Upgrade?

[russrom]

I am now shooting with a D70 and I have a pretty good handle on it. I have just been given a Job that requires a little more than I have in my bag, My question is (Because of money limitations) Would it be worth my cash and future "work" to upgrade to the D200? If you have a D200 How do you like it and What is your advice?

 

[Freddie]

Don't know a lot about the D70 but I have the D200, and I'm glad I waited for it instead of getting something else. I find it to do everything I want to do with a camera now a days. I sold all my meduim format stuff and just use the D200 now.

 

[Mike_E]

I own and love a D200. What do you need that a D70 isn't giving you that you think a D200 will?

mike

 

[russrom]

I own and love a D200. What do you need that a D70 isn't giving you that you think a D200 will?

mike

I need to print larger than 8x10, When I try to go larger I loose Quality. 10mp will Get me a liitle more room to play with. I would love to go out and get the D2x or xs but I am not that rich!!! I Don't want to stray from Nikon because all of the Lenses and equipment I have. Any other advise?

 

[ScottS]

you can get some great pics from the D70 above 8x10. I had a D50 and have some wonderful poster shots. it all depends on where you get them printed. I used MPIX.com for mine and they do a great job upsizing... but still i know the feeling of being limited by your equipment... that's why i got the D200 as well

 

[jstuedle]

The D70 is capable of much larger prints than 8X10. It requires a little software and a little time on your part. I use photoshop to up-sample my files to whatever size I wish to print. I shoot D1X's. In jpeg mode it saves a 5.47 MP file. It can output a 10 PM file in RAW but that is just doubling the vert. pixel count, a feature unique to the D1X that someone figured out several years ago. So, it's really a smaller pixel count than your D70. But I have here in my office a canvas print 24" X 36" from that camera. It was up-sampled to that size at 300 DPI and it's stunning. If you start with a good, well exposed and uncropped file of proper composition, there is no reason you can't shoot double-truck center folds with that D70 or any other good quality 6 MP DSLR. The trick is the quality of the starting file.

 

[russrom]

Jstuedle,
Do you have any suggestions as to where I should look for the up-sampling? Thanks.

Ron

 

[jstuedle]

Jstuedle,
Do you have any suggestions as to where I should look for the up-sampling? Thanks.

Ron

Up-sampling is a term we use when increasing file size while maintaining as much of the original quality as possible. I use Photoshop with a Fred Miranda plug-in called SI-Pro. You don't need the plug-in, it just makes it faster, and Fred claims a quality increase using his software. Lets say you have an image sized for 8.5X11 at 300 D.P.I. (width 2550 X height 3300 pixels) You want to make a 13" X 19" print of the same image. I would increase the file size by no more than 10% at a time until you arrived at a file size of 4405 X 5700 pixels. This would be a 14.68" X 19" print size. Recrop to the desired 13X19 print and there you have a nice, large print maintaining as much quality as possible with your D70. Take a look at this image:

http://www.pbase.com/jstuedle/image/45812226

It is reduced from a 13X19 print. Now look at this crop:

http://www.pbase.com/jstuedle/image/81255710

This was from a resized file to make a 36" X 54" print and cropped to show the detail remaining in the up-sampled print. Remember, you would not be viewing a 36X54 at the close distance you are viewing your monitor. This image was from a 5.47 MP D1X.

I hope this helps a little and is not to confusing. I know to the novice we sometimes throw around terms that only confuse. If I need to clarify anything, please let me know.