Verryl

Does anyone have experience with Smith Micro's Photo Zoom Pro 5. Supposedly, one can enlarge 2,3 or 4x. I just returned from the Yukon and Alaska with lots of wildlife photos taken with a NikonD80 and a Promaster 70-300mm zoom lens. Some are probably sharp enough to enlarge more than the approx 1.5x limit I find with Photoshop, and I'd like to give it a try for the $99 price.

Also if I had shot in Raw + .jpg I'd be more likely of success with the Raw than just my .jpg's?

Next trip.
Verryl

Peekayoh Loc: UK

I did use it a long time ago and it worked pretty well. Obviously, there is pixel degradation but the program generally gives a better result than the standard Photoshop blow up. The program is based on the small step enlargement which we used to do by creating an action and there was always an argument over which was better but the program simplifies things no end.

I would say you were always better off taking your shots in Raw rather than JPEG, full stop, but photozoom does include algorithms to to correct JPEG artifacts. I think it's probably best to shoot in Raw, export to an unsharpened 16-bit TIFF then run it through Photozoom and final sharpening in PS although, as I say, it's some years since I used the program seriously.

Old Sarge Loc: Moore, OK

I use Photo Zoom 5 from time to time, and it is very good. I use a SX40 and have made poster size and above enlargements. Yes, there is some degradation, but remember, an enlargement is not to be viewed from the same distance a 4X6 is viewed. Hung on a wall, and viewed from 3 or 4 feet it is fantastic (IMHO).