largest print size with the M8

[dchalfon]

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What is the largest print size with decent quality i can expect with the 10mp jpg of my leica m8?

[Walt Calahan]

All depends on your standards of quality. As printers and the software that drive them improve the "largest" can change.

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[SJP]

A0 works fine

[aesop]

What is the largest print size with decent quality i can expect with the 10mp jpg of my leica m8?

 

 

...is there a particular size you are looking to produce or is this all purely hypothetical?

[Jeff S]

From how far away do you plan to view this print? What is your printer (or enlarger) configuration? Are you going to shoot using a tripod? Do you plan to crop your image? What are your quality standards?

 

Probably more to ask, but this is a start.

 

Jeff

[dchalfon]

50 x 75 cm

[aesop]

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...50mc X 75cm (~20"X30") exhibition-grade prints are well within the scope of the M8. As stated above, a lot will depend on your set-up (camera, printer/enlarger, paper, etc.), your technique and your definition of quality.

 

Now go for it and good luck.

[ho_co]

Why do you restrict yourself to JPG?

 

One of the world's top printers feels 30 in x 40 in (ca 70 cm x 100 cm) is quite doable with the M8 (http://www.leica-camera-user.com/digital-forum/9022-30-x-40-inch-m8-prints.html), and has made prints of that size for several members of the forum.

 

The problem is that the bigger you want to go, the more care you need to take, both in choice of image and in terms of time spent in post processing. Since JPG allows very little later manipulation, your image would have to be near perfect direct from the camera.

 

As others remarked, your best results would come by taking pictures and discovering what you can improve for later shots.

 

Welcome to the forum. There's nothing wrong with the question, but it's a little like asking, "How fast can I drive this car safely?" The answer depends on a lot of factors.

Edited May 2, 2010 by ho_co

[luigi bertolotti]

Have you only the jpg of the image you like to print 50x75 ? The best workflow to obtain high quality big prints usually does not start from jpg : afaik specialized labs prefer RAW--->TIFF--->(resampling software/RIP)---->printer.

[mustafasoleiman]

What is the largest print size with decent quality i can expect with the 10mp jpg of my leica m8?

 

30x40 inches from a normal M8 raw file. You have to be the judge on whether the quality, mood and type of the image will offsets any possible image defects at that size.

[Printmaker]

I routinely run 30x45 inch paper prints on Iris sheets and 24x36 gallery wraps on canvas from my M8 on my Epson 9800s. However, I think 13x19 inch is the perfect size to show off the camera/lens capabilities.

 

Tom

 

Kauai's Printmaker

[ho_co]

Do you do that from JPG, Tom, as the OP asked, or from DNG, as most of us suggested?

[Knomad]

I've just made my first large prints from an M8... 17x22 inches, so not as large as what some other people have done... and I'm extremely favorably impressed.

 

If anyone is going to be passing through Chicago over the summer, here's an opportunity to see firsthand: I'll have four prints on the wall, all of them about the same size, two from an M8, one from an M6, and one from a 6x6 cm negative. So a direct digital-35mm film-medium format film comparison, side by side. And in my opinion, at that size, the M8 does better than 35mm film, and as good as medium format film. The exhibit will be up from May 29 until mid-August, details are at Gallery Provocateur May 2010 Exhibition (note that the promo at the link and the actual exhibit contain tasteful nudity).

 

Here are the details on the M8 prints, and for what it's worth I very carefully read the thread someone cited above before making the prints, and it was extremely helpful. The images began as DNG files, were converted to B&W in Photoshop CS3 while retaining all the color channel information, on a calibrated monitor, and were saved as 360ppi TIFs. Once the final print sizes were determined, the files were upsized in Alien Skin Blowup2, with actual image size approx 15x20 inches at 240 ppi (thus leaving a border for the mat). Minimal sharpening was applied in Blowup. Then the prints were made on archival fine art paper on an Epson 9800 at my friend's studio.

 

As I said, I'm quite happy with them. They printed beautifully first try, with no further adjustment of the image required. I'm so happy with them that I'm going to be using the M8 a lot more and film a lot less for future exhibits.

 

But I would not do that from a jpg, especially for B&W work.

Edited May 5, 2010 by Knomad

[Printmaker]

Do you do that from JPG, Tom, as the OP asked, or from DNG, as most of us suggested?

 

I didn't notice the JPEG part. I never shoot JPEGs. I am, however, given JPEG files from clients to print at large (over 20x30) sizes. They print okay but not great. RAW is the way to go... After all, if you are going to spend the money on a Leica and good glass, why not shoot the file that is going to give you the best result?

 

Tom

[bwibowo]

Why do you restrict yourself to JPG?

 

One of the world's top printers feels 30 in x 40 in (ca 70 cm x 100 cm) is quite doable with the M8 (Leica Camera AG), and has made prints of that size for several members of the forum.

 

The problem is that the bigger you want to go, the more care you need to take, both in choice of image and in terms of time spent in post processing. Since JPG allows very little later manipulation, your image would have to be near perfect direct from the camera.

 

As others remarked, your best results would come by taking pictures and discovering what you can improve for later shots.

 

Welcome to the forum. There's nothing wrong with the question, but it's a little like asking, "How fast can I drive this car safely?" The answer depends on a lot of factors.

 

 

is there any setting for the image to fullfil that size? jpeg quality or shall be is tiff

thx

[tobey bilek]

Film photography was a chain of events and if you compromised on one , quality suffered.

 

digital is the same. There has to be calibrated screens and camera profiles. What is different is much of digital is knowledge based, not equipment based. And you can not get by with the old equipment without it showing.

 

A Nikon D800 will make large prints from a small camera and you will save a bunch of money in the process.. 10 MP to 36 MP translates to almost 4x the print area or double in linear size. You will need to buy the better lenses, not the consumer ones.

Edited June 16, 2013 by tobey bilek

[otto.f]

In a test for myself, I did not see any difference between M9 with Summicron 35 at A2 and M8.2 with Summilux 50. This Both at F4.0, so the difference between the lenses are more or less negligible at that stop. But this may depend on the paper too; this was a test with Hahnemuhle Baryt. In another test I discovered that Canson is much sharper than Hahnemuhle, I did not own my M8.2 anymore at that point in time

[Peter_S]

A photo I took with an M8.2 and VM Ultron 21mm was on the Voigtländer booth on the last Photokina - 3m wide. I was not there myself, but the quality must have been half-decent, else it would not have ended up there.

[jaapv]

is there any setting for the image to fullfil that size? jpeg quality or shall be is tiff

thx

You should start out from DNG, process in 16 bits and only in the end dumb down to full-sized JPGs in the appropriate resolution. Lightroom will automate this.

Some printing labs will ask for a TIFF.

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Hallo,

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[Ko.Fe.]

Lightroom, Windows (at least Win 7) will print from DNG. If printing from Windows, some printer drivers will give special option for quality. My Epson inkjet, if printing from Windows, will have print quality option called something like RPM. It is very slow printing mode, but print quality is increased.

 

https://files.support.epson.com/htmldocs/art730/art730ug/source/printers/source/printing_software/printing_windows_consumer/reference/advanced_quality_options_windows_artisan.html