superfine xsi

[amimaija]

Is there a way to set the quality on superfine.. I only come up with an 4 mg size pics I want it larger....I have it set on L large..I thought it would be 12 meg but that must be raw..

[griptape]

When you say meg, what exactly are you referring to? You realize that 12 mega pixels doesn't mean the pictures will be 12 megabytes. They have nothing to do with each other. If you're on the L that has the rounded edge after it (rather than the L that has the stair steps next to it, meaning normal rather than fine), then you're on the largest non-raw mega pixel setting.

[talkingdog]

Jpegs are compressed,shooting RAW will give 12 meg files. not sure why it would matter to anyone

[24Peter]

Is there a way to set the quality on superfine.. I only come up with an 4 mg size pics I want it larger....I have it set on L large..I thought it would be 12 meg but that must be raw..

"Large" "fine" are as good as it gets with Canon DSLR .jpegs. Not sure what more you want. As was mentioned above, you'll need to shoot RAW if you want larger (size, not resolution,-wise) files.

[amimaija]

I would need it larger for large poster size prints

[griptape]

If you're shooting at Large and Superfine, then you're shooting at 12 megapixels, which is the largest you can shoot with the XSi.

[amimaija]

do you know where to change the setting to superfine?/ I can;t find it

[JTL]

do you know where to change the setting to superfine?/ I can;t find itThere is no Superfine.

Fine represents max resolution for jpeg on the XSi (and all current Canon SLRs)...which on the XSi is 4272 x 2848 pixels...the same as if you shoot RAW on the XSi.

But, you don't want to make poster-sized prints from jpegs anyway! You want to avoid any compression artifacts which jpegs will display at large print sizes.

So my advice is shoot RAW and convert to TIFF (which is a non-compressed, lossless format) for printing of large sized prints.

Work smart. ;)

[amimaija]

do you shoot mostly in raw? Is it a hassel to convert everything?

[griptape]

There is no Superfine.

This is correct. Sorry, I have too many cameras, my compacts label it as super fine. As long as you are on the L with the quarter circle on it, you're at the highest resolution. I also agree that you'd be much better off shooting RAW for anything you're making very large prints of. The software that came with the camera (DPP) is surprisingly good. You can adjust levels and convert files 100 at the time with it.

[amimaija]

will you please explain it?


When you say meg, what exactly are you referring to? You realize that 12 mega pixels doesn't mean the pictures will be 12 megabytes. They have nothing to do with each other. If you're on the L that has the rounded edge after it (rather than the L that has the stair steps next to it, meaning normal rather than fine), then you're on the largest non-raw mega pixel setting.

[amimaija]

how large can i get with just the jpg and not go raw... bigger than 8x10?


"Large" "fine" are as good as it gets with Canon DSLR .jpegs. Not sure what more you want. As was mentioned above, you'll need to shoot RAW if you want larger (size, not resolution,-wise) files.

[griptape]

will you please explain it?

12 megapixels means 12 million pixels. The sensor in the camera has 12 million little holes that capture light.

Megabytes are one million bytes of file storage. A byte is a 0 or a 1.

It doesn't take a byte per pixel to record a jpeg image (jpeg compresses the file, and combines like areas into a single 0 or 1 for that entire group of pixels rather than assigning a 0 or 1 to each individual pixel).

Bytes and pixels are completely unrelated to each other.

[Rooz]

how large can i get with just the jpg and not go raw... bigger than 8x10?

it depends on the quality of the photo. in good light if you get the exposure right you can print a 20" photo. if you're shooting in low light, at high iso or if you underexpose etc then you will struggle with larger sizes.

[JTL]

do you shoot mostly in raw? Is it a hassel to convert everything?Yes, I shoot only RAW. No, it's not a hassle to convert everything if:

1. You know what you're converting and why
2. You have a workflow
3. You have enough disk space if you need to archive your converted files

I may make 3 or 4 conversions of a single RAW capture with, for example, different color spaces (depending on if its being printed or just displayed), different file formats, different resolution sizes, different post-processing treatments, etc.

With the XSi you can produce: A 72 dpi print that is approx. 60x40"; A 150 dpi print that is approx. 29x19" or a 300 dpi print that is approx. 10x14". The larger the print and the further the viewing distance the fewer dots-per-inch you need because the eye/brain fills in the rest. Please keep in mind that for a 72 dpi large poster-sized print (approx. 60x40" in the case of the XSi), the viewing distance would have to at least 4-ft away in order for it to retain any visual integrity...and it would have a very "postery" look. You can't really print less 150 dpi and have it still look "photo quality" at typical viewing distances. 300 to 240 dpi is normally considered "high quality" for photo printing purposes. "Poster" standards are considerably less as you can infer.

Now take all that and apply what Rooz said...because a noisy image will not stand up to enlargement. Neither will some jpegs...well exposed or not.

how large can i get with just the jpg and not go raw... bigger than 8x10?This is a "quality" question, not a "technical limitation" question, I hope you understand. To answer in relative terms...a well-exposed (and well-focused) large/fine jpeg from the XSi should produce a very nice, reasonably high-quality 17x22" print from an Epson 3800...

[24Peter]

how large can i get with just the jpg and not go raw... bigger than 8x10?

I have beautiful 16X24 prints from Large fine .jpegs from my XT (taken w/kit lens no less). I think who is doing your enlargements (in my case MPIX) is as important as what your camera is outputting.

In any event, as everyone has been trying to point out to you, you won't get more resolution (pixels) from a "fine" v. "superfine" (if such existed on your XSi and it doesn't) .jpeg. Those settings refer to compression only. "Large fine" .jpgs should be more than adequate for your needs. If not, go rent a medium format digital camera and if you don't know what that is, you don't need it.