printing 8 feet by 4 feet --?!

[bluesmap]

this is a two part question so im hoping its still relevant to this section.

a friend has asked me to take some photographs some of which will be printed at 8 feet by 4 feet. obviously its huge. very.

1--with my digital camera (canon 30d) what would be the optimum settings to prepare myself to get the file printed? in other words tiff file at 32 bits 300 dpi etc etc? or is there another method to prepare the file for printing?


2--someone brought it to my attention that a medium format camera might be my best bet in achieving something like this. in other words ditch the 30d and rent a medium format. i have never used one and would not know how to operate it if i had it for the day. but do you agree with this advice?


renting something like a hasselblad or a 5d or a mark III are out of the question because they are just too expensive to rent. im not getting paid for this im simply trying to help out a friend i've known for a long time. i have no problem with this project, it might be fun, a good learning experience, just need a little help in the right direction.

thank you


**edit**
i just found tim's FAQ thread on enlargements & printing i will read it a few times but i still need a heads up on some opinions. thanks again.

[Stocky]

Where is this print going to go? One of the primary concerns when printing is the viewing distance. If the print is like a billboard where no one can get within 50 feet of it then your camera can handle the project just fine.

[bluesmap]

it will go in a bar/lounge. one photo will definitely be 8' by 4'. the others will be about half and the rest smaller. they will be on a wall where people can reach out and touch so to speak. on a day to day basis i dont know how close "normal traffic" will get to the wall where photos will be displayed. perhaps i should check that out first?

[tim]

If people are that close you might need more resolution than the 30D can provide in a single shot. If the subject doesn't move take a bunch of shots and join them together using PhotoStitch. If people won't be close to it then one shot will do.

[Az2Africa]

Don't forget that when a photo is opened in Camera Raw you can set the size up to 6144x4096 in the settings menu at the bottom of the screen. This is my default setting when I plan to print.