Large prints - best clarity and least pixelation - which camera?

I will give more info. We take the photos from a fairly fast moving plane, so I need great autofocus and 3fps is actually ok (Not 5fps as previously mentioned). The photos are fine-art prints for gallery viewing, so failry close-up viewing.

1 frame per second is fine. You have your goal to get the "greatest amount of clarity", then you have to sacifice many other things for it. Don't let frame per second speed stops you from achieving your goal. Of course 10 fps would be nicer but you still can get the shot without that

Autofocus? From an airplane? If you are shooting another airplane flying nearby, I can understand this. If not, just how low are you flying, or equivalently, how long a lens do you use?

Tom M

I am flying at 300 feet above ground (very low). I use the 100-400 L series Canon lens. We take fine art aerial photos of animals, landscapes etc. www.skyhawkphotography.com

Ahh. That is quite low. I would think that any problems you have with autofocusing would not be due to a limit to the speed of the AF system in the conventional sense of the term (ie, how rapidly the distance to the subject varies - since I sincerely hope this wouldn't decrease too quickly ;-) ), but rather, can the AF system acquire an accurate lock when objects in the scene are zipping through the frame at very high speeds. Because of this, I think you might be better served using manual focus.

Another issue pertaining to sharpness that always seems to arise in aerial photography is vibration, especially with the longish lens that you use. Have you thought about this? If not, there have been several threads on this subject here on photo.net a year or two ago.

Tom M

Thanks Tom, I will search for those threads, and I appreciate the feedback

Hi Jan - Here are some threads to try:

http://photo.net/learn/aerial/primer
http://photo.net/medium-format-photography-forum/000KiT
http://photo.net/medium-format-photography-forum/00QTuX
http://photo.net/nikon-camera-forum/00W3dk

Tom M

Nice images! Yikes, even at f/8 your 400mm depth of field is only 36.8 feet, assuming Canon 7D.

I can't imagine the Pentax 645D autofocuses quickly enough for your needs, and it is only 1.1 fps.

The Nikon 80-400 VR is not as good as your 100-400 at the long end, so I guess your only choices are a better lens (possibly 400/5.6 prime) or body upgrade. Canon full-frame means loss of reach and DOF, so maybe just wait for the 7D replacement, which should come soon.

P.S. Sony A77 has much higher resolution than the 7D. Nobody thinks of Sony as a professional system, but the 70-400/4-5.6 G has SSM (USM equivalent) and is actually better at the long end than your Canon 100-400.

I can't address the AF issues. However, I wouldn't worry about pixelation at ANY resolution and/or print size. Large prints are meant to be viewed from longer distances. There are a lot of 6 MP photos out there on billboards that look great.