billboard photography

I need to shoot a photograph for a 60x132in billboard. I was told by

Samys to rent a Valeo 22 (22 megapixels). Which camera should I use?

I was wondering if I should rent a Mamiya 645AFD or a Hasselblad.

Or...do I really need a medium format camera at all? would the 11-

megapixel Canon 1Ds do the trick? Thank you!

Hi,

 

What is the subject of the photo?

 

Will it be possible to take multiple photo's and stitch them together?

 

Use the Hasselblad if you must or try to get a Contax 645.

 

The Canon will do the trick as well especially if you can stitch the photo's afterwards.

 

In short, any of the equipment can do the job if used right.

 

Regards

I use a Canon 1Ds which shoots about 13x9" in RAw format. If you use Genuine Fractals you can increase the size to a size far exceeding what you need - I use it and it is virtually lossless. Do you hav a PC/Mac capable of handling the image though. A 30x24' 16bit colour image comes out around 400-500mb in .tiff. You can probably get away with .jpg or 8 bit color.

thank you for your answers. I have a pc and i'm pretty sure it can handle the file size, i just don't want the image to be pixelated when i blow it up to such a big size. although you see a billboard from 100 feet away, i still want quality. Do you think that the 1Ds will work as well as a medium format?

<I>would the 11- megapixel Canon 1Ds do the trick?</I><P> I think that I have

used the Canon EOS

1Ds

a Kodak Pro Back 645 (16Mp) and the 11Mp Valeo medium format backs enough to

venture a real world opinion. <P>To my eye there is a

substantial difference in the quality of images between what the 1Ds produces (very

good) and what the medium format backs (much better) produce. At an ISO range of

100 to 200, the much maligned Kodak 14N produces better files than the EOS

1Ds.<P>

 

The difference isn't just a megapixel count. It relates directly to hardware design,

firmware and software and how the back and software prcapture and process the

image.<P>

 

Which will be the best tool for the job? That will depend greatly on what you are

photographing and how you are photographing the subject.

I would definitely not use either 8 bit, sRGB or jpeg as capture modes. shoot 16 bit

large gamut RAW files and then output your files to your client's or the printers

specs.<P>

 

If you have not shot digitally before I would not do it on a client's money. You need to

practice and get your workflow down.

If your professional reputation is on the line with this shoot, and you can charge the rental costs, why take the gamble?

I know people that have used drum scanned 35MM Kodachromes on billboards!Billboards arent viewed very close,grain & sharpness arent real issues at 50 feet away.

<i>"i just don't want the image to be pixelated when i blow it up to such a big size"</i><p>

The you will need at least an 8x10 view camera, fine grained film, and a massive drum scan.<p>

 

On the other hand, most billboards are printed at around 12 dpi, so it's going to look "pixelated" no matter what you use...

...and have you checked with the local 'bill board' company (companies)?

 

 

 

Around here (NW Florida) they can scan a image (photo) and print on a large sheet of plastic, which becomes the bill board advertisement. I've seen a 20x30-inch poster become the 'plastic' backdrop for a local festival that was done on the bill board company's equipment. From a distance one could not tell it was copied and reprinted.

Depands on the subject and also who is actually producing the bill board. As a rule of

thumb your digital file needs to be 1/10th the size of the finished bill board at

300dpi. If your bill board size is 60x132" your digital file to the bill board producer

needs to be 6x13.2" @ 300dpi. Talking to the producer first avoids problems later.

I did a 120" by 96" banner, printed on vinyl, for a trade show. I had a 645 negative (from a Pentax 645n)scanned at 12000 by 9600 pixels, to produce a print at 100ppi. I shot the model with an RZ in the studio, got it scanned, then reduced the resolution to match the 645 background and pasted her on top of the background.

 

At that resolution, you're pretty close to photo quality, and I didn't rent anything--I just got a couple of really good drum scans.

 

If you want to see a snapshot of the banner plus small piece of the digital file that produced it(a close up of the model's eye), email me at dch@dholland.com.

If you care about quality, I'd go with large format. If you aren't shooting a moving subject, check out some of the scanning backs for 4x5.

 

Given that it's a billboard, I'll assume that you actually care about the quality of your work and your reputation.

 

Nobody ever complained about a negative being too big, having too little grain, or being too sharp. Get an 8x10 and shoot with a slow, fine-grained film. That'll do all you want it to.

What a disgusting thread. I was a pictorial billboard painter for 15+ years until they kicked us all out and went digital.

If you want to insist on MF, use a 612 or 617.