Question : What image quality needed to get good A1 print results, for human faces etc, 6 mill pixel? Large Format neg ?
Given the print is via high quality Colour Plotter – capable of A0 sizes. Original “material” for these sizes of print becomes an issue. A “good” digital camera is around 3 mill pixels … but does this break down (as in badly) at A1/A0 sizes ? Is it still best to stick with scanning 14″x11″ hand prints from a ALrge Format negative? If so … maybe the scanner then has to be better than 5million pixels scanning …or does it ?
large format scanner

Best answer:

Answer by Vince M
Scanning a high quality print from a large format negative is always the best way to go unless you want to spend mega bucks for a high mega pixel camera (10 megs, 15, 20)

That being said, even the scanner has to be high megapixel capable. If by 5 million pixel scanner you mean that the entire surface of the scanner is only capable of fitting into a 5 meg file, then it’s the same as if you took the picture with a 5 meg camera. In other words, it won’t make much differece that you got the image from a photo neg or not.

Save yourself the scanner step and go ahead and invest in a digital camera with the higest megapixel you can afford. And if you can’t afford much bigger thatn 5 or 6 megs, then you will be severely limited in the quality of your print.

In short, if ANY step in the process chokes down the megs, then it doesn’t make any difference the quality of any OTHER equipment.