DSLR for professional print

[simonlovejoy]

I've gone through as many of the individual forum sections as i can looking for an answer to this but no one topic seems to nail it down... essentially i'm thinking of buying a Digital SLR which i could use for print (silkscreen and lithography), but i still don't really know how high i need to go in order to output files which are going to stand up well in A1 and A0 size (and possibly even larger) 300DPI prints. If anyone could offer any suggestions on a brand and megapixel recommendation, even just a base number of megapixels that i could use to eliminate models below the line, that would be really fantastic. Alternatively if i have missed an article or articles that do in fact offer any info on this problem, i'd be most appreciative of any hints in the right direction!

 

[glitched]

Maybe you should post this on the pro forum. A lot the questions here are for the newly starting.

 

[kmac1036]

Well, an 8x10 (A1) at 300 DPI is 7.2 MP. Now, I will say that a 6mp SLR is going to get you a better overall image quality than a 10mp compact at that size.

cramming more pixels on the sensor isn't the sole key to quality: optics, in camera processing, & sensor size all play a role. The most important role, of course, is the operator.

My opinion, from a "beginner," 8-10MP for the 1.5 or 1.6x crop sensor do fine. My family has always shot pentax. Dad has a K10d, I just got a K200d. I think they are fine & the output seems more "natural," closer to film-like feel, but better. Other cameras, IMO, are either noisey or give me the "played just a bit too much in photoshop" feel.
--
'OOOOOH, they have the Internet on computers now!' Homer J. Simpson

 

[cjnielsen_nz]

8x10 is close to A4. A1 is massively larger than 8x10

Well, an 8x10 (A1) at 300 DPI is 7.2 MP. Now, I will say that a 6mp
SLR is going to get you a better overall image quality than a 10mp
compact at that size.

cramming more pixels on the sensor isn't the sole key to quality:
optics, in camera processing, & sensor size all play a role. The most
important role, of course, is the operator.

My opinion, from a "beginner," 8-10MP for the 1.5 or 1.6x crop sensor
do fine. My family has always shot pentax. Dad has a K10d, I just got
a K200d. I think they are fine & the output seems more "natural,"
closer to film-like feel, but better. Other cameras, IMO, are either
noisey or give me the "played just a bit too much in photoshop" feel.
--
'OOOOOH, they have the Internet on computers now!' Homer J. Simpson

 

[BAK]

The suggestion to go to the Pro forum is a good one, but regardless, tell us what those ISO sizes are in inches, please, to save us having to go look it up.

BAK

 

[BAK]

And 300PPI is usually not required, but you seem to be planning to use weird reproduction methods.

BAK

 

[mhc_99]

A0 size is 46.811 x 33.11 inches, and

A1 is 33.11 x 23.386 inches

Marion

The suggestion to go to the Pro forum is a good one, but regardless,
tell us what those ISO sizes are in inches, please, to save us having
to go look it up.

BAK

 

[mhc_99]

I can't speak to silkscreen printing, and I'm going to assume the OP is referring to offset lithography printing. For offset lithography 300ppi is considered the standard resolution for commercial printing.

But, I believe that the process used for printing banners and such is different. My experience in printing those huge A0 and A1 sizes is limited, but I did have to get some huge banners printed for a trade show. I recall that the resolution requirement was unbelievably low--I want to say something like 60ppi, but don't quote me on that. The work was done by a printer specializing in large items, so my suggestion to the OP would be to contact one of those types of printers and talk to them.

Or maybe the OP intends to buy a printer for printing A0 sizes? In that case I might contact the manufacturers.

Marion

And 300PPI is usually not required, but you seem to be planning to
use weird reproduction methods.

BAK

 

[kmac1036]

Ok, I'm stupid... thanks for the correction. I was thinking A4 for some reason

A0 size is 46.811 x 33.11 inches, and

A1 is 33.11 x 23.386 inches

Marion

--
'OOOOOH, they have the Internet on computers now!' Homer J. Simpson

 

[ChefZiggy]

I have a few 20"x30" prints and many 16"x20" prints from a 6MP camera that look just dandy. For A0 & A1, I would probably want closer to 10MP though. Just for some cropping space.

Keep in mind that at normal viewing distances, prints that size don't need to be printed at 300DPI. 150DPI looks just fine. However, the printing methods you mentioned may have different needs and you should really contact the printer to determine what they need and work from there.
--
Chefziggy
http://www.pbase.com/chefziggy/lecream

 

[MichaelXuerebcom]

my D300 prints perfectly at A1 size at 320dpi
don't know about A0 though

--
Michael, London
http://www.michaelxuereb.com

cheers!

 

[simonlovejoy]

Many thanks for all the feedback.

I don't think that I'm going to need anything over a 10mp machine to get silkscreen or litho quality images prepared, it might most likely be possible to come in at 8 or 6mp with some cameras. As it is, i'm going to go with the Canon 450D, as i've had my eye on it since the previews, and i feel from what i've managed to piece together out of other's impressions and what reviews i can find online, it's got all of the functionality that this company could ever realistically want and is quite reasonably priced. I know that there are other cameras that may or may not be a better choice, but i don't think that i'd be going far wrong with the 450 as a place to jump in at.