Cropping
May 27, 2015 12:37:44 #
What determines the amount a photo can be successfully cropped..the sensor or the lens? Or, can any photo be cropped a lot and still be sharp? Or is this an irrelevant question?
May 27, 2015 12:45:27 #
You can crop your photo until you think the photo's IQ is unacceptable.
Using a 'longer' lens, and filling the frame - cropping the scene when make the photo - is obviously better.
A 'bigger' sensor and a 'better' lens produces 'better' images than 'smaller' sensor and 'lessor quality' lenses.
Using a 'longer' lens, and filling the frame - cropping the scene when make the photo - is obviously better.
A 'bigger' sensor and a 'better' lens produces 'better' images than 'smaller' sensor and 'lessor quality' lenses.
May 27, 2015 12:50:39 #
nat wrote:
.... is this an irrelevant question?
"What determines the amount a photo can be successfully cropped."
The sensor, lens and photographer.
"can any photo be cropped a lot and still be sharp?"
Cropping has no effect on sharpness at all.
"is this an irrelevant question?"
It is rather pointless.
I think what you are really asking is:
How much can you magnify an image before the degradation is bad enough to matter?
May 27, 2015 12:56:14 #
oldtigger wrote:
"What determines the amount a photo can be successfully cropped."
The sensor, lens and photographer.
"can any photo be cropped a lot and still be sharp?"
Cropping has no effect on sharpness at all.
"is this an irrelevant question?"
It is rather pointless.
I think what you are really asking is:
How much can you magnify an image before the degradation is bad enough to matter?
The sensor, lens and photographer.
"can any photo be cropped a lot and still be sharp?"
Cropping has no effect on sharpness at all.
"is this an irrelevant question?"
It is rather pointless.
I think what you are really asking is:
How much can you magnify an image before the degradation is bad enough to matter?
Yeah! That was the question I wanted answered! Thanks old tigger.
May 27, 2015 12:56:14 #
oldtigger wrote:
"What determines the amount a photo can be successfully cropped."
The sensor, lens and photographer.
"can any photo be cropped a lot and still be sharp?"
Cropping has no effect on sharpness at all.
"is this an irrelevant question?"
It is rather pointless.
I think what you are really asking is:
How much can you magnify an image before the degradation is bad enough to matter?
The sensor, lens and photographer.
"can any photo be cropped a lot and still be sharp?"
Cropping has no effect on sharpness at all.
"is this an irrelevant question?"
It is rather pointless.
I think what you are really asking is:
How much can you magnify an image before the degradation is bad enough to matter?
Yeah! That was the question I wanted answered! Thanks old tigger.
May 27, 2015 12:58:34 #
twowindsbear wrote:
You can crop your photo until you think the photo's IQ is unacceptable.
Using a 'longer' lens, and filling the frame - cropping the scene when make the photo - is obviously better.
A 'bigger' sensor and a 'better' lens produces 'better' images than 'smaller' sensor and 'lessor quality' lenses.
Using a 'longer' lens, and filling the frame - cropping the scene when make the photo - is obviously better.
A 'bigger' sensor and a 'better' lens produces 'better' images than 'smaller' sensor and 'lessor quality' lenses.
Thank you, twowindsbear (brother to threestrikesout?)
May 27, 2015 13:12:49 #
nat wrote:
What determines the amount a photo can be successfully cropped..the sensor or the lens? Or, can any photo be cropped a lot and still be sharp? Or is this an irrelevant question?
The 36MP sensor of a D810 will let you print larger and crop more than an image from a tiny sensor. A top quality lens will help the image to be sharp, but if the focus is off, cropping will only emphasize the lack of sharpness.
May 27, 2015 13:20:35 #
jerryc41 wrote:
The 36MP sensor of a D810 will let you print larger and crop more than an image from a tiny sensor. A top quality lens will help the image to be sharp, but if the focus is off, cropping will only emphasize the lack of sharpness.
Jerryc41 - got it. I have an 18MP sensor. Understand about the focus being off - been there, done that, still doing it.
So, if I have a sharp photo, I should be able to crop a lot and print large. Thanks
May 27, 2015 13:24:18 #
There are some general rules depending on the source. The usual range is 180 or 240 or
300 pixels per inch
Printing paper makes a difference. Mat requires less resolution than glossy.
I have photos from an auction house using the early digital cameras. Nikon with Kodak works inside full frame 3 mega pixels. They look surprisingly good.
I use a full frame canon. I also like to try older point and shoot cameras. They are available for little at flea markets.
With good light and low contrast it is surprising the quality of some of them.
Ken Rockwell claims using the lower file sizes in his Canon 5D 11 gives excellent results.
The answer is to try it out and see what you get. The Gurus are divided. (Certified Guru) Jeff Schewe in a old video from Luminous Landscape said 180 was his lower limit.
I would send some samples but have yet to decode how to do it.
I think the answer is listen and then draw conclusions from doing it your self.
Ansel Adams said Nothing is worse than sharp image of a fuzzy concept.
I'd say follow your own muse.
300 pixels per inch
Printing paper makes a difference. Mat requires less resolution than glossy.
I have photos from an auction house using the early digital cameras. Nikon with Kodak works inside full frame 3 mega pixels. They look surprisingly good.
I use a full frame canon. I also like to try older point and shoot cameras. They are available for little at flea markets.
With good light and low contrast it is surprising the quality of some of them.
Ken Rockwell claims using the lower file sizes in his Canon 5D 11 gives excellent results.
The answer is to try it out and see what you get. The Gurus are divided. (Certified Guru) Jeff Schewe in a old video from Luminous Landscape said 180 was his lower limit.
I would send some samples but have yet to decode how to do it.
I think the answer is listen and then draw conclusions from doing it your self.
Ansel Adams said Nothing is worse than sharp image of a fuzzy concept.
I'd say follow your own muse.
May 27, 2015 14:19:22 #
jerryc41 wrote:
The 36MP sensor of a D810 will let you print larger and crop more than an image from a tiny sensor. A top quality lens will help the image to be sharp, but if the focus is off, cropping will only emphasize the lack of sharpness.
Jerry is correct about the landscape of a big sensor.
At 7360 X 4912 and 36mp my D810 can capture some great images but to share them with fellow hoggers i have to get them down to 3500 X 2200 and >10mp.
I can reduce the size which yields soft garbage or i can crop.
Cropping means zooming out, reshooting using only the middle 10mp of my sensor and cropping to about 3000 X 2000.
That means when you see something i've done with the 810 its really no better than i could have done with the old D40X.
I've stretched the numbers a little bit but you should be able to get the point.
May 27, 2015 14:26:11 #
nat wrote:
Jerryc41 - got it. I have an 18MP sensor. Understand about the focus being off - been there, done that, still doing it.
So, if I have a sharp photo, I should be able to crop a lot and print large. Thanks
So, if I have a sharp photo, I should be able to crop a lot and print large. Thanks
Before I bought my D800, I used a 16mp D7000 primarily with a 28-300. I remember one shot in particular, shot at 300mm. It was the head of a seal shot in the ocean off La Jolla. I was amazed at how large I was able to crop the tiny dot in the ocean until I was able to see its head in good definition. In this case, I think it showed that the 28-300mm is a decent lens.
May 27, 2015 15:00:48 #
nat wrote:
What determines the amount a photo can be successfully cropped..the sensor or the lens? Or, can any photo be cropped a lot and still be sharp? Or is this an irrelevant question?
Take a full resolution image and reduce the pixel count different amounts each time and view them at the same screen size and you will have your answer.
May 27, 2015 15:03:06 #
nat wrote:
What determines the amount a photo can be successfully cropped..the sensor or the lens? Or, can any photo be cropped a lot and still be sharp? Or is this an irrelevant question?
To me that is the wrong question.
I crop stuff out of a picture or to emphasize what I want ....etc.
The result tells if it was worth the work or not, period !
May 27, 2015 16:05:52 #
nat wrote:
... can any photo be cropped a lot and still be sharp? ...
i said earlier that you could crop without effecting sharpness.
Even that is not totally true as you will incur subjective changes as in apparent DOF.
May 27, 2015 17:00:32 #
Quite honestly if you compose correctly when you capture a scene you already know where the crop will be depending of the print format that will be used.
Planning in advance is the only way to optimize your captures. Cropping to 'adjust' afterward is one of the most obnoxious mistake current photographers make.
The sensor size is of no importance here, only your know how and skills.
Planning in advance is the only way to optimize your captures. Cropping to 'adjust' afterward is one of the most obnoxious mistake current photographers make.
The sensor size is of no importance here, only your know how and skills.
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