How much can I zoom in on a Q file?

[likealot]

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Despite all the good will sometimes it is really difficult for me to walk near enough to an object in order to take the photo that I want. I was wondering how much can I zoom in on a Leica image to compensate for this without losing too much quality? The maximum size I would print these images would probably be 8x10". Is there a website somewhere that might provide a simulator for this kind of thing?

[SonomaBear]

I am comfortable printing 8x10 (even 13"x19" occasionally) from the 50mm electronic "crop" when using DNG files.  Not so much much with JPEGs.

Not sure, but I think that the 50mm crop renders a crop of 8MP.  

 

We certainly sold images when our digitals were only 8 or 12 MP, had sensors with far less image quality, and lenses were nowhere like the 28mm Summilux!

 

{Of course, you could get the Leica SL with 90~280... its only money. }

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[TK!]

 

{Of course, you could get the Leica SL with 90~280... its only money. }[/Quote

 

And weight...

 

Tk

[Leica Guy]

I find the Q to be sharper than my Canon 5D3 files and i can push sharpening them more without artifacts. I also recently discovered a program, BenVista’s PhotoZoom Pro 7, that is excellent at upsizing images with minimal artifacts. I’ve been successful enlarging 4X and frankly still cannot believe how good the images look. I have no association with that company so my opinion is strictly based upon my personal experience. They offer a free trial, so you might give it a look. A 50mm crop yields roughly a 2000x3000 pixel image. Assuming you print at 240 pixels per inch you can without enlarging print an 8”x10” successfully. I cannot bring myself to believe you could really 4X that, but perhaps you could be satisfied with a 16”x24” using the upsize SW. I’ve also seen some good results from LR enlarging images, but I’d consider it inferior to the PhotoZoom Pro 7. My 2 cents. So much depends on how much of a pixel peeper one is. I’d be curious on what you ultimately conclude is acceptable. Thanks.

Edited July 24, 2018 by Infiniumguy

[beez]

I've had great success using Alien Skin's Blow Up 3 plug in software for Photoshop making big enlargements. 3x/4x look great using this. For any of these you need to start with an DNG file. If you start with a JPEG, it will have compression artifacts - even a max quality - you may not see them, but when you low them up, you definitely will.

[Le Chef]

Would not ISO setting affect image quality too? I would have thought you would see a difference cropping from 28 to 50 if the ISO was 6400 vs 100.

[Leica Guy]

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Would not ISO setting affect image quality too? I would have thought you would see a difference cropping from 28 to 50 if the ISO was 6400 vs 100.

I agree. Managing the noise at ISO 6400 would soften the image. The resolution would still be there, but the overall image might not be as impressive although clearly sometimes a certain quality of the image can be achieved by softening. It’s all ultimately art and what is desired.

[SonomaBear]

I also enjoy BenVista’s PhotoZoom Pro 7 when I need extreme enlargement -- but the DNG has to be nearly perfect out of the camera.  

Imperfections are enlarged so let's minimize them at the start!

​

My advice is to:

• (1) crop a virtual copy of the DNG and export;
• (2) Photozoom new file to new size;
• (3) Import the resulting image ;
• (4) Edit the resultant file rather than the original crop.

This process minimizes the magnifying of imperfections.