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Attack of the megapixels!
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Great article and a I think it should be another sticky!
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Think before you shoot!
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Think before you shoot!
By small format, do you mean the type of "lenses" found in compact cameras (in the 5-20mm range, with tiny sensors) ? Or the kind found on 35mm (or those with a 1.3-1.6x crop) DSLRs? Your post seems to suggest the second option as you say a medium format camera is needed for anything over 11x14... which I think is a bit exagerated. A good (and today even the bottom end is getting pretty good) DSLR coupled with a decent prime can certainly get you a nice 16x20 print.
Sure, you can spot some flaws if you look at it from two inches but then you're not seeing the whole picture
There are also certainly some shooting conditions where the flaws will be greater but that's true of any piece of equipment.
Sure, you can spot some flaws if you look at it from two inches but then you're not seeing the whole picture
There are also certainly some shooting conditions where the flaws will be greater but that's true of any piece of equipment.
Very interesting article. What brands/cameras would you recommend in terms of medium format cameras?
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I support ~350dlovers *crikey =Models-INC ~PhotoFeature !TassieDevils =The-Canon-Club So please support them too!!
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I support ~350dlovers *crikey =Models-INC ~PhotoFeature !TassieDevils =The-Canon-Club So please support them too!!
the thing is if an APS-C (1.5x or 1.6x crop) or APS-H (1.3x crop) DSLR gets you a "decent" 11x14, with a Medium Format camera you will have better image quality not only because of the larger media and larger photosites (this means more subtle gradations in colors, more detail captured, higher dynamic range) but also because there is a difference between the quality of a Many of the pro grade medium format lenses vs a Canon Legacy, Nikon professional or any other SLR 35mm(included digital cameras) lens. .
Like in film, if you want to do big prints you will get better results from a Medium format film camera because of the larger media to blow up prints bigger than 11x14, than with 135mm film.
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Think before you shoot!
.Like in film, if you want to do big prints you will get better results from a Medium format film camera because of the larger media to blow up prints bigger than 11x14, than with 135mm film.
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Think before you shoot!
this is great advice. Thanks 
Strange I have made prints 36x24 in. with great results on my 400D
I find it funny that people blame megapixels for blurry photos. 
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Getting the shit out takes ALOT of hard work.
You still end up with shit.
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Getting the shit out takes ALOT of hard work.
You still end up with shit.
I disagree.
300ppi (pixels per inch) is considered photo quality. at 300ppi a 3 megapixel would make a 5x7 (roughly). to get an 8x10 a little less than an 8 megapixel camera would be required.
300ppi is what the profesoinals use for magazines, but 250-200ppi isn't too bad. it all depends on what you are using it for (pro or amatuer). I think if your selling prints 300-250ppi is what you should use.
I'm realy just summerizing this article -> [link]
I only disagree about that first part though
300ppi (pixels per inch) is considered photo quality. at 300ppi a 3 megapixel would make a 5x7 (roughly). to get an 8x10 a little less than an 8 megapixel camera would be required.
300ppi is what the profesoinals use for magazines, but 250-200ppi isn't too bad. it all depends on what you are using it for (pro or amatuer). I think if your selling prints 300-250ppi is what you should use.
I'm realy just summerizing this article -> [link]
I only disagree about that first part though
"Great" is a matter of opinion, and I guess it all depends on one's tolerance for image softness...
Using my D200 and pro-line lenses, I start to notice a definite (but "acceptable") loss of detail in an 11x14 print (a 127% upsample from 10mp) at a 1M viewing distance (the average for a fine-art print).
At 16x20 (a 185% upsample) the images look positively blurry to my eye when viewed from inside 2M.
At 24x36" (a 279% upsample), I have to be at least 3M away to see the image as being "sharp". That's a looooong way away to be viewing an "art" print (halfway across a 20' room)...
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"They who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty or security" - Benjamin Franklin
Using my D200 and pro-line lenses, I start to notice a definite (but "acceptable") loss of detail in an 11x14 print (a 127% upsample from 10mp) at a 1M viewing distance (the average for a fine-art print).
At 16x20 (a 185% upsample) the images look positively blurry to my eye when viewed from inside 2M.
At 24x36" (a 279% upsample), I have to be at least 3M away to see the image as being "sharp". That's a looooong way away to be viewing an "art" print (halfway across a 20' room)...
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"They who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty or security" - Benjamin Franklin
It's not about the sensor, it's about the lenses. Camera lenses are designed to provide enough resolution to fill a negative of a given size.
35mm and under is considered "small" format.
The lenses designed for small format can produce enough detail to to fill about 50 line-pairs (100 pixels) per millimeter. At 11x14 (a 10x enlargement) you can achieve 5lp/mm on the print, which is exactly equal to the resolution limit for the average human eye. At 16x20 (a 14x enlargement) you are only achieving 3.5lp/mm, well below the resolution of the human eye, and as a result the sharpness of detail in the print goes down and the images will look "soft". You can print 35mm format images at 16x20, but image quality is (IMHO) severely reduced...
This phenomenon - where increasing enlargement no longer produces increased (visible) detail - is known as empty magnification.
Since you use the same format lenses on dSLRs, the maximum resolution you can capture is going to be the same. In fact one of the major issues with super-mega-pixel cameras like the 1Ds Mk II is that the vast majority 35mm-format lenses simply don't have the resolving power to fill the photosites with sharp detail.
With medium format an 11x14" print is only a 5x enlargement (10lp/mm) and a 16x20" print is only a 7x enlargement (7lp/mm) - both well below the resolution limit imposed by the viewer's eye and both capable of reproducing sharp detail in the print.
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"They who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty or security" - Benjamin Franklin
35mm and under is considered "small" format.
The lenses designed for small format can produce enough detail to to fill about 50 line-pairs (100 pixels) per millimeter. At 11x14 (a 10x enlargement) you can achieve 5lp/mm on the print, which is exactly equal to the resolution limit for the average human eye. At 16x20 (a 14x enlargement) you are only achieving 3.5lp/mm, well below the resolution of the human eye, and as a result the sharpness of detail in the print goes down and the images will look "soft". You can print 35mm format images at 16x20, but image quality is (IMHO) severely reduced...
This phenomenon - where increasing enlargement no longer produces increased (visible) detail - is known as empty magnification.
Since you use the same format lenses on dSLRs, the maximum resolution you can capture is going to be the same. In fact one of the major issues with super-mega-pixel cameras like the 1Ds Mk II is that the vast majority 35mm-format lenses simply don't have the resolving power to fill the photosites with sharp detail.
With medium format an 11x14" print is only a 5x enlargement (10lp/mm) and a 16x20" print is only a 7x enlargement (7lp/mm) - both well below the resolution limit imposed by the viewer's eye and both capable of reproducing sharp detail in the print.
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"They who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty or security" - Benjamin Franklin
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More important than the sheer number of megapixels a camera has are four other things:
(1) the QUALITY of the sensor. This would include how well it lines up the little dots that make up the various colors (whether you get what is called fringing), how much noise it produces, and how quickly it will overheat. ALL digital sensors will eventually overheat, but it is pretty obvious that if yours does it in 4 seconds, you're going to get problems that someone else, whose camera overheats in 30 seconds, won't have.
(2) the quality of the LENSES. This would determine things like chromatic aberration (where different colors of light fall on different places on the sensor or focus differently), it is the main factor in determining how sharp the image is, and etcetera.
(3) the quality of the peripheral electronics and of the mechanics. These can add noise (even to a camera with the best possible sensor), cause your zoom lenses to jam, and can cause many other very serious problems.
(4) The size of the photosites. This is a major factor in determining how efficient a sensor will be (bigger is better).
There are also two other things to look at: the camera's reputation for reliability and the manufacturer's reputation for servicing that particular camera are chief among them. Doesn't matter how good any particular piece of equipment is if it is in the shop and the service people are giving you the run-around.
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I am a trained professional. Don't try this at home.