Resolution vs print size

[bettrave]

I own a Fuji E900.
I would like to know which quality setting is enough depending on the print size.

So for a picture of 4x6" and 8x10" which quality is enough without loosing quality?
Does the ISO rating affects which quality I should choose?

Thanks

[granthagen]

bettrave writes:

I own a Fuji E900.
I would like to know which quality setting is enough depending on the print size.

So for a picture of 4x6" and 8x10" which quality is enough without loosing quality?
Does the ISO rating affects which quality I should choose?

Your camera only shoots in a 4:3 aspect ratio. That means that you can't get a 4x6 or an 8x10 directly from the camera. 4x6 and 8x10 have a 3:2 aspect ratio. You are going to have to shoot a bit larger and then crop some off of the top or bottom or both to get a properly sized 4x6 or 8x10.

To answer the specific question, 300ppi (pixels per inch) is usually considered the gold standard for printing with an inkjet printer. For a 4x6 at 300ppi you need a 1200x1800 pixel file for a total of 2.2 MP (megapixels). For an 8x10 at 300ppi you need a 2400x3000 pixel file for a total of 7.2 MP.

Now, many people claim that they can't really see any difference between a print printed at 300ppi and 240ppi. You could test print a few both ways and see whether you can tell.

For a 4x6 at 240ppi you need a file sixe of 960x1440, total of 1.4 MP. For an 8x10 at 240ppi you need a file of 1920x2400 pixels and a total of 4.6 MP.

The ISO setting should be as low as possible. Higher ISO settings increase noise in the picture. If there isn't enough light to get the shot with a wide open aperture (lowest f/number the camera has) and a shutter speed high enough to prevent blurring from camera shake and you don't want to use the flash, then use a higher ISO.
If you know you are going to have to use a higher ISO, it might pay off to select the highest quality setting. If the image is noisy enough that a noise reduction program will be used on it, the more image detail you can capture the better. Noise reduction always "softens" the picture and loses some detail.

Hope this isn't too confusing!

Grant

[JohnG]

Bettrave,

Memory is very inexpensive now - so my advice is to always use the highest quality setting - that way you always have the ability to print a large size. When you try to dial in the quality settings to save space invariably you'll end up taking a picture you'd want to print larger but you forgot to dial up the size before taking it (or didn't think it was special when you took it but changed your mind). So splurge for some memory and use the highest quality setting all the time.

[Caboose]

I agree with JohnG. I never shoot at anything less than the highest quality setting. Actually on my DSLR's I shoot in the RAW format, my point and shoot cameras are both set at the highest quaity jpeg setting. Even if I know I'm shooting for an e-mail or web posting. You just never know when the great shot will happen.

[bettrave]

Granthagen, I have the option to shoot at 3:2.
At 9megapixels, I can shoot approx 278 and at 3:2 or 9M but normal (not fine), approx. 455.
What's the difference between 9M fine and normal?

[Sintares]

Normal means the jpegs have been compressed a little more.

The more they are compressed the more information is lost, the more chance of jpeg "artifacts" showing up in the pic etc.

Shoot at the highest and best setting you can unless you are critically short of memory and really really need the extra shots..

[granthagen]

Hmm. I even looked at the spec sheet for your camera and missed the 3:2 option available to you. :roll:

I agree with what others have said here about always shooting at the best quality, highest res' settings that your camera offers unless there is some overriding need not to. You pay more money for a camera with more capabilities. If you are not using those capabilities except every now and then, you could have saved yourself some money and gotten a cheaper camera.

Unless I know that I am shooting "throw-aways" for e-mail or such, I shoot RAW for the extra lattitude it provides.

Grant

[jjchan]

granthagen wrote:

To answer the specific question, 300ppi (pixels per inch) is usually considered the gold standard for printing with an inkjet printer. For a 4x6 at 300ppi you need a 1200x1800 pixel file for a total of 2.2 MP (megapixels). For an 8x10 at 300ppi you need a 2400x3000 pixel file for a total of 7.2 MP.

........
For a 4x6 at 240ppi you need a file sixe of 960x1440, total of 1.4 MP. For an 8x10 at 240ppi you need a file of 1920x2400 pixels and a total of 4.6 MP....................... Hope this isn't too confusing!

Grant

Grant: So if I want to print a 13" by 19" picture, I would need 13 x 300 by 19 x 300 = 3900 x 5700 pixels? This comes out to approximately 22+ Mp!! Which digital camera can do that? Is my math right?