Do More Megapixels Make Better Pictures?
With many things digital, more is better: More gigabytes of space, more gigahertz of speed, more inches of LCD, more hours of battery life, the list goes on. When it comes to cameras, we all think that more megapixels are better ... or are they? Photography site Imagine 123 has taken an objective look at the "bigger is better" mantra when it comes to digital cameras and megapixels in a new guide that tell you just what you need. The results are surprising.
What's A Megapixel?
A megapixel is a million pixels and it's used to measure how sharply defined the images coming out of your digital camera are. While more megapixels doesn't necessarily mean a better looking picture, it will mean a sharper one that can be printed at larger sizes. However, the more megapixels a camera's image sensor packs, the smaller those individual pixels on that sensor are. Smaller pixels on the sensor generally require more light than those on a larger sensor, meaning longer shutter times, more chance of a blurry picture, and greater signal noise (seen as digital looking fuzz in the picture).
So How Many Megapixels Do You Need?
When it comes to printing, high quality prints are at 300 pixels-per inch. Do the math (as Imagine 123 did) and a 2 megapixel camera like that found in the iPhone can't take adequately high resolution shots for a 4x6 print. To do a proper 8x10 you would need a 12-megapixel camera -- quite a jump. But, if you don't plan on making large prints, don't cough up the extra dough for a high-end cam with a double-digit megapixel count, especially if your subjects aren't always brightly illuminated. Today's basic 4-megapixel camera can produce great looking 5x7 prints even in low light.
But, these days you may be hard pressed finding anything that low. Even pocketable cams like the FujiFilm Z10fd deliver 7 megapixels in their diminutive forms, while Kodak's somewhat more pedestrian-looking $99 C513 sports 5 megapixels.
So, don't suffer from megapixel envy. After all, as every serious shooter knows, it's the photographer who makes great pictures, not the camera.
From 123 Imagine Photography
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