What sized picture can a 6 megapixel take up to?

Question

My parents recently bought a picture frame that is 28" by 20" and they want to take a family photo to fit the frame. My friend has a Canon 6 megapixel camera, but I'm not sure if you can get a decent picture of that size with just 6 megapixels or not...can someone help me out?

Answer 1

This would really depend on the quality of lens, size of sensor and amount of megapixels.
I've found on my camera (6MP) the Sony DSC-H2 excellent 8X10 prints, and acceptable 11X14.
PS taking the amount of megapixels alone may not give you a true answer; but 28X20 forget it.

Answer 2

The answer is going to depend on a few factors:
1) the quality of the image coming out of the camera
2) the printer used
3) the printer driver and software used for printing.
4) the medium upon which the image is printed.

I would have no qualms about a 6mp Canon SLR being able to produce a good image for the frame of that size, if the shot was properly exposed and is very sharp and was professionally and properly printed.

I would have extreme concerns about a 6mp point and shoot camera though, because the sensor is so small.

There's a few things I would suggest:
1) Do a test shot with the camera and blow it up on the computer screen to 100%. See if you can spot any flaws, because at 28 x 20, you'll see them in the print. Flaws would include big clumps of color or excessive dark spots in shaded areas, collectively referred to as "image noise." Another flaw would be image distortions from the lens, where people and objects may looked stretched out. Finally, look at he posing and lighting--are people illuminated properly and are they posed in a flattering way?

2) Get a 35mm film camera and use ISO 100 film. ISO 100 film will be able to make a 28 x 20" print, no problem.

3) Print the image onto canvas, which will help to hide image noise, plus images look really good on canvas.

4) Make the actual print smaller and matte it into the larger frame.

Now, if you've got access to a Canon dSLR, like say, the old Canon D60, a 6mp SLR, it's a different ball game. A camera like that should be able to make a great print with just a little bit of tweaking when you print.

Another suggestion: have the image printed by a professional lab, which will have printer RIP drivers designed for printing large as well as the specialized large format printers (typically Epsons). The RIP--that's a sophisticated interpolation software to make good prints; much more sophisticated than you at home on a desktop printer or at your local Kinko's.

Good luck with your family photo!

Answer 3

This leaves it open to judgement about what is the best, the quality of your lens, the size of your sensor, the quality of the lab and a few other things. For an academic answer, however, I will just ignore that and give you some guidelines. You will have to try a few prints and see what meets up to your standards from your camera and your lab.

Don't forget about maybe getting a smaller enlargement and using a matte to fill out the frame. That's kind of a weird size, but it's close to the proportion of 3:2 or 30"x20", which is standard poster size. 12"x18" or 16"x24" might look okay in a matte.

Most people accept 300 dots/pixels per inch as the "Gold Standard" for high quality. 250 is "recommended" by professional labs. 200 is quite acceptable. Flickr and other on-line services will give you a warning if you request a print lower than 150.

Let me guess that the dimensions of your FULL 6 MP image are 2816 pixels by 2112 pixels, which is Canon's point and shoot standard. If this is correct, you can do the math and see what you come up with. I have allowed for some very slight cropping and also for going slightly below each measure, say 295 dpi instead of 300 dpi.

Gold Standard 300 dpi - 8x10 (7.0x9.4)
Very good quality 250 dpi - 8x10 inches (8.4x11.3)
Quite acceptable 200 dpi - 11x14 inches (10.6x14.1)
Minimum 150 dpi - 11x14 inches (14.1x18.8)
Really pushing it 130 dpi - 16x20 inches (16.2x21.7)

Given that you view a 16 x 20 inch print from farther away than an 8 x 10, you might get away with it...

If you have a 6 MP SLR, the image will be about 3000 pixels by 2000 pixels. This proportion changes things, but the quality of the lens and sensor probably offsete any other changes and you will still be able to go to the same print sizes.

Answer 4

At 28x20 with a 6MP image you're looking at a print resolution of about 100dpi unless you try to resize it. 100dpi will make a print that most consumers think is just dandy. The professionals will think it's horrid.

Now, if you take that 6MP image into your photo editor and crop here and there and resize and etc... you're going under 100dpi and at that point most consumers will think it's horrid too.

Bottom line - you're really pushing the limits here. Consider adding a mat to that frame and you're not at 28x20 anymore. 28x20 is not a stock print size by the way...

Answer 5

My 6.0 MP fuji produced a fine 8x10 with little grain.