Devastating results on Walmart's 4x6 prints.

[Ko.Fe.]

Yesterday I printed few dozens of 4x6 pictures at Walmart. I'm not doing it often.
I have scans from color film, files from Canon digital FF and L series, Canon cropped sensor and cheaper lenses, old Panasonic Lumix with Leica zoom lens and two MPs old digital P&S.
I like this size of prints and it was most common even in film era (most affordable).
I could see the difference, I could recognize which camera, lens was used.
But from gear-head POV devastation comes after realizing... all of them are good!
Next time I'll try to print mobile phone pictures on this size.

 

[Timmyjoe]

Yeah, really pretty much anything looks good if you're only going 4x6. You could probably do pin-hole on 110 film and it would look fine. Heck, even the old Kodak disc cameras looked fine at 4x6, and that negative is about the size of a pencil eraser.

Glad you got good results from Walmart. I don't usually trust them.

 

[davidnewtonguitars]

Sorry to hear, Ko.Fe.
All that effort using good equipment, paying attention to detail and generally keeping it all together, and now Walmart gets the glory.

 

[BillBingham2]

..... Heck, even the old Kodak disc cameras looked fine at 4x6, and that negative is about the size of a pencil eraser.....

Yeah, but they had Kick A55 glass in those little marvels.

Might be neat for someone to build a small case with the same style shutter release for the iPhone space........

B2 (;->

 

[Timmyjoe]

Yeah, but they had Kick A55 glass in those little marvels.

Who made the lenses for those? Were they made in house at Kodak, or did they farm it out to Schneider or Zeiss or someone like that?

 

[Huss]

I could see the difference, I could recognize which camera, lens was used.
But from gear-head POV devastation comes after realizing... all of them are good!

Is it because you do not use grips on your cameras?

😀

 

[Prest_400]

Old adage that almost everything looks good at 4x6... Print 8x12 and also most decent equipment will hold up well being some pitfalls visible in details. Larger becomes demanding.

Mobile phone pictures look alright at that size, maybe smudged due to the processing of the software. Modern smartphones can go 8x10 without problems. Look closely and compare with a good camera, you may see it is from a phone; but by itself it holds up nicely.

Large prints are nice, however a bit impractical to let lay around.


<Beamed through Tapatalk relay>

 

[Huss]

Everything looks good at 4 by 6.

Everything also looks good at f8

Everyone is good looking online...

 

[Dektol Dan]

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Anthony Wiener?

 

[Ko.Fe.]

Is it because you do not use grips on your cameras?

😀

Spot on!

I have had, but never used it on Canon 5D, stopped using it on Canon 500D and Lumix hasn't got any.

 

[Pioneer]

4x6 is a terrific size. It lets you decide whether or not you want to go bigger or not. Much better than those little postage stamp photos on the contact sheet.

I have a nice little Epson Photo Deluxe printer that I do my own 4x6 prints with but Walmart is a good option as well.

 

[michaelwj]

My old iPhone 5 can handle up to 8x10 on a good day...

But it's not as fun as a manual focus film camera. Way to immediate!

 

[zuikologist]

The Internet suggests mass produced aspheric lenses:

http://kodak.3106.net/index.php?p=205

Who made the lenses for those? Were they made in house at Kodak, or did they farm it out to Schneider or Zeiss or someone like that?

 

[Huss]

4x6 is a terrific size. It lets you decide whether or not you want to go bigger or not.

Yup I use 4by6 to check exposure and colour balance before making the real prints.

 

[Prest_400]

Agreed on Huss and Pioneer's points about proof printing. And 4x6" are quite cheap bulk printed.

Then sometimes I like to print many photos just to see them printed for prints' sake! Extra copies at times given as gifts. People look puzzled and very grateful upon receiving prints of themselves.

The aspherical lenses of single use cameras do not hold up that well printed large. 8x12" and the edges are fuzzy. Lovely film and nostalgic look however!

It's been a while since I printed anything though. Even if it's to have the stacks to look at slow times. I have a bunch of 12x18" prints over the guest room's bed awaiting framing or something. I want to reprint one as it was rescanned and might as well give the copy away.