COMMENT: Fuji X-Series Images: How Big Will They Print?
I recently got involved in a conversation after a member of a Facebook group I belong to asked a question asking what was the largest size print he could obtain from the 16 megapixel X-Trans sensor. This is a question I see quite a lot from photographers of all abilities. I have been printed A2 images from 12mp sensor cameras since 2010 and still have several images the walls of my house taken on Nikon D90, D300S and Fujifilm X100.
All of these cameras have a 12mp sensor and the images I have printed range from A3 (42cm x 29.7cm), A2 (59.4cm x 42cm) up to 70cm x 50cm, all with no loss of quality when compared with the original image.
I also used a Nikon D800 and this camera boasts a massive 36mp sensor which certainly produces some impressive results but unless you print to billboard size you are not going to see any significant difference between the images produced by the D800 and the D300S, the main difference in quality is going to come from the lens quality used to record the image. The flaws from a cheap quality lens will be magnified when producing large prints and so professional level glass is essential.
This brings me back to printing the images from the 16mp X-Trans sensor in the X-Pro1 and X-T1. Again I have had no problems producing large prints from the Fuji because the quality of the sensor and Fujinon lenses are second to none.
Again I have printed several images and the latest was received on Friday afternoon from the printers, a 75cm x 50cm image of a leaf in the black rocks of Yellowcraig beach along the East Lothian coast from where I live in Dunbar. This is the first image I have had printed on an aluminium backing and I am very pleased with the result.
The picture was taken on the X-Pro1 and the Fujinon XF18mm f2, with the aperture at f2 to give a shallow depth of field. If anyone tells you that the X-Pro1 is an old camera and the 18mm f2 isn't good enough wide open, then I beg to differ; I have a BIG print on my wall that says otherwise!
I am a great believer in printing and displaying images that I have taken. Photographs should be printed and not hidden away on a hard drive or only shown on a screen.
Jeff I assume that 40"x 30" or larger wouldn't be an issue from X-Pro2 or X-T2... Hovering over the current pre-order button and freeing myself from heavyweight FF gear
ReplyDeleteDavid, a 6000 x 4000 sensor will go up to 30" x 20" at 200dpi or 40" x 26" at 150dpi (without any software adjustments). I'd happily go that big and with software that is available today you'd be able to go even larger without any difficulty.
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