printing 4/3 images without cropping?

I'm interested in a 4/3 camera, but one concern I have is that printers and service bureaus seem to be

geared towards 3/2 prints such as 4x6 and 8x12. i don't want to crop each 4/3 photo just to make a

print. are there 4/3 printers out there and 4/3 picture frames?

 

---Matt

Is this a serious question?

Hi Matt,

 

The truth is that the majority of digital camera sensor systems for point and shoot are based on 4/3 aspect ratio--a significant number when considered in comparison to the APS or Full frame 35mm sensors.

 

Further, the format is designed so as to require minimal cropping for standard size prints such as 5x7", 8x6" and 8x10" prints (all of which have equivalent metric sizes as well)

 

You should find the 4/3 format a very flexible one indeed and well supported by printing outlets.

 

Cheers...John.

Well, I have the opposite answer. I find it a problem. I am learning slowly NOT to zoom in close on my subjects, because yes if you want 4x6's, you must crop. Snapfish (and probably others) are offering printing at a bit smaller than 4x6 to help with this problem and you don't have to crop.

On the other hand, I run all my pictures through a program quickly, and can be done in a few minutes anyway.

Don't know if there are frames and such for the smaller pictures.

Still, I love the camera.

Debbie

Why don't you request them to include all of the image and the black strip in the prints you get: then you can crop the strip off yourself and get 4x3 with no loss of image area. (I guess if they refuse to do this for their customers then a competitor will.)

I don't think you'll have a problem finding printers that will produce 5x7, 8x10, or 11x14 prints for you. 8x12 is actually the oddball size, IME.

 

As for the smaller size, most good online vendors offer a "digital" print that's 4x5", which matches the 4/3 format and many small sensors.

 

Skip

Hi all,

 

Maybe my original post wasn't very clear. My apologies. I'll try again.

 

With my APS-C SLR, I can make 4x6 prints without cropping since its sensor has a 3:2

aspect ratio. It's also easy to find 4x6 frames. My point-and-shoot's sensor has a 4:3

aspect ratio, and I'm frustrated by needing to crop every time I want to make a 4x6 print.

 

So, my question was about trying to find printers and frames with 4:3 aspect ratios. I'm

taking it by the repsonses so far that there aren't. Bummer.

 

Matt

<i>So, my question was about trying to find printers and frames with 4:3 aspect ratios. I'm taking it by the repsonses so far that there aren't.</i><p>

Matt - if you restrict yourself to 4" prints on the short dimension, I suspect you'll find the supply of 4x5", easily-obtainable frames is small. You'll have to go to specialty retailers, catalongs, photo shops, or online vendors.<p>

 

As I'm sure you know, the "typical" U.S. print sizes are 4x6, 5x7, 8x10, 11x14, and 16x20. The 4x6 is the only one that approximages a 35mm film's 3:2 size. All the others originated in the view camera or press camera age, where the negatives produced were 4x5", thus the enlargements sized very nicely with minimal cropping.<p>

 

IMO, 4x6 is really too small for something framed. I consider 5x7 the minimum for me, which is nice, as that means I don't have to crop my E-1's images.

As Skip says, 5x7 is very close to 4:3 and so is 10x8; *the* size for enlargements, you would

have to crop 3:2 image a lot more to make them fit. I also pint some 16x12s, which my

service here in the UK (http://www.proamimaging.com/) provides.

 

I also see more and more consumer oriented labs provide 6x4.5 images, which fits perfect.

Ritz camera is printing non cropped 4:3 prints. They have a few to choose from: aprox 4x5.5,

4.5x6 (they call this size DSC), and they've had 6x8 for a while. These sizes are from

memory, so I may be way off, but the whole idea is they have sizes that don't crop. I know

they have 6x8 frames, and the other sizes are newer so frames may be coming soon.