large format printing

[danl]

i am in the market to purchase a digital camera for the following purpose.

we are printing large format prints with a print size of 40" x 80" at 150 dpi. i'm not sure how to determine which type of camera would be best for this type of project.

i'm currently looking at the canon powershot G9 digital 12.1 megapixel which produces (i believe) an image size of 4,000 x 3,000 pixels (at the largest setting). am i correct that this would be apx. 13" x 10" print size (at 300 dpi) and thus only a 26" x 20" at 150 dpi??? (i'm not the greatest mathematician!)

if i am correct, then i would say that this is only about half of what i'm needing...

can you direct me to any other options that would be better suited to the type of projects we are doing? thanks!

[danl]

and can anyone explain RAW to me? after reading more, it seems like this type of image is more suitable for this type of project? or not? thanks!

[David Metsky]

RAW is the data that comes right out of the CCD on the camera, before the camera's software compresses, sharpens, and color corrects. If you want to do all of that yourself you can get better shots. Most people are willing to let the camera do that and not go through the work themselves, but you will certainly get the best results if you start with RAW and process them yourself.

However, this won't get you more pixels. You can use tools to extrapolate more pixels from the existing data if you absolutely must have 150 dpi at that size. But it sounds like you're looking for something more like a Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III with 21 MP. That will also set you back $7000, so I'd check your needs carefully.

[AlexMonro]

If by 150 dpi you really mean 150 pixels per inch, then 40" x 80" at 150ppi is 72 Megapixels. I don't think even medium format backs have got that far yet, and you'd probably need more pixels than that to crop to the unusual 1:2 aspect ratio.

If the subject is static, you might be able to use a scanning back (which would make the 1DsIII look cheap), otherwise, your best bet might be to shoot medium or large format film, and get high res drum scans.

[Paradox]

Also as an alternative if what you're shooting is stationary then you could shoot several shots and merge them with software to make one large, high-res image. But this would take more work to get right. I don't know if that's an option.