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My First Digital Question
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Dec 30, 2011 21:09:24   #
RobertMaxey
 
What advice can you all offer if I tell you I want the absolutely, no question about it, highest possible resolution prints. I really do not care about file sizes, file formats, or brands; I am only interested in the absolutes at the edge of the current state of the art.

I want the end result to be large, sharp prints.

I ask here because I am told all sorts of things when I ask Mr. Google.

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Dec 30, 2011 21:15:06   #
RocketScientist Loc: Littleton, Colorado
 
I don't know what you have for a camera, but set it for the largest picture size with the finest resolution possible. For sharp focus on everything, use a high F stop number (Less light but Wider Depth of field)

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Dec 30, 2011 21:15:50   #
Bruce with a Canon Loc: Islip
 
RobertMaxey wrote:
What advice can you all offer if I tell you I want the absolutely, no question about it, highest possible resolution prints. I really do not care about file sizes, file formats, or brands; I am only interested in the absolutes at the edge of the current state of the art.

I want the end result to be large, sharp prints.

I ask here because I am told all sorts of things when I ask Mr. Google.


I might be wrong,however I do believe Hassleblad makes a 60 mp processor, thats about as high a resolution you will get short of buying an sr71 blackbird spy cam
should set you back about 40,000 plusd tax for the back and body, add a few grand per lens , couple hundred per filter and ofcource the memory cards will run a couple hundred each. Now that you have these images, you will need something slightly less powerful than the pentagon defence computer to process the images oh and photoshop
(500 bucks I think)
Good luck, post what ya get

sharp + depth of field = f/16-f22

on the other hand I took images with an entry level pentax *Ist/dl 6 mp camera with kit lens 18-55 and enlarge to 16X20 with superb results ( Flickr Bruce Seltenright Photo, second image first page)

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Dec 30, 2011 21:18:07   #
Wabbit Loc: Arizona Desert
 
RobertMaxey wrote:
What advice can you all offer if I tell you I want the absolutely, no question about it, highest possible resolution prints. I really do not care about file sizes, file formats, or brands; I am only interested in the absolutes at the edge of the current state of the art.

I want the end result to be large, sharp prints.

I ask here because I am told all sorts of things when I ask Mr. Google.


Are you asking about equipment or camera settings?

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Dec 30, 2011 21:43:27   #
snowbear
 
Bruce with a Canon wrote:
I might be wrong,however I do believe Hassleblad makes a 60 mp processor

Correct - H4D-60 @ $41,990. But they also have the H4D-200MS. Moves the 50MP sensor 1-1/2 pixel at a time to get 200MP six-image composite.

OP: Since most prints are made at 300 dpi, you can just divide each dimension of the sensor size (pixels) by 300 to get the print dimension in inches. For example for a 2000x3000 sensor (6MP): 2000/300 = 6.66 and 3000/300=10 so a 6-2/3"x10" print is possible without resizing the image.

If you don't want to do the math, this link shows print sizes (at 300 dpi) for sensors from 2 to 44 MPs.
http://www.design215.com/toolbox/megapixels.php

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Dec 30, 2011 23:00:20   #
MT Shooter Loc: Montana
 
RobertMaxey wrote:
What advice can you all offer if I tell you I want the absolutely, no question about it, highest possible resolution prints. I really do not care about file sizes, file formats, or brands; I am only interested in the absolutes at the edge of the current state of the art.

I want the end result to be large, sharp prints.

I ask here because I am told all sorts of things when I ask Mr. Google.


The Hassy it pretty much as good as it gets in off the shelf hardware at this moment, but there are lots of options out there that can break the budget of any third world country and get you up to 2400mp sensors.
I have personally seen the results out of the Pentax 645D 40mp sensor and am thoroughly impressed for its meagher $9995 price tag. Just waiting for someone to decide I need one of them for a present one of these days, all my old Pentax 645 lenses fit right on the 645D body, kind of the Nikon of Medium format in my opinion.

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Dec 30, 2011 23:15:33   #
desertwalker Loc: Colorado Springs
 
Your ISO also plays a factor, the higher your iso the more chance of grainy images.

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Dec 31, 2011 04:33:57   #
RobertMaxey
 
Let me clarify.

Assume I own any digital camera. We will say Nikon and forgetting the sensors and mega pixels completely. Just a Nikon digital camera that produces digital files. Or Cannon or Leica or Fred's Wonder Camera, for that matter.

So here I am at my desk getting ready to deal with the images. I download the files to my PC and here I sit with several files, ready to decide what I need to do. What do I convert to or from? Do I create jpg/jpeg, tiff, RAW, or convert RAW to tiff, or perhaps do something else like send the printer a raw file or if that is even a good idea without some kind of processing.

What I need to learn is what specific file types give me the highest possible resolution and best quality print. Forget cost, printer costs, required software and all the rest. I have files and I want prints. What do I need to worry about or consider?

Also, forget printer brands and assume I can access any printer--either locally or mail-order. What do I look for as far as specs go? Do I look for a specific type of printer with the special capabilities? Feel free to mention ultra costly printers. I'll never purchase one, but I would like to know if one printer is a better choice than another. If the company printing the files uses a Wally World brand printer and a better printer would be a Linotype Mango 440, then I need to know what to look for.

I did my due diligence and opinions and ideas seem to vary. I am a confused film guy, but I think I want to learn more about digital. My goal is as much sharpness and fidelity as possible. Perhaps a few good books some of you could suggest or a web site that can help me struggle through the basics? Your opinions and thoughts are also welcome. Especially if I am overlooking something important or worrying about something that is more or less meaningless.

Some will say the camera matters and I agree. But, modern 6 mp cameras and a modern 8 mp cameras both create digital files and apparently, if I send a jpg to a printer I might not have as good of a result as if I sent a tiff file and a worse result if I sent some other format like a gif. Or something like that.

Obviously, if the camera created bitmaps and I wanted large prints; for example 30 x 40 inches, print quality would suffer compared to other formats. Just to pick a quick under educated example.

I know that a 78 PPI file will yield a terrible 30 x 40, and a 300-500-600-1200 PPI file at 30 x 40 would be much better. But what file type is best for ultra high quality, high resolution prints? Jpg, tiff, something else?

Thanks in advance for your help, if you choose to help.

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Dec 31, 2011 05:34:25   #
ltruex Loc: Waco TX
 
Robert, you should understand your question involves a lot of conditions for example what camera do you have, lens size, distance from the subject, size of subject, and camera settings for those big conditions. Also the size of the print: Is it a poster or what size. We have to have information to provide an answer to your good question that others may want to know. L3
RobertMaxey wrote:
What advice can you all offer if I tell you I want the absolutely, no question about it, highest possible resolution prints. I really do not care about file sizes, file formats, or brands; I am only interested in the absolutes at the edge of the current state of the art.

I want the end result to be large, sharp prints.

I ask here because I am told all sorts of things when I ask Mr. Google.

Reply
Dec 31, 2011 05:41:49   #
effrant Loc: New Hampshire
 
Too much info for a single post, here is a good read....
http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/color-management-printing.htm

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Dec 31, 2011 07:35:57   #
photocat Loc: Atlanta, Ga
 
Well, just off the top of my head, as you do have a ton of variables working.

Use a printing RIP. And sharppened the images for printing. Of course this will not help if the file isn't sharp to begin with.

I am using QImage at 1200dpi

Also, i only use TIFF files

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Dec 31, 2011 08:08:19   #
DavidT Loc: Maryland
 
RobertMaxey wrote:
Let me clarify.

...I know that a 78 PPI file will yield a terrible 30 x 40, and a 300-500-600-1200 PPI file at 30 x 40 would be much better. But what file type is best for ultra high quality, high resolution prints? Jpg, tiff, something else?


Assuming you shot in RAW, I see that you have two major options - to convert your RAW file to JPEG or TIFF. Even then, there could be other scenarios to consider such as whether the file will be published in a book or just as a print. I won't go into the publishing options since that involves other choices such as what color space to save it in (e.g., RGB vs. CMYK). So, if it is for hard-copy printing (ink-jet prints, posters, etc.) TIFF files will yield the best ultra high-quality, high-resolution prints. But, they are huge files!

JPEG comes in a close second for smaller prints and are easier to store.

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Dec 31, 2011 08:43:51   #
rebeil Loc: florida
 
Everybody talks Camera , it is true you have to have a Good Camera to get a good shot BUT nobody talks PRINTER you need a good printer to PRINT the shot also

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Dec 31, 2011 10:06:03   #
Frank T Loc: New York, NY
 
My best advice to you is to have a lot of money. What you want to achieve, "the best" is attainable with a medium format, digital camera such as a Hasselblad. This will set you back about 40K without the lens, but it is the best.

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Dec 31, 2011 10:13:01   #
rebeil Loc: florida
 
Spend $1000s on camera and print on a $69 Printer is what you are saying

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