Largest high quality print for 8mp vs. 12mp

[Rumjungle]

I've noticed that many wedding photogs use 8mp cameras. Exactly how big a print can you do with an 8mp image? I'm talking about a high quality print for wedding portraits. While I'm sure it's fine for wedding-book photos, it just doesn't seem nearly large enough for the 20x30 or 24x36 prints. How much of an improvement would a 12mp sensor be?

This brings me to my next question: what PPI do you print at for wedding portraits?

I really don't know much about the requirements of a wedding photog but I've been asked by another photog to consider making a business of it. Thanks in advance for any advice/info.

[islandphoto]

I have printed high quality 20x30 prints from the 20D at 300ppi. I was very happy with them.

[Rumjungle]

Wow, really? Did you just upsize the image in photoshop? On an 8mp image, 300 ppi would natively make a 11.68" x 7.79" image. At 20x30, the resolution drops to 116.8 ppi. You can increase it's size to 300 ppi with good results? If so, I'm straight.

[tim]

Remember the larger the image the further back you stand, so it works fine. There's no limit to the size of the print when you look at it like that. I have a 30x20" print from my old 300D that looks great. After seeing it customers have purchased wedding photos that size.

[tim]

Incidentally this topic should be in the RAW/post processing forum, like these other identical threads (found in 10 seconds with search).

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=198590
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=163217
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=155352
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=112468

[CarstenRasmussen.dk]

I have printed a single of my pictures in 63x47inches or 160x120cm if you´d like.

It was resized in PS, and printed on a large scale Canon printer, i got it framed and its on the wall.

And it is shot with an 8 mp, the quality is just exelent.

Kind regards
Carsten

[Yella Fella]

I never quite understood how important DPI was as straight from camera, my pics registers as 240 from my 20D, however, shops recommend at least 300. Might have to try this to see how it goes

[Rumjungle]

Remember the larger the image the further back you stand, so it works fine. There's no limit to the size of the print when you look at it like that. I have a 30x20" print from my old 300D that looks great. After seeing it customers have purchased wedding photos that size.

How far back do you have to stand? For the B&G who's paying several hundred dollars for this portrait, won't they be wanting a photographic quality print?

[tim]

I never quite understood how important DPI was as straight from camera, my pics registers as 240 from my 20D, however, shops recommend at least 300. Might have to try this to see how it goes

Go read the FAQ in the post processing forum. You can ignore dpi, and pay limited attention to ppi.

How far back do you have to stand? For the B&G who's paying several hundred dollars for this portrait, won't they be wanting a photographic quality print?

At one meter a 20x30" print looks great, and there's no way you'd stand that close unless you were examining it. I show each customer the quality of the print before I accept a print order for that size, and explain that up close it won't look perfect, but from a meter or more back it'll look great. I don't charge several hundred US dollars, I charge what I think is a fair price, it must be because people buy them.

[Rumjungle]

Gotcha. That's a good way to do it, Tim. As long as the customer sees the quality beforehand and agrees to it, then there's nothing more to say.

Just curious, Tim, who do you use to make your prints? Do you print yourself or at a lab? I checked with A&I (http://www.aandi.com) and they charge about $100 for a continuous tone 20x30 lightjet print. That plus a quality frame would ramp the price up to the several hundred dollar range, no?

[islandphoto]

I use costco.com and I was really impressed with the print. I think it was $15 (U.S)

[Rumjungle]

Thanks, I'll look into that, Joanna. I guess I'll just have to send some work there and see how it turns out.

On a side note, I see you recently got the 5D. Know of any good deals for one? I'm not seeing less than $2900.

[tim]

Just curious, Tim, who do you use to make your prints? Do you print yourself or at a lab? I checked with A&I (http://www.aandi.com) and they charge about $100 for a continuous tone 20x30 lightjet print. That plus a quality frame would ramp the price up to the several hundred dollar range, no?

Queensberry Print, a 20x30" costs about US$20. In the US I have used and recommend Elco - click here (http://www.elcocolor.com/hot_internet_only_specials.htm).

[subtle_spectre]

FWIW, I've done 20x30's from the 20D and 1dMkIIN and had printed at ez prints dot com for $3.45...turned out great and fetched a handsome profit.

I shot a pic earlier this summer with my 4mp 1D...had orders for 5 11x14's requiring cropping...also looked great!