Is 6Mp enough for a sharp A3 print?

[mrhobbit]

hi all, as above, is a 6Mp output enough for a sharp A3 sized print?

i googled and some people are talking about 10mp, and some are talking about 8, therfore i am a little worried.

if there isnt enough, is there anyway to increase the reso in PP?

thanks in advance

 

[LiOnElLiN]

yes it is

 

[ah.zeep]

hi all, as above, is a 6Mp output enough for a sharp A3 sized print?

i googled and some people are talking about 10mp, and some are talking about 8, therfore i am a little worried.

if there isnt enough, is there anyway to increase the reso in PP?

thanks in advance

Here's my 2c view:

A3 is 11.7" x 16.5" from Wiki.
So:
to print at 300 dpi, you need 11.7 x 16.5 x 300 x 300 = 17.3 Mp
to print at 200 dpi: 11.7 x 16.5 x 200 x 200 = 7.7 Mp
to print at 150 dpi: 11.7 x 16.5 x 150 x 150 = 4.3 Mp

So you just need to see (or try) at the diff dpi's and see which one fits your need, and ensure an image has the requisite Mp to fit your taste in dpi.

 

[catchlights]

Yes, you can get a sharp A3 print from 6MP camera, but you need your original to be sharp enough.

if you want a 12"x18" prints (@300dpi), you need to have 3600 pixel x 5400 pixel, use photoshop to interpolate the images till this dimension.

 

[mrhobbit]

ah okay, many thanks for the feedback.

was slightly worried that the 6Mp D40 output wouldnt give enough resolution for an A3 print.

many thanks to the replies and ah.zeep for the insight. i dont print much, and printing at large sizes are abit alien to me..:sweat:

Regards

 

[canturn]

hi all, as above, is a 6Mp output enough for a sharp A3 sized print?

i googled and some people are talking about 10mp, and some are talking about 8, therfore i am a little worried.

if there isnt enough, is there anyway to increase the reso in PP?

thanks in advance

Quality of the digital image is more important than just mere megapixels. How fine are the details captured? A 6MP file from a DSLR definitely prints better than a 8MP file from a PNS digicam.

When I send my files for large format printing, my printer always look at the file size, and that determines how well the file can be up-res to print. Cathay Photo at Peninsula plaza used to have a portrait printed on A2 which is up res from a 6MP Leaf back, and if you look carefully, the details are amazing.

So to answer your question, yes, 6MP is enough for A3 if there's enough juice. You can increase the reso in PP by using interpolating software, but again, it depends on how good the original file that you're starting with is.

 

[Simon_84]

best would be an 8 or 10mp cam body but since you're using the d40, select max pic resolution and shoot raw for best results.
for anything else extra can pp later...

 

[giantcanopy]

How big can you print ?
Thom Hogan

The Megapixel Myth
KRW

 

[Galdor]

I've seen an A2 size print from a 6MP cam before and it's acceptable to me.

 

[mrhobbit]

thanks for the links. giantcanopy

i read the one from ken rockwell before.

did a shoot today, did some extrapolation in PP and sent it off, will see the results tomorrow and if its good will do another batch. today was a testing run.

viewing things on the screen is infinitely easier than trying to reproduce it on paper:bsmilie: