If I lined up a 4x6" print of the same scene from the Nikon F6 (last flagship SLR), the Nikon D6 (last flagship DSLR) and the Z9 (latest flagship FX Z camera) on the best 50 mm lens for each, how different do these photos look?

Hi all,

I am someone who loves to take photos of my family and friends for the memories. I do not take things too seriously, and only use a camera for printed 4x6" keepsakes. I have done this with an iPhone, a Nikon D3100, and now have purchased a Nikon F100 to experiment with film.

This is a fairly typical photo size for those that print out keepsakes to stuff into a shoebox. My question is, if you were to line up photos at this size on the latest SLR technology, DSLR technology, and Z technology, and got the best compatible 50 mm lens for each, how would the photos compare? Would you really be able to tell a difference in the minute details if you held it super close to the naked eye?

This is moreso a thought experiment that I haven't seen anyone (that I could find) attempt. If I am understanding this correctly, the lens is going to do the most heavy lifting. But, at such a small print size, these differences might not necessarily be appreciated? Is modern printing (and scanning techniques, for the SLR scenario) that good to where you could look at the photos and instantly seen stark differences?

One obvious difference would be the grain on SLRs, but at this printing size, is it true that these images could trick people into thinking they were shot on DSLRs? Am I completely off base?

Would love to become more educated on this!

Have a great day.