Scaling up a crop doesn't really increase magnification at all, though. You're still limited by sensor resolution and reproduction ratio. Scaling up the result lets you see it from further away, but it doesn't add information that the sensor didn't capture. Whatever the reproduction ratio of the lens at the focal length you're using, that's going to determine the minimum feature size you'll be able to resolve.
I have some wasp shots [1] that I took at or near 1:1 on an APS-C (Nikon DX) sensor, and I had three of them printed and framed at 36"x24" to hang as a triptych across one of my living room walls. [2] They're gorgeous at that size, but they're not sharper at that size, you know?
[2] Yes, I live alone, why do you ask? :) I originally had the middle one over my bed, but my boyfriend at the time found it offputting. Can't imagine why...
I have some wasp shots [1] that I took at or near 1:1 on an APS-C (Nikon DX) sensor, and I had three of them printed and framed at 36"x24" to hang as a triptych across one of my living room walls. [2] They're gorgeous at that size, but they're not sharper at that size, you know?
[1] https://aaron-m.com/2019/07/08/polistes-metricus
[2] Yes, I live alone, why do you ask? :) I originally had the middle one over my bed, but my boyfriend at the time found it offputting. Can't imagine why...