Medium format to digital resolution question....

I'm not even sure how to ask this question but....I would like to know how I
can take advantage of medium format quality when I convert it to a digital
file. Obviously there are no digital cameras with large format that anyone can
afford....so...what do I do? Just scan the high quality photo I get from a
medium format negative.....and if I do, how do I translate that high
quality/resolution into a high quality digital file? Or put another way, would
I get just as good quality from say, the 8 megapixil Nikon camera? If anyone
understands this question, please help ok? Thanks

"Snapshotsid" wrote in message
...
I'm not even sure how to ask this question but....I would like to know how
I
can take advantage of medium format quality when I convert it to a digital
file. Obviously there are no digital cameras with large format that
anyone can
afford....so...what do I do? Just scan the high quality photo I get from
a
medium format negative.....and if I do, how do I translate that high
quality/resolution into a high quality digital file? Or put another way,
would
I get just as good quality from say, the 8 megapixil Nikon camera? If
anyone
understands this question, please help ok? Thanks

Sid,

Try this site, maybe it will help you.

http://www.scantips.com/

Tim

On 23 Jan 2005 23:03:51 GMT, (Snapshotsid) wrote:

I'm not even sure how to ask this question but....I would like to know how I
can take advantage of medium format quality when I convert it to a digital
file. Obviously there are no digital cameras with large format that anyone can
afford....so...what do I do? Just scan the high quality photo I get from a
medium format negative.....and if I do, how do I translate that high
quality/resolution into a high quality digital file? Or put another way, would
I get just as good quality from say, the 8 megapixil Nikon camera? If anyone
understands this question, please help ok? Thanks


In order for this question to have
meaning, you need a film scanner
that can scan medium-format film.

So, do you?

Yeah, you can scan the print that
you get from an MF negative, but
that's an inferior choice in most
cases.


rafe b.
http://www.terrapinphoto.com

"Snapshotsid" wrote:

I'm not even sure how to ask this question but....I would like to know how
I
can take advantage of medium format quality when I convert it to a digital
file. Obviously there are no digital cameras with large format that
anyone can
afford....so...what do I do? Just scan the high quality photo I get from
a
medium format negative.....and if I do, how do I translate that high
quality/resolution into a high quality digital file? Or put another way,
would
I get just as good quality from say, the 8 megapixil Nikon camera? If
anyone
understands this question, please help ok? Thanks

You can scan medium format _film_ with either an affordable flatbed scanner
such as the Epson 4870 or a dedicated film scanner. The flatbed scanner will
produce digital files from 6x7 film that may be somewhat better than the 5,
6, or 8MP cameras. My experience with an earlier Epson model was that 6 MP
dSLR images looked better than the 645 scans the 2450 produced.

Medium format film (but only critically sharp images on ISO 100 film)
scanned with a dedicated film scanner is much better than 5, 6, or 8MP
cameras, but the scanners cost US$2,000 or so. And scanning's a pain. Sigh.

David J. Littleboy
Tokyo, Japan

Snapshotsid wrote:


I get just as good quality from say, the 8 megapixil Nikon camera?

Depends on the size of the prints, what sort of post processing you are
willing to do and what SIZE medium format we are talking about.

With careful exposure using RAW files with good conversion software, using
pro level glass/tripod and then playing with selective NR
software/sharpening in post production, I'm getting 11X14 prints that look
REAL close to my 6X4.5 prints from an 8MP Dslr at normal viewing distances.
With a loupe you can see some difference but even close up they look
=really= good.

A 6X7 camera will still beat it but probably not a bunch in an 8X10 or a
11X14. Anything larger than this, the larger MF cameras will win.YMMV.
--

Stacey, who doesn't believe I'm saying this...

In article ,
Stacey wrote:

A 6X7 camera will still beat it but probably not a bunch in an 8X10 or a
11X14. Anything larger than this, the larger MF cameras will win.YMMV.
--

Stacey, who doesn't believe I'm saying this...

We *told* you so. :-P

Chris Brown wrote:

In article ,
Stacey wrote:

A 6X7 camera will still beat it but probably not a bunch in an 8X10 or a
11X14. Anything larger than this, the larger MF cameras will win.YMMV.
--

Stacey, who doesn't believe I'm saying this...

We *told* you so. :-P

Well when you told me this, it wasn't using an 8MP camera. :^/
--

Stacey

Stacey wrote:
Chris Brown wrote:


In article ,
Stacey wrote:

A 6X7 camera will still beat it but probably not a bunch in an 8X10 or a
11X14. Anything larger than this, the larger MF cameras will win.YMMV.
--

Stacey, who doesn't believe I'm saying this...

We *told* you so. :-P


Well when you told me this, it wasn't using an 8MP camera. :^/


But you had plenty of other counter-arguments.
If I had to guess, I'd say you were waiting for
a DSLR from Olympus.


rafe b.
http://www.terrapinphoto.com

rafeb wrote:



If I had to guess, I'd say you were waiting for
a DSLR from Olympus.


I was waiting for a Dslr that the prints didn't look "digital"?
--

Stacey

Stacey wrote:
rafeb wrote:



If I had to guess, I'd say you were waiting for
a DSLR from Olympus.



I was waiting for a Dslr that the prints didn't look "digital"?

Digital prints will always look digital, if you magnify them enough
since the pixels are square (or rectangular). Grains in the film medium
are of a random shape, so you can always tell a digital photo, if you
can magnify it enough.


--
Ron Hunter