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DPChallenge Forums >> Hardware and Software >> Aspect Ratios on Canon Point and Shoots
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 01/14/2008 05:12:47 PM · #1
I just noticed that ALL the Canon Point and Shoot cameras I am looking at buying have a 4:3 aspect ratio.

I never thought about this until I used a Canon A720IS that my friend owns and tried to print some 4x6 "snapshots" I had taken. I went by Sam's, popped the SD card in and hit the print all 4x6 button (not thinking too much about it). We got the prints back with the tops of people's heads chopped off! I knew I would have checked the compositions close enough to notice that! So I checked the files on camera and sure enough, everyone was fully in the frame. After a lot of checking around I discovered the odd aspect ratio...much different than the 3:2 ratio on their DSLRs I looked at online (350D, 40D, 5D).

Now I have to go through the steps of cropping (either in Photoshop, at the machine, or on the Mpix website) to simply print a decently composed 4x6 party pic.

Knowing that most people buying these cameras are buying them to have a quick picture that they can print quickly (without extra cropping steps), and that these party pics are usually printed in 4x6, why would Canon throw a 4:3 aspect ratio in there?

I was almost sold on the SD870IS, but now am thinking on checking out Sony or Nikon for a comparable camera...trying to find a 3:2 aspect ratio so I don't have to worry about leaving room on the top of a picture to crop out to print a simple 4x6! Anyone have any suggestions?!?

-drew
 01/14/2008 05:32:33 PM · #2
Yeah that sucks. I recently decided to start getting 4x6 prints of many of my pics and go back to putting annual family photo albums together and I realized I now had to go back and re-crop many of my pics from 2007 because I always cropped them for how they looked, not how they would print.

When you print the pics, isn't there an option to resize to fit instead of having it crop? A white border on two sides would be prefereable I would think.

btw, I would have titled this thread "Sam's Club Cuts off Heads!" just for fun. :)
 01/14/2008 05:46:13 PM · #3
4:3 is standart for all Point and Shoot cameras I've ever used. There may be a few out there that have 3:2, but I think it's unlikely.
Most print services I know print them at the 3:2 aspect ratio and cut off the ends, which leaves you with smaller, but full frame files.
 01/14/2008 06:30:37 PM · #4
Originally posted by gloda:
4:3 is standart for all Point and Shoot cameras I've ever used.


Yup. There may be a few newer ones that are 1.5 aspect ratio, but 1.33 is the standard for the vast majority of P&S cams.
 01/14/2008 08:00:27 PM · #5
Welcome to the nasty world of point and shoots! One of 2 local kiosks allows you to crop, but you cannot just surround the original with framing to get the original aspect, so you really have to prepare everything ahead of time if you want anything other than 4 by 6.
 01/14/2008 08:19:01 PM · #6
Some of the developing places let you print "digital" sizes - meaning in 4:3 ratio, so match the 4x6 on either the long or short or either sides. It's a royal pain in the a** - take it from someone who is cropping to 16:9 cause of a stupid digi frame. Even the instant DIY booths let you move the 4x6 cut around but it's picture at a time thing unless you do it beforehand.

There are a couple of widescreen 16:9 P&S around but they are rare.
 01/14/2008 08:30:45 PM · #7
Originally posted by kirbic:
Originally posted by gloda:
4:3 is standart for all Point and Shoot cameras I've ever used.


Yup. There may be a few newer ones that are 1.5 aspect ratio, but 1.33 is the standard for the vast majority of P&S cams.


And that's mainly because computer screens are (or at least were) 4:3.

Edit: FWIW, there is a print format called 4xD (4x5.55) that is a 4:3 format. Unfortunately, DrAchoo and I figured that one out before Christmas when I misinformed him that D stood for a varying dimension.

Message edited by author 2008-01-14 20:33:39.
 01/14/2008 08:54:42 PM · #8
My S5 is one of those with a widescreen format. One of my choices is "W" with a resolution of 3264x1832, a 1.78 ratio. All the other formats come out at an aspect of 1.33.
 01/14/2008 09:15:38 PM · #9
Originally posted by yospiff:
My S5 is one of those with a widescreen format. One of my choices is "W" with a resolution of 3264x1832, a 1.78 ratio. All the other formats come out at an aspect of 1.33.


Yup, but all the "widescreen" format does is crop out the top & bottom of the sensor.
 01/15/2008 02:37:55 PM · #10
I guess because I haven't had a point and shoot for several years, I did not realize this was a widespread issue. I thought my old Olympus printed 4x6's exactly as they were seen on screen. I will have to check my manual when I get home. My friend is looking for their manual for me to read...they thought there was something in there about shooting effectively to print a 4x6 (maybe a setting, mode, or alternate image size).

It was a real PITA the other day when I tried to print 250 4x6's of a new addition to the family. I had to comb through every picture to make sure everything that was important was still in the frame. On the kiosk, I don't recall anything that would print the entire frame with a border on two sides...I had to zoom out and move the 4x6 box up and down over the 4.5x6 image. Maybe I will draw a line on the LCD at where the printers will crop, so I can compose the image correctly for a 4x6 print.

It is frustrating that 4:3 does equal any usual print size. In my photography classes they were always telling us to print out your pictures, don't just leave them on the computer. Because that is the end goal of photography, right?....to have photographs!

That $300 "carry in your pocket so you don't have to lug all your gear around" easy to use little point and shoot, is beginning to look like more of a pain than pulling out the body, picking a lens, attaching the flash and diffuser to take a quick snap shot! At least with my DSLR I can compose easily for a simple 4x6 album print!

I was beginning to think the world actually made sense...until now!
-drew
 01/15/2008 02:50:11 PM · #11
As several people have mentioned, just print with the 4xD option available at most places, dotphoto, such as this one. You don't have to do any cropping. You get the whole picture. No cut off heads. If you plan to do a lot of p&s printing this site actually has some great plans.
 01/15/2008 03:30:15 PM · #12
I guess I am not too worried about my printing, as I usually throw all my stuff on the computer and can crop in Photoshop or at an online lab's website. But my friend and her mom...I don't know what they will do. Her mom is always asking me how to work her camera ("How do I turn it on, review the picture, etc?") and she is having a hell of a time trying to get prints. My friends are a little more technology savy, but they have a pretty slow laptop and usually don't download their pictures from their SD cards. They just plug the card into a print kiosk, order prints, and delete the card. I was hoping to find an easy fix for them, but I guess not. I will pass along the 4xD sized print info.

Thanks everyone for the information!
-drew
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