When 8 Megapixels Just Isn't Enough

squidfrog writes "AP has an interesting article on a half photochemical, half digital process to produce 2.6-gigabyte photographs at 'more than a thousand times the size and resolution of those generated by a typical digital camera for consumers.' 'A vacuum pump ensures that the film is flat to within one-thousandth of an inch, and a dual-mirror device keeps the film parallel to the lens. Sand bags strapped to the camera and tripod prevent the machine from shifting, and a reinforced aluminum cradle maintains the parts of the camera in perfect alignment.' The images are apparently higher resolution than can be reproduced on available printing technology (5' by 10'), but the designer hopes to use an 18' by 36' digital display wall to reproduce the images at their best possible resolution in the future. The camera has apparently only been utilized for landscape photography thus far."

Comments

Re:which reminds me

[cei]

I mean its not as if you're going to get that sized film in a roll, is it?

Actually, I believe 9" film is still pretty standard for aerial photography. At least in the old days, they had to do so much overlap to compensate for the speed of the plane (vs headwinds) and other factors, they'd only end up with about a 5" square of new data in the middle of a frame, and they'd have to overlap quite a bit to stitch together an accurate map.

Interestingly, this is in part why RC paper was developed. Fiber photo paper stretched and shrank too much, and when you're doing things like plotting bomb trajectories, the accuracy of your maps is pretty important.

Or not.

Re:Not Earth Shattering, But Advanced

[n6mod]

So many misconceptions, so little time.

OK, here goes:

Vacuum film planes are ancient tech for prepress cameras. At 20x24 and up, it's not just cool, it's an absolute requirement to use film (instead of plates).

Mirror alignment check to get the film plane and lens parallel? Useless in landscape work. Worse than useless. You don't *want* them parallel. You want the film plane vertical, and you want to tilt the lens forward (top away from the film) to move the plane of focus and *improve* sharpness. Otherwise the only way to get the depth of field you need is by stopping way, way down. And you're right, there are diffraction limits, (you obviously do telescope optics) but they don't start to bite you until at least f/45, more likely f/64.

"Aerial Film has a MUCH higher resolution..." Not really. The color aerial films only have 80-100 lp/mm resolution...pretty much the same as professional chrome film. They have wacky spectral sensitivities, because they're designed for data collection, not photorealistic images, and that's what forces this guy to scan the film and work in Photoshop. There are some very high-resolution b/w aerial films, but they really aren't that much better than something like Tech Pan. The real reason he's using aerial film is because he can get it in that size.

[Note to another poster: You do get it in rolls. In fact, that's the only way you can: 9.5 inches by 200-2000 feet. This guy is cutting sheets off one of those rolls...yet another reason he needs a vacuum film plane.]

Getting film this big is actually a real problem because nobody uses it. I checked out an 11x14 view camera from the cage over Christmas one year, and had to shoot Cibachrome directly because I couldn't get film. EI 6 and 30CC Cyan over the lens, but it worked....and let me tell you, contact prints look soft next to a direct Cibachrome.

Sandbagging view cameras is nothing new...and for all your discussion of the arc subtended by the image of a blade of grass...remember that the grass is likely to move. ;) I don't see any thing special about the "aluminum cradle" either, this looks like a classic studio view camera.

The camera isn't a new thing at all. It's a very old thing, in territory explored and abandoned decades ago, with a few bits of new tech to work around not being able to get the right old tech. :)

Now, with all that said. I do think it's very cool that there's someone out shooting 9x18" film. Big view cameras produce really amazing images, and I applaud this guys work. (I understand the problem too...Mt. Sopris is gorgeous, and all of my photos of it are really dull.)

The real problem here is that the article was written by someone with no knowledge of the subject.

-Z