20 Megapixel Buddha

Posted by Mike Cash (Kiryu, Japan) on 19 April 2008 in Lifestyle & Culture and Portfolio.

One of the advantages of film cameras, and most especially medium format film cameras, is that they can still far exceed digital output if one uses megapixels as a yardstick.

This photo was taken on a 6cm x 4.5cm negative and scanned at 2400dpi, yielding 20 megapixels of data. The size of the original scan is about 3900 pixels wide by about 5100 pixels high. If I had scanned it at my scanner's top optical resolution of 4800dpi it would have been 8000 x 11,000.....an impressive 80 megapixels. Translated to print size, that would allow for a 300dpi print of 26 inches by 36 inches with no compromise in print quality.

Not too shabby for a 55 year old camera picked up for 70 bucks....and that fits in your pants pocket....and uses no batteries.

The photo has received ZERO post-processing other than to clone out a few small specks coming from dust on the negative when I scanned it. No contrast enhancement. No level/curves adjustment. No sharpening. No nothing. Unfortunately, I did have to resize it waaay down in order to post it here.

1953 Mamiya Six Model V folding medium format rangefinder
Fuji Acros 100 film

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