Topic awaiting preservation: Camera Megapixels and Large Print

Just wondering, im thinking of buying a camera. Im not looking to spend a fortune but i know i want a super zoom one - so im looking at the Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z2 (10x Zoom, 4MP) .. It says at 4mp that gives u images up to 2272x1704 pixels... Im wondering how big a poster u can get out of this.

When you go up to AO posters etc is 150dpi sufficient? If it is (and if im working it out right) then that means my poster can be 15.1 inches x 11.36 inches (383.5mm x 288.54).

Which isnt even A3 ...

So i guess the question is am i working this out right and what resolution do you normally use for larger print. (I notice REALLY large banners and stuff i see them grainy so im assuming the res is lower)

The resolution really depends on the type of output device. Now I have tired dazzle, they require only 100dpi, and I was very happy with the quality, at this resolution however small type and fine lines would be an issue as would be fine details like wiskers and hair, but for typical poster viewing distance it should matter.

My guess is most inkjets would require around 266 to 480 dpi, but for typical poster viewing distance you might get away with 150dpi if you don't have to fine of details.

Another thing to keep in mind is you should beable to enlarge the images some, I find I can go to about 150-160% with too much pixelating.

It might be interesting to call a few of the poster print and do a little survey and see what they recommend and the post the results here.

J. Stuart J.

Hmm sounds good, i might just do that!

When you say enlarging images, do you mean digitally, or having them printed at a smaller size then getting a professional company to rescan them at a higher resolution?

See i have a bunch of products i need to take photos of, MOST of them will never be used for large posters etc but a few might. I guess that might be the other option, have them printed on A4 or something then professionally enlarged. If they scan something in at a much higher res this might work out?

okay, the huge posters you see in store windows and on Times Square, are not done using digital cameras. They are done using special professional negatives, where the negative itself is about 10"x8", so you can enlarge it to virtually any size you want without no visible loss of detail.

If you insist on using low-end digicams (4-5megapixels) you will either have to make small prints, or print at a very low dpi setting, or resample the image and live with the pixels that will become apparent.

No other way is known to science at this point.

Keep in mind that normal 35mm film allows for a resolution equivalent of about 15 megapixels. so if you really need a decent size poster - maybe you should use 35mm SLR... although 120 format would be better.

Yeh i suspected as much, im only looking to spend about $800AU tho so that does limit my options. I guess since i am photographing individual products, most times these will be put into a bigger picture, its not like im taking a photo that i need enlarged to A0 etc really. So i should get away with it for now!

Thanks for all of your help.

i've done 11" x 17" posters at 150dpi that i got printed at kinko's and they looked fine for the most part. with a poster you're not going to be right up close to it so you can get away with a lot lower resolution than you might expect.

as far as cameras just do some shopping and see what you can find, 4 and 5mp cameras are getting more and more affordable. good luck

chris


KAIROSinteractive | tangent oriented

Yeh, currently i am looking at one of these





Pretty impressive at that price imo.

The first one is also a digital type slr so it can take different lenses etc too.