Digital photo prints to sell

[sugarcoated293]

Hi,

I've seen some people sell digital photography prints on etsy with great success but I'm wondering about which cameras/specs work best so that buyers can blow up the image to a great size and not lose focus. I know you should have a SLR camera but I think I was thinking of getting a mirrorless for certain travel photography and was after minimum specifications?

Thanks!

[Benjamin Root]

Moved from Photography​ to The Lounge​

[cmgap]

With photography gear as is the same with computers, people are partial to brands. Rather than start a brand favorite discussion I'll say that you should compare the weight to quality factor when considering a DSLR vs Mirrorless and budget.

You can get a high-end mirrorless, think Sony A7R ii against a Nikon D850 or Canon Mark V. And if you really want to up your game for landscape you could look at a mid-size like a Pentax 645.

It will take a lot of sales on Etsy to pay for any of the above mentioned gear kits. And don't forget the glass... you can't get a high end body with a cheap lens.

[rodneyb56060189]

I agree with cmgap re: equipment choices. You'd need to do a lot of research to get the best deals you can.

Keep in mind another possibility re: selling the work.

This guy has been successful because 99% of his work was sold by him at Art Fairs ( mostly pretty high end fairs on eastern Long Island. He printed his own prints (large) and framed some. He also printed on canvas sometimes. It was a lot of work and many years but he did well at it.

Home - John Ellsworth Photography

[rodneyb56060189]

Another print option. Believe it or not, last fall I send a digital image to a Fed Ex Kinko place (sent online) to see how their mounted photo quality was. I worked closely with the technician at the place ( due to tones and crop concerns ). I was very happy with the result and if there is a place like that near you it might be worth looking into, instead of investing in giant printer of your own, etc.

I think there are also photo print places at Walgreens, which can be mounted maybe, but haven't used them.

[Nancy OShea]

I understand you're asking about equipment but that's only a means to an end.   I've seen some pretty amazing photos captured with a cardboard box .

Below are the technical requirements for submitting digital photos to Adobe Stock. 

Technical requirements

• Submit images in JPEG format.
• Minimum image resolution: 4 MP (megapixels)
• Maximum image resolution: 100 MP (megapixels)
• Maximum file size: 45 MB (megabytes)
• No watermarks or timestamps
• Do not upsample your files; submit the maximum file size that your camera can produce.

[rodneyb56060189]

hehe, better elaborate. cardboard box = pinhole camera

: )

[Nancy OShea]

Pinhole maybe but not when your box is the size of a 20 ft shipping container.

Truck-Sized Pinhole Camera Captures the Great American Panorama - Creators

[Ussnorway]

the only time a mirror camera out performs a mirrorless camera is for speed of focus i.e, fast moving objects = use a mirror camera

[rodneyb56060189]

hehe... that's one big pinhole camera !  Probably used a number 2 pencil to make the hole.  ??

So many variables re: mirror less vs. reflex, re: choice. Used to use M3 rangefinder a lot when young. Pre-focus (focus ring) and shoot mostly. But that was mostly wide lens stuff. I personally hate AF lenses cause I focus manually ( lenses go beyond min and max focus so it goes out when doing manually). Cine lenses (Zeiss) are better, but way more expensive for DSLR's. It's a lot of thinking and deciding and researching to figure out what's best for the way you want to shoot, etc. I'm so glad I don't have to do that !

[italosan]

The kind of camera you want to use for this kind of work, is completely up to you.

At this point, you may have a very good quality even with a high end smartphone, so good that in some side-by-side comparison with good D-SLR an non-expert eye couldn't tell the difference.

However, if you have to comply with some specs, this can help with a choice.

I would say, if you plan to sell prints up to 1m on the long edge, you may want to choose at least a 24mpx camera, regardless of sensor size. Given that you want something lightweight that will be easy to carry around, I would suggest something like a Fuji X100f.