Lab Recommendation?

[jdbulldog]

I have just about purchased everything for my two month excursion to Alaska. I have no doubt that I will take many great images and will want to hang a few on the walls. Not to mention I already have several people wanting to see and purchase some of my images upon my return. I have two questions that I have asked my friends locally, but few seem to know the anwers.

1. Who provides great service and good pricing on printing pictures? Is there a particular company that you have used that you would recommend for printing large pictures?


2. If I shoot RAW images with my dRebel, what is the largest size that I could "blow" the image up to without loosing quality? Do you have any recommendations?

Any suggestions would be most appreciated.

Thanks,
Jerry

[robertwgross]

You might want to define "large".

A digital Rebel ought to produce images that are very good at 11x17, and maybe good up to a maximum of about 16x20 or so. There and beyond, you will probably have to do a lot of intelligent interpolation and refinement. With a similar sensor, I've done a lot at 13x19 directly.

Some printing outfits are good at 8x10 and below. Others specialize in 11x17 and larger, but they will max out at a certain size. A few specialize in the really big prints, like 30x40 and larger. So, you need to ask some pointed questions to your printing vendor.

---Bob Gross---

[Malok]

You might be surprised by this answer, but here in the Denver area a number of the landscape photographers I know are moving over to Costco. Some of their stores have Fuji Frontier printers and use Crystal Archive paper. I can print an 8x10 for about $1.50 and a 10x15 for about $2.50. Recently I had a meeting at one of the top developing / printing places in the state. I took several of my images with me and when we had a free minute I asked them to evaluate the photos. They were very impressed and thought that they were from one of their competitors. When I told them how much I paid and where I had it done, they just couldn't believe it.

Quality can very quite a bit from store to store. You need to find one with this particular printer and they have to calibrate it each day and have operators who know how to use it.

Here is a discussion we had on another forum about their service: http://forums.naturephotographers.net/6/ubb.x?a=tpc&s=8306088241&f=25110141&m=15110874

I think I agree that you should be able to get fairly decent enlargements up to about 16x20. Unfortunately, you will have to go elsewhere to have such large prints done.

Hope this is helpful!

Malok

[minatophase3]

I have used both www.ezprints.com and www.shutterfly.com. EZ Prints is a little less expensive and offers a greater variety of sizes. My last order was a black and white of Multnomah falls in 8x10. I ordered one from each company and was very impressed with the quality of both of them. And this is coming from a 3 MP camera.

I have ordered a 20x30 from Shutterfly that is now hanging on my wall at home. It looks great from several feet away, get closer and you can definately see some loss of detail. This was also from a 3 MP camera. Many on this board would probably find the quality of the 20x30 to be unacceptable, but for me it isn't bad. If it were taken with a 6 MP camera I'm sure I would be happy with it.

Have a great trip and be sure to share some of the pictures when you get back.

Tim

[jdbulldog]

Thank you to those who responded.

I guess I should have definded "large" as a 16 x 20. I have used Sam's Wholesale in our area who use Fuji Frontier printers. I have printed 8 x 10s already and I am really wanting to get something much bigger.

Would I be better served to also shoot 35mm film for landscape pictures using Fuji Velvia? Just in case I want to make some really big prints (20 x 30).

Jerry

[robertwgross]

Let me comment on film versus digital. I just got home from two weeks in the desert. I shot about 750 digital images and about 200 on Velvia and Provia.

For "everyday shooting" of desert flowers and wildlife, I shot the digital camera. I think we all understand the good points of a digital camera image, and most of these are either 18 or 36 MB in size. My digital camera has all sorts of capabilities that my film camera does not have.

However, once in a while I stumble onto something that looks really good (at least on the rear display), or it is something that I think might be really important, or really publishable. Then I whip out the film camera and shoot.

A really good Velvia or Provia slide is impressive. I have a Canon FS4000US slide scanner, so at maximum limits, it produces a file of 100-150 MB per slide (so bring along lots of disk). I see lots more gamut in the slide, and there is obviously a lot more data.

It is at this juncture that somebody will say "But you are already down into the film grain resolution." Perhaps, and perhaps not.

In the scanned slide image, I can see what might be film grain. It is either that, or somebody dropped a load of sand on my slides. Anyway, I use Neat Image to extract the graininess from the real image, and the result is something that is far more impressive than the plain digital image.

Now somebody will say "Yes, but that doesn't do you any good." Perhaps, and perhaps not.

If you are only intending to print your images at 8x10 inches or something, then it probably does not make much difference. In fact, the scanned slide file is huge compared to the digital image, so the storage issues are there. However, when you print your images larger, like 11x17, or 13x19, or 20x30, the larger (scanned slide) file is probably going to give you better print detail than the digital image, especially if we have left compression comnpletely OUT of the equation.

So, for everyday, I shoot digitally. For something special, I shoot digitally and then get out the Velvia. The big disadvantage of Velvia is that it is so damned slow. I have to get out the big tripod every time.

---Bob Gross---

[jdbulldog]

That is great information. I know the disadvantage of Velvia is the tripod and lugging around too much gear on the Katmai (bear country) is something I want to avoid. However, I will take the advice about Provia which is a little faster. I have never used Provia but I understand that it has incredible color saturation.

Mr. Gross do you recommend ImageExperts or another online printing laboratory for your larger prints?

Also I hate to be a pain or sound like a real "newbie" but could you explain Neat Image and what it is, who makes it, and where I could locate more information about the program? I am currently working in PS 7 and I plan to make the upgrade to CS when I return from Alaska in August. Does Neat Image integrate with PS? Can Neat Image be used on digital shots to remove grain. (I screwed up and had the wrong ISO on a recent picture of Coach Knight. I quickly adapted when I saw the preview, but the first pose was pretty good.)

By the way, I have read many of your previous posts and have learned much from your writings. Thanks.

[rodbunn]

mpix.com - Xlnt lab, especially for LARGE prints on BOARD.....

I use the A LOT $$$$$

good luck, rod

[robertwgross]

That is great information. I know the disadvantage of Velvia is the tripod and lugging around too much gear on the Katmai (bear country) is something I want to avoid. However, I will take the advice about Provia which is a little faster. I have never used Provia but I understand that it has incredible color saturation.


Velvia 50 and Velvia 100 are good. I wish there was a Velvia 400. I find Provia to be similar, but not the same. On occasions, I will also use Kodak EBX100, which is highly saturated also, and the Kodak film does not need to be refrigerated like Velvia. However, we are getting far afield from Canon Digital Photography.

Mr. Gross do you recommend ImageExperts or another online printing laboratory for your larger prints?


I've never tried them. I either print them myself, or I use a small local lab.


Also I hate to be a pain or sound like a real "newbie" but could you explain Neat Image and what it is, who makes it, and where I could locate more information about the program? I am currently working in PS 7 and I plan to make the upgrade to CS when I return from Alaska in August. Does Neat Image integrate with PS? Can Neat Image be used on digital shots to remove grain. (I screwed up and had the wrong ISO on a recent picture of Coach Knight. I quickly adapted when I saw the preview, but the first pose was pretty good.)


Neat Image is a program. I think I had to pay $30 for it online. Works good. I use it mostly on scanned film images, but once in a while I will use it on a straight digital image. Mostly what I have come out of my Canon digital does not require any cleanup for what we might call digital grain.


By the way, I have read many of your previous posts and have learned much from your writings. Thanks.

Don't believe everything you read on the Internet.

---Bob Gross---

[GPR1]

If you want custom prints of the highest quality (with a correspondingly high price) you could check Laser Light Photographics www.laslight.com, Ken Lieberman Labs www.lieberman-labs.com, or Color Folio www.colorfolio.com. There are a few others as well. These labs print for the top pros and the quality is unequalled. They'll be printing on Fuji Chrystal Archive, but they'll be printing through far more sophisticated devices. The other methods mentioned will give you good prints, for sure. But if you find that one shot, you might consider investing $50-$100 in the print. Compare it to one you get from the more standard service. You'll be blown away.

Greg