I want to sell work through Fine Art America and offer products like pillows in the shop, but when I saw the image size requirements, I knew I was in trouble. The minimum size needed for anything bigger than a cell phone case is 3500 pixels on the short side. The images from my 12.3 megapixel Nikon D300s have a short side of 2848 pixels.
Obviously, something had to give – either my plans, or my camera.
My plans won. After checking B&H, I got a quote for my old camera and ordered a refurbished D7100. Money is tight, and I didn’t want to invest in new gear right now, but facts are facts: the D300s just doesn’t cut it any more.
So tomorrow afternoon, I’ll have a new camera. The maximum image size is 4000×6000, and it has a very fast, 24.1 megapixel sensor. I think this is the same processor in Nikon’s top-of-the-line, I’ll-buy-it-when-I-win-the-lottery, D4. (That baby will set you back $6,000.) Everything I’ve read says it’s a great camera.
I won’t be able to offer larger products for my current images, but I’ll be all set for the future.
Nancy Goldstein Photo 
Nancy, I’m sure you’ll love the D7100, but Fine Art America’s image size requirements are *completely* out to lunch – the idea that a D300 isn’t “good enough” for putting pictures on cell phone cases and pillows is laughable.
4288*2848 is enough to make a 9″ x 14″ image, even printing at 300dpi (and very few pictures actually need to be printed at 300dpi; that’s more suitable for gallery images printed on museum-quality photo paper, where the viewer will have his nose six inches from the print.)
Realistically, if you’re talking about a making a photo into something like a tapestry or a pillow, a 12MP image would be suitable for a 3’x5′ project (that’s FEET, not inches).
LikeLike
You’re righ. tWe both know lens quality is what counts, not the number of pixels. If I want to do this I have to do it their way. If someone orders a product made from an enlarged image, they cancel the order. Period. They don’t want image quality to be the reason for a return, and from a business standpoint I don’t blame them. In their eyes, more pixels means a lousy lens doesn’t matter as much. They don’t know I use a 24-70 f/2.8 and not some kit lens.
LikeLike
Your customers may be in luck when it comes to ordering large versions of your old, “low resolution” work .
For prints on paper & canvas, at least, it appears that while FAA recommends printing at 300 dpi, they only *require* at least 100dpi. For instance, if you want to sell a 20″ x 30″ print, the digital file can be as small as 2000 * 3000 pixels and still be acceptable. Here’s their chart of minimum and recommended file sizes for various print sizes:
http://fineartamerica.com/printondemand.html
LikeLike