reviewed (releases in November) or go for the Canon S45 4MP camera at $400 (instead of the S50 at $499). I just wanted to end this lengthy reply by putting a stake in the ground!-)
Hope this helps!
Cheers,
Knut Vonheim
Despite the popularity of MFPs and digital cameras, many users still need a scanner suitable for photographs, negatives, slides, optical character recognition (OCR), and Web and e-mail duties. … All the units we tested offer true 48-bit color, the ability to scan up to 8.5- by 11-inch originals, one-touch convenience, and USB 2.0 interfaces. Each also comes equipped with a transparency adapter for scanning slides and negatives
– Midrange Scanners, Pro Functions <
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,4149,1331013,00.asp>, PC Magazine
The review favors the Epson 3170 ($200).
my budget is in the $00-500 range ~ any suggestions?
Since Canon has now the G5 you can get an older G3 4MP for under $500. They call them Refurbished but in reallity these are new re packaged cameras with all garanties.
I use a G3 with 3.3 and it is working now every day since 18 months gives the same pictures as my D30. Of course the D30 has interchangeable lenses and is a better camera.
You might get a New D30 for $700 if you can find one.
thanks for the replies –
After extensive research (hit google a few times, and hung out at my local BestBuy store) I’ve decided to stay with my initial feelings & go for the c4K – same memory cards I already have, enough pixels for what I’m going to do with it (hobbyist) and great price (under my budget, leaving $$ for more memory cards & an outboard flash).
Many thanks again –
—
<mike>
http://digiart.graficalicus.com/index.php October challenge: "orange"
At the moment I am using a 2 megapixel camera and manipulating the
pictures in Photoshop 7, this seams fine for prints 6×4 and 7×5 but I now want to output to A4 and even A3. The camera I have is very good and has a 6 times optical and 3 times digital zoom, which is very handy.
Anyone outputting A3 prints in Photoshop from a digital camera?
With my Olympus C4000Z and some finegaling I frequently get tabloid sized photos printed from a black and white laser printer. Cover photos for our not-quite-letter sized magazine are no trouble.
Jenrose
I use the Sony 707 which has been replaced by the 717. Use it at the highest or next to the highest resolution and get great pix. The camera is a little pricey but I like having the extra wide angle lense and telephoto lense and macro lenses as well, so need a camera that has that ability.
Sue
I´ve use both 4 and a 6MB fujifilm. If I use the 6mb camera I have to have much better lightning so therefor I almost all the time use tha 4mb camera. For printing A4 your camera has to produce images with the pixels 2480×3508 and A3 3508×4961
The final size depends on the pixel count, quality of the lens and CCD plate, subject matter, and lighting (contrast).
I have taken some 3.4 MP (Nikon 990) full frame images to 16 inch wide prints (Epson 2200) with excellent results, but I sure don’t depend on it. Yes, I turn the image up on end and print it sideways.
As I suspect Juhrich probably does, I have digital zoom turned off.
Bill
