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30 x 40 inch M8 Prints


davidada

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What should be the resolution (50...100..200..300....dpi of the photo file that is to be processed by the printer (Epson or whatever) ?.

Thanks

G.Kasturi:)

 

That depends on the media, for canvas 180DPI, Fine art, and glossy/semi gloss paper use 300DPI...

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Sure that M8 Raw files can deliver huge prints. I published a picture taken with M8 1.110 + Summilux 75 photo taken at f5.6, developed with C1 v4 and enlarged from 3916x2634 to 9450x6356 which makes a 1m wide print at 240 dpi.

 

I would say that what we need now is a sensor of higher definition because it is the only actual limitation. Leica lenses show they can deliver MUCH more than what they do on a 10 Mpix sensor !

 

Here is the link : http://www.farines-photo.com/portfolio/giant/zurich_ombre_9450x6356.htm

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What should be the resolution (50...100..200..300....dpi of the photo file that is to be processed by the printer (Epson or whatever) ?.

Thanks

G.Kasturi:)

 

I use 300 when printing on photo papers and 240 for canvas on prints over 24x36 inches. For big blow ups from M8 files, try Alien Skin Blow Up. This plugin will produce large (over 24x36) prints that are nearly indistinguishable from native rez M8 (8.78x13.053) files. Using Alien Skin Blow Up, I've taken M8 files on canvas to 40x60 inches that looked very nice.

Without using this plug in you can print at lower resolutions - say down to 180, but there is a visible loss of quality going much below 180. A good compromise is printing at 200 ppi where a M8 file will give you a very nice 13.17x19.58 print.

I use Epson 9800 printers.

 

Tom

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I have a feelin that Alien skin (blow up) gives strange artifacts- like worms?

 

Depends where you set the grain. Try 100% on sharpening and around 30% on the add grain. You can use less.

 

I tend to also sharpen in Photoshop using 30/20/1. This gives a little midtone bump that seems to help the saturation in big prints. Careful though, it is easy to overdo this setting. Again, you can use less - like 15/20/1.

 

Tom

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Depends where you set the grain. Try 100% on sharpening and around 30% on the add grain. You can use less.

 

I tend to also sharpen in Photoshop using 30/20/1. This gives a little midtone bump that seems to help the saturation in big prints. Careful though, it is easy to overdo this setting. Again, you can use less - like 15/20/1.

 

Tom

 

Is high pass not better than sharpening ?

Johan

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Your best bet is to use the PhotoKit Sharpener and divide the sharpening between Capture Sharpening & Output Sharpening. it uses partly high pass & partly USM sharpening in both the capture & output modes, so you get, in effect, four different 'passes.' This minimizes the artifacts that any one method might produce.

 

M8 files don't need much sharpening, because you're not trying to overcome the softening effects of an anti-aliasing filter. Turning the opacity of the sharpening layers down to about 66% will be best for most situations.

 

For PK capture sharpening, the digital high res setting with narrow edges is what almost always works best.

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Not sure. I haven't compared both side by side. What is your experience?

 

Tom

 

Well, after experimenting, I use a very little smart sharpening, not so often. Instead, in Photoshop, I always create a layer with some amount of high pass (between 1,5 and 2), then overlay (between 20 to 60). On texttures like skin or wood, results are stunning. High pass don't "blow-up" pixels like sharpening can do — so, no artefacts. It brings a kind of "depth" which I like much.

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Well, after experimenting, I use a very little smart sharpening, not so often. Instead, in Photoshop, I always create a layer with some amount of high pass (between 1,5 and 2), then overlay (between 20 to 60). On texttures like skin or wood, results are stunning. High pass don't "blow-up" pixels like sharpening can do — so, no artefacts. It brings a kind of "depth" which I like much.

 

Thomas Knoll designed the Clarity slider in Lightroom to have the same effect on local area contrast as the Photoshop high pass layer trick. M8 files look good large with a bit of a clarity bump and some sharpening but exactly how much of each and what type of sharpening depends on the image, B&W or colour etc etc.

 

Tim

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Phil,

 

Could you share details or photos on how the aluminum mounting is done?

 

Thanks!

 

I'm not sure how exactly its done - I think its dry mounted onto the single sheet of aluminium. Its perfectly flat. On the back they added a frame so it stands 1 cm proud of the wall. I've taken a few snaps to try and show this.

 

I went for this route as I thought it would have been very heavy if I'd had a traditional frame with glass.

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hi! as a masterprinter you surely know that final print quality depends to a large extent on the information content which is contained in the original image (measured according to shannon's theory of information). unfortunately the image you printed contains very little information and i believe completely that the large print of the m8 file is of the same quality as a 4x5 inch negative or even a P45 file print. there is absolutely no miracle in this and the situation changes completely when you print images with large information content (groups of people, landscapes etc). then megapixel count and the m8 prints will trail behind in quality. i have a 30x20 inc print of a file taken with the 6 megapixel nikon d100 and it also looks spectacular. why? well, again, it is an abstract with very little information content in the image.

all in all, i totally agree, for some tasks a low megapixel camera can deliver outstanding quality of large prints, in particular the m8 without anti aliasing filter and with the woderful leica lenses. for others tasks it will just not do. horses for courses, peter

 

 

 

 

 

QUOTE=davidada;89115]Here are a few shots of the first 30 x 40 inch print,CV 35 1,7,160 iso, Epson 9800,Crane Museo max paper

Looks like a 4x5 scan (maybe even better) !

Leica should run some of the Magnum guys through my studio (listening David) and quickly produce a show of these images, it will have photographers queing up in droves to buy !!

The image posted is not meant to be anything other than a quick technical example of print and lens/camera quality.

ALSO-

I forgot I had put on a polarizing filter and a shot I took last night that exhibited strong banding from the halogen lights had NONE. Be aware the refraction that you see in this pic is what I consider normal from any camera, the banding without the filter was what we have seen on this forum ie .strong horizontal or vertical bands running the length of the sensor

I have attached the no band file also

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  • 5 months later...
What should be the resolution (50...100..200..300....dpi of the photo file that is to be processed by the printer (Epson or whatever) ?.

Thanks

G.Kasturi

You may choose any one of these numbers depending on the size of the size of the print you set out to make. For instance if your picture is a portrait, 300dpi is the one to select but that would depend on what your camera can deliver. I have tried res from 150 to 300 and if the picture is sharp the printer can deliver prints to your satisfaction. In all this you must remember that the printer will do a high quality job only if the picture file is of acceptable quality, which means your camera work as well as the colour correction you apply on the picture will primarily determine exactly what can be achieved.

If the size is going to be 30 by 40 inch, the dpi could be anything between 50 to 100. But then the question will be whether the file will stand big enlargements.

Finally I must tell you and others that it took quite a while to know how and where to post a reply in this "forum"....old age 83/84 I suppose.

G.Kasturi

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I am very satisfied with canvas prints 40 x 60 inch, basically landscape/

nature photography as you can see on my website.

 

However, I think we all agree that the next step (whether tomorrow or 2010,

but not later...) will be a full format sensor with more pixel...

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  • 5 months later...

I would be very interested to see some 100% crops of these large scale prints from the M8 as the few examples I have seen so far on other sites have been less than spectacular (likely the person behind the camera). Lothar, are you able to post a couple examples from your detailed landscape work?

 

I am on the fence about the M8 or a 6x7 to augment my 4x5 work, which reason would normally dictate the 6x7, but this thread has made an interesting argument for the M8.

 

Thanks, Jamie

 

JAMIE DROUIN | PHOTOGRAPHS

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It's interesting to reread this thread. A lot has changed since 11/06. Cranes Silver Rag was the hot new paper, the 9800 the hot new printer and the M8 was the hot new camera. It was so exciting then to get such high quality from these new tools. Now we have better papers, the faster Epson 9900 captures a few colors that were impossible to get with the 9800 (you need an experienced eye and two prints side by side to see this) and the 10 mp M8 is getting a little long in the tooth sensor wise. One thing has not changed, the combo still makes one hell of a 30x40.

 

Tom

 

Kauai's Printmaker

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True, seeing the prints would be preferable but seeing the enlarged results by someone skilled with post processing is also a good point of departure. The couple of RAW example files I have downloaded previously were definitely not anything I would consider usable for prints larger than 11x17, so I am assuming people have found a much more effective working method to eek out 30x40+ prints.

 

Totally not trying to be hyper-critical here or cry foul, I am genuinely interested to hear and see how other artists are using the M8.

 

Best, Jamie

 

JAMIE DROUIN | PHOTOGRAPHS

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True, seeing the prints would be preferable but seeing the enlarged results by someone skilled with post processing is also a good point of departure. The couple of RAW example files I have downloaded previously were definitely not anything I would consider usable for prints larger than 11x17, so I am assuming people have found a much more effective working method to eek out 30x40+ prints.

 

Totally not trying to be hyper-critical here or cry foul, I am genuinely interested to hear and see how other artists are using the M8.

 

Best, Jamie

 

JAMIE DROUIN | PHOTOGRAPHS

 

Jamie,

 

In all seriousness, you might want to visit David's studio in Washington. It might be worth the time and cost.

 

Cheers,

 

Sean

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