Home · Register · Join Upload & Sell

Moderated by: Fred Miranda

New fredmiranda.com Mobile Site

New Feature: SMS Notification alert

New Feature: Buy & Sell Watchlist

FM Forums | Canon Forum | Join Upload & Sell

1 2

end

Archive 2022 · Resolution for prints: R5 vs R6

TeamSpeed
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.3 #1 · p.3 #1 · Resolution for prints: R5 vs R6

Where having more resolution really shines is when you share full rez images with others. For example, I took this with my M50 at our vacation with my M50 and 12mm Samyang lens, resulting in a 42Mpx total resolution file.

This is the overall view and would look interesting as a large print.

However having access the full sized image, I can drill down really far to see things not seen from afar. I could do this with an R5, I couldn't do this with an R6.

https://teamspeed.smugmug.com/Church-and-Family/Gulf-Shores-2019/i-Q7kN9WV/A

Feb 18, 2022 at 07:47 AM

jj1804
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.3 #2 · p.3 #2 · Resolution for prints: R5 vs R6

However having access the full sized image, I can drill down really far to see things not seen from afar. I could do this with an R5, I couldn't do this with an R6.

Are you talking about drilling down really far to see things out of one shot or stitching a pano together and getting a high res image? I assume the former. It is a nice picture, altough those CA and stitching mistakes of the software (eg the path in the foreground) would drive me insane - or they might not, who knows

Feb 18, 2022 at 08:43 AM

TeamSpeed
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.3 #3 · p.3 #3 · Resolution for prints: R5 vs R6

jj1804 wrote:
Are you talking about drilling down really far to see things out of one shot or stitching a pano together and getting a high res image? I assume the former. It is a nice picture, altough those CA and stitching mistakes of the software (eg the path in the foreground) would drive me insane - or they might not, who knows

I am talking about a single shot. The M50 is only 24Mpx, so I when I took this, I did a 4x4 grid and merged to get something in the 40's Mpx range. I don't have an R5 at this time, my greatest resolution body is 30Mpx.

My point was about the ability to do such a thing, and not about the merits of my photo and IQ. It is what is with an APS-C and a 3rd party lens with the sunrise directly in front of me.

I presume this image serves as an example to the point I was trying to make.

Feb 18, 2022 at 09:06 AM

jj1804
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.3 #4 · p.3 #4 · Resolution for prints: R5 vs R6

You said the image would look interesting in a large print. So I was partially commenting on that. I understood that you meant you could do that with the R5 and not have to resort to stiching multiple shots. No one will keep you from stitching a panorama out of the same scene tough. Sorry to be pedantic here. Maybe it's a language barrier but you sure could do the same with the R6 as well as the R5. Just not the same way, but I guess you get what I'm trying to say. Sorry if I'm missing the point.

Feb 18, 2022 at 09:20 AM

TeamSpeed
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.3 #5 · p.3 #5 · Resolution for prints: R5 vs R6

You can only stitch together with the R6 if you have a static scene as this mostly was. Add wind, cars, people milling around, animals moving around, and the stitched high resolution option is pretty much non-existent.

I did say it would make an "interesting" print, because it draws interest. I never said it would be a "great" print.

Feb 18, 2022 at 10:18 AM

JimboCin
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.3 #6 · p.3 #6 · Resolution for prints: R5 vs R6

I don't think this site has been noted yet. I have found it to be most interesting and useful.

https://www.pointsinfocus.com/tools/minimum-resolution-calculator/

Feb 18, 2022 at 10:22 PM

gdanmitchell
Offline
• • • • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.3 #7 · p.3 #7 · Resolution for prints: R5 vs R6

JimboCin wrote:
I don't think this site has been noted yet. I have found it to be most interesting and useful.

https://www.pointsinfocus.com/tools/minimum-resolution-calculator/

I suppose that is interesting to the extent that it includes a bunch of stuff that might be useful to know about.

But, really... making prints is a better way to get a sense of what works. And it isn't a simple formula. Some subjects might work at size X while others might not work. Something may work at a very large size printed on canvas and not work printed on a smoother, more reflective stock.

And when you are working near the boundaries, often you just have to make some prints to see if it works.

- - -

On a different subject that came up earlier in this thread... if you want to be able to see details, super huge magnifications are the only way to do that. You could use a longer focal length. ;-)

Dan

Feb 18, 2022 at 11:47 PM

johnbro27
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: On

p.3 #8 · p.3 #8 · Resolution for prints: R5 vs R6

To return to OP's original question, I travelled basically the same path. Went from my 5DIV to the R6, losing 1/3 of my pixels in the process. In my case, after sitting on the sidelines for almost a year after the original announcement, I rented an R6 and fell head over heels in love. Even with a 7D2 and 5D4 in my bag, I realized there was practically no scenario where I'd use one of those bodies over the R6.

The only place I felt the R6 was lacking was in birds where it seems I can never get close enough. I'm not a huge bird shooter but happen to live now where there are a lot of shorebirds literally in my back yard but they tend to be far enough away that it's hard to get a good shot. Decided to try a R5 to see if that would help so picked up one of those. And yeah, the ability to crop those massive files does give me the equivalent of more reach with my lenses. The file size is less of a concern; I'm from the film era and will never be someone who shoots 1000s of exposures per month. Even if I were, I'd probably cull dups and just keep the interesting ones.

I have a friend who went directly to the R5 and says he wishes in hindsight he had bought the R6 instead. Remember the 20MP sensor on the R6 is identical to the 1DX3 resolution which is used by a few serious photographers, I believe.

As for printing, I've been using my Pixma Pro100 to put some stuff on the walls, even printing from old bodies at 10MP captures or smaller looks fine on the wall in 13x19. I don't know what kind of house people live in that they can paper the walls with massive prints, certainly not my house

Feb 19, 2022 at 10:56 AM

tkbslc
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.3 #9 · p.3 #9 · Resolution for prints: R5 vs R6

jj1804 wrote:
@tkbslc@: that would be an interesting experiment. If I'd have a printer at home I'd certainly try and do that.

I’m sure there are printing services available to you where you live. Spending a little on test prints to help make an this expensive decision seems money well spent.

Feb 19, 2022 at 03:30 PM

gdanmitchell
Offline
• • • • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.3 #10 · p.3 #10 · Resolution for prints: R5 vs R6

tkbslc wrote:
I’m sure there are printing services available to you where you live. Spending a little on test prints to help make an this expensive decision seems money well spent.

True.

Another option that probably almost anyone who expects to do much printing should consider, especially if they plan to send the files out to have them printed: Get a good quality letter size or 12 x 19 printer. They are really inexpensive. Learn enough about photo printing that you can make decent prints in these sizes, if for no other reason than to pre-test the images before sending them to the service. You can print a crop from a large print, tack it up on the wall, and see what its quality looks like.

Even folks who have the equipment to print big on their own typically start by making smaller prints and using them to analyze and work out issues, check sharpness, noise, and general print quality.

Dan

Perhaps ironically, I once used crops from a very large print to persuade a potential client that they would not be happy with what they were proposing. (They wanted to use a small crop from an 8MP APS-C image to make 5-6 foot tall posters as part of an advertising campaign for a retailer in England, and I had to convince them that the photo they had in mind was going to end up disappointing them at the sizes they wanted.) In other cases, I have been able to verify that a larger-than-expected print would work for a client.

Feb 19, 2022 at 04:23 PM

TeamSpeed
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.3 #11 · p.3 #11 · Resolution for prints: R5 vs R6

I bought my own printer, but that led to getting a monitor and printer calibrator, German refilling ink, and a chip resetter, so what started as a pretty inexpensive Canon 13x19 PRO9000 purchase, ended up costing me quite a bit in the long run! However now, my posters and 8x10s are so cheap to print these days, it just took that initial investment to get it all nailed down.

Feb 19, 2022 at 04:27 PM

gdanmitchell
Offline
• • • • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.3 #12 · p.3 #12 · Resolution for prints: R5 vs R6

TeamSpeed wrote:
I bought my own printer, but that led to getting a monitor and printer calibrator, German refilling ink, and a chip resetter, so what started as a pretty inexpensive Canon 13x19 PRO9000 purchase, ended up costing me quite a bit in the long run! However now, my posters and 8x10s are so cheap to print these days, it just took that initial investment to get it all nailed down.

There is certainly a cost to doing this. In particular, the costs for paper and ink (especially ink!) add up quickly if you make many prints or larger prints. God help you if you make many large prints! ;-)

If you use "standard" papers (like the Canon or Epson papers), these days the need for profiling is much reduced. I still do it with all of my papers, but the stock profiles for the most common papers are generally pretty reliable these days. (Not like in the early days of inkjet printers when colors could be all over the map.)

One important thing, in my view, about doing some printing yourself (even if you use a relatively modest printer) is that you start to get a better handle on what makes prints look good. An image that looks good on screen will not necessarily be optimal as a print. (Part of this has to do with the difference between images that "glow from within" on the screen and images that are top-lit on a white background of paper — pretty different things.)

So printing and learning to work out and understand some of these details can even improve the prints that you send out to a service and make the results better and more consistent.

Dan

Feb 19, 2022 at 05:55 PM

TeamSpeed
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.3 #13 · p.3 #13 · Resolution for prints: R5 vs R6

As to paper costs, canon used to throw thanksgiving sales in their paper, but one or two and get for free, so I stocked up during those sales. My 13x19 costs are probably about $3-5 each at this point. Canon hasn’t done this in as long time though.

Feb 19, 2022 at 07:51 PM

dordek
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: On

p.3 #14 · p.3 #14 · Resolution for prints: R5 vs R6

Yes, I know, we started out only seeing photos when they got printed out. The whole process was to get those little particles fixed onto that sheet of paper (or glass or whatever). And I used to print a fair amount (even used to breath in all those fumes from the trays of chemicals - maybe that is now affecting my brain). But I don't print very often these days. It is also true that my photography is mainly for me, I don't sell it and only share with family and friends. So actual prints of my shots are quite rare.

That being said, I still take a lot of pictures and look at a lot more. These days, mainly on screens. My second screen is a 4K monitor and I sit about 20 to 30 inches from it. I like to see a sharp image on that display and know that it will be sharp on the big 4K TV if I take it to that screen and view it there. And if you have a fairly largish single subject you can get away with fewer pixels defining that subject. But for something like a city shot or landscape I find myself disappointed when I want to look at some portion of it or some detail and then I can't make it out because the resolution just isn't there. So I appreciate having more resolution and seeing the small details that might catch my eye. That might just be me, but that is how I feel. (Although, if it were just me we wouldn't have 4K going on 8K TV screens, would we?)

There is always going to be a limit with a photo. Even if you create giant stitched images. But I find myself wanting as much detail as I can get in shots, which has meant more MP for me (not that I ever spent multiple tens of thousands to go medium format). But I was very happy when the 5Dsr came out and 12x18 inch prints from that camera hang on my walls and I can nose-in very happily on them.

So, for me, the more resolution I can get (within reason and expense) the better I like it and I am quite glad we now have fairly reasonable 45, 50 and 60 MP cameras. And I would probably be all over a 100 MP camera if one came out at less than $10,000. And I would be VERY happy if it were only $5,000. (And, yes, I know there are technical limitations - but that is just engineering.) I have a lot of pictures that I wish I had taken with a higher MP camera which wasn't available at the time. There are also many that I still like, even at their lowly resolutions, but I find today's higher resolutions very much more to my liking.

Mike

Feb 20, 2022 at 03:06 PM

chez
Offline
• • • • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.3 #15 · p.3 #15 · Resolution for prints: R5 vs R6

johnbro27 wrote:
To return to OP's original question, I travelled basically the same path. Went from my 5DIV to the R6, losing 1/3 of my pixels in the process. In my case, after sitting on the sidelines for almost a year after the original announcement, I rented an R6 and fell head over heels in love. Even with a 7D2 and 5D4 in my bag, I realized there was practically no scenario where I'd use one of those bodies over the R6.

The only place I felt the R6 was lacking was in birds where it seems I can never get close...Show more →

Largest print I have in my house is 40"x70". I typically print 30"x40" and up and sell to the high end housing market. You'd be surprised how many houses these days have big walls just awaiting to be decorated.

Feb 20, 2022 at 07:47 PM

chez
Offline
• • • • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.3 #16 · p.3 #16 · Resolution for prints: R5 vs R6

TeamSpeed wrote:
As to paper costs, canon used to throw thanksgiving sales in their paper, but one or two and get for free, so I stocked up during those sales. My 13x19 costs are probably about $3-5 each at this point. Canon hasn’t done this in as long time though.

Using rolled paper and printers with larger ink cartridges greatly reduces the per print costs. Where I buy my paper from, they have sales a few times a year where you can buy 3 rolls and get the 4th free.

Feb 20, 2022 at 07:49 PM

jj1804
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.3 #17 · p.3 #17 · Resolution for prints: R5 vs R6

So, I got my first print back. I really like the picture, altough I wish I payed more attention to a couple of little details when taking it. This was my first print in at least 8 years, so there is still lots to learn. Once you print little flaws certainly become more obvious compared to watching the image on a small-ish screen (16" in my case). This has been a good learning exercice and will make me pay more attention in the future.

We printed a portrait-oriented shift-pano out of my R6 with 24 TS-E II. We used PermaJet FB Gold Silk 315 Paper and put it on Alu Dibond. Aspect Ratio cut to 16:9. About 23.5 Mp and printed at 81cm x 45.56 (209 dpi). Alu Dibond plate was 80 x 45 cm so the print got cut a bit. Always good to keep that in mind and talk to the printer if you are going for Alu Dibond and not a Frame.

I have to say maybe my expectations were set too high. I really like the image in on itself. Otherwise I wouldn't have printed it, of course. The print doesn't seem tack sharp anywhere altough I sharepened it in lightroom before the export and it certainly looks sharp on the screen. I can't remember the settings at the top of my head but even at 209 dpi I can't step in and "take in the details" as someone suggested. Don't get me wrong there certainly are details but not as sharp as I would have imagined at 209dpi.

Anyway, in the meantime my R5 arrived and the R6 will be long gone before I make another print, which will be hopefully soon as I just really like looking at images printed out. It feels like the process is more complete than just storing the pictures on a hard drive if that makes sense?

If someone's curious what we printed, here's the image:


	https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51973155461_1a0ae04d4d_b.jpg

Mar 31, 2022 at 07:33 AM

1 2 3 end
FM Forums \| Canon Forum \| Join Upload & Sell 1 2 3 end

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.