print differences

[david distefano]

with the rumored x2d/x1d ll with 100 mp sensor, at what size print would you be able to see a big difference between the 50mp sensor vs the 100 mp sensor. i've looked online for print comparisons but have come up empty. i think when the new model comes out the old models will be had for a considerable price reduction on the used market, which leaves more dollars for glass.

[MGrayson]

I compared prints from a ~40MP camera with a ~70MP. Not quite the same as the 50 vs 100MP, but the same lens was used for both pictures, and the sensor sizes were the same. There was no print difference below 5' wide. This is nose to paper comparison, using PS for upsizing and sharpening. At 7' wide, the difference was visible. At 10' wide the difference was visible from a foot or two away.

On the other hand, I got a lovely 1700px square crop from the higher rez camera...

Matt

[david distefano]

thanks for replying. since i mostly print (epson 7880) to a maximum of 24x36 and if a 40mp can do, for the sake of argument, up to 48" i could have an image to be sent out of 36x48 made from the x1d.

[fotophil]

Thanks for your observations of the similarities of the 40MP and 70MP images when printed to 5 feet width - 60 inch wide prints must exceed the requirements of most photographers. One of the arguments for the new 100MP Sensor is the improvement of the design and production technology. The continuing push for increased sensor size may mean that market demand doesn't support producing 50MP chips with new technology even though they would be superior to the current 50MP chips. I thought I had read that Sony was discontinuing production of the current 50MP Chip in favor of their new 100MP Chip. It sure is an exciting time in the digital photography world.

[Sandy Blaser]

At about a foot from a print, the human eye reads detail at 300 DPI.....So while technically, the higher the MP the finer the detail, the human eye is a limiting factor.....Just something to think about....Of course larger prints with finer detail could extend the viewer distance with the same 300 DPI reading....So a larger print with finer detail would be better at more than 12" viewing distance......I would assume for most photography today being internet presented, and digitally reproduced for publication, 50MP is more than enough......I am very happy with the results of the X1D at 50MP, and wouldn't be interested in moving to 100MP.....I print my images at 13" x 19"......uncropped for the most part......

[TimH]

One reason I sold my H6D-100c is that I could see very little practical difference in prints I made with that camera and my X1D.  My prints are often 30x40" or larger.  You will have no trouble making beautiful prints of 48" on the long side, especially if you have good technique: adequate shutter speed, tripod in low light, etc.   
tim

[fotophil]

It is my understanding that there technical advantages offered by the new 100MP chip beyond increased resolution. I am sure the digital geeks can provide the details but I think the issues are associated with improvements in chip design/fabrication  between the older generation that produced the 50 MP Chip used in the X1D compared to the current generation producing the 100 MP Chip that will be used in the X2D. It is also my understanding that Sony does not plan on using the new design/fabrication technologies to produce an improved 50 MP chip.

[Vieri]

Hello David,

the answer to your question relies in the distance you are looking at the print. In the early digital age, we printed billboards using photos taken with 6 Mp cameras: they just looked great at the distance you normally look at a billboard but they looked horrible at, say, 3 feet... I see more Mp not as much as a tool allowing me for a larger print than less Mp, but as a tool allowing me to inspect an equally sized print from closer than a print created out of a smaller Mp file - hope this makes sense.

Best regards,

Vieri

[neilb]

hi David,

Another way of thinking about this:

if you double the number of megapixels, the prints could be 1.4x as long and 1.4x as wide. i.e:

.  the 50Mpx X1D has a resolution of 8280 x 6208. Assuming printing at 300dpi, this gives you a picture of 27.6" x 20.7"
.  a 100Mpx X2D might have a resolution of 11710 x 8780. Assuming printing at 300dpi, this gives you a picture of 39" x 29.3"

Neil