Focus on RESOLUTION - How much is the right amount for YOU? - |
However, all the expertise in the world can't create a wonderful 8x10 photograph if working with a 2 MP camera!
Resolution equates to the number of pixels or "dots per inch" (dpi) in a photographic image. Resolution provides an indication of how well (potentially) an image may turn out.
Resolution acts as a "technical tie-breaker." By only considering mega-pixels, the greater the number of MP your camera has, the higher the quality will be for images that could be produced by your camera.
I say "could be," because there are other factors besides just mega-pixels that go into producing a quality photograph. Without a specific term like resolution, we would be forced to go into camera stores and experience dialogues like this:
- (You) "How good is that 3 MP camera?"
- (Salesperson) "Oh, that one is very good."
- (You) "Well, is it better than that 4 MP Canon or the 5 MP Nikon?"
- (Salesperson) "Not really. The 4 MP is very very good, but the 5 MP one is excellent!"
Resolution takes the subjective opinions out of the picture (sorry, couldn't resist the pun) and provides an accurate form of comparison. In a nutshell, the more pixels that a photograph has, the sharper the image will be. If price were not an issue, think of pixels like money and horsepower. You can always use more!
Therefore, the more pixels (measured in "millions of pixels," or "MP" - "mega-pixels") a digital camera has, the greater potential number of MP your photos will have. I say potential because most cameras give you choices on how large you want your image files to be. (The greater the size, the better the resolution, but more memory is consumed.)
Would you like to see what a pixel is? First examine the photo to the right. Seems sharp, doesn't it? Where's the pixels? (That's a trick question, don't answer it.) This photo is comprised of 40,000 pixels (40 KB). You can't see one pixel. And, in photography that is the point. You don't want to be able to see individual pixels!
However, here is an enlarged, cropped, and enlarged again version of the same photo.
Believe it or not, there is a red square exactly 1 pixel on a side, with an arrow pointing to it. Do you see it on the white of her eye on the left side? (Now you can tell your friends you've seen an actual pixel.)
Why is Resolution important?
That is the real question! Having an 8 MP camera would be terrific, but do you need it? The tricky part is that digital cameras with higher resolution (more mega-pixels) result in sharper photographs, but are more expensive.
One way to determine what resolution is best for you is to guess what would be the largest potential size photo you would want to print. Based on that, buy a digital camera which has the minimum required resolution to take such a picture. And, of course, it has to be within your budget.
These factors should go into your decision:
- Are you going to print your own photos? If yes, and you want top quality prints larger than 8x10, consider purchasing a photo-capable printer that has a high resolution, (minimum 4800 x 1200 dpi).
- If you're going to have photo labs print your images, forget the printer. But, you'll still be limited to how large a photo ANYONE can print from your file. And, if your image file comes from a 3 MP camera, an 8x12 photo will probably not have sufficient resolution, and therefore will look a little "soft," "blurry," or "grainy."
- If you will be e-mailing images, you don't want to have huge files.
- And, if you're only going to be posting images on the internet, a resolution of 72 is all you'll need (as opposed to a printed image at 250 - 300 dpi).
You have a huge selection of digital cameras today. As of March, 2005, you could purchase digital cameras with as many as 16 MP!
Major Resolution Photo Tip
Consider if (or rather) how much cropping you will be doing on your photos. Most photography tips don't get into this, but cropping is a valuable topic.
Let's say you take a nice photo like this. Pretty soon, you begin to wonder how it will look with a tight crop. So you experiment with a few different looks till you get one you really like.
Do you like this image? You can do some pretty amazing artistic effects just by cropping. As a quick side note, check back on this site before June for a page on cropping.
BUT HERE IS THE KEY TO REMEMBER...
Once you crop an image, you have much fewer pixels remaining. Then, if you want to enlarge the cropped image to, say 5x7 or 8x10, you may not be happy with the results. The fewer pixels are too spread out to form a nice sharp image!
And, that is why, the primary reason for getting a camera with more mega-pixels than you would normally need, is...
if you want high-quality enlargements
from CROPPED photographs!
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