DTB
07-08-2003, 09:39 AM
It's probably the first question you'll be asked when selecting your new digital camera.It's also the key to using the photographs you take. As a rule of thumb, more megapixels means higher resolution. The benefit? You can get better quality images at larger print sizes.
A digital camera captures your photographs to memory via a device called a CCD. Your camera's resolution is determined by the number of pixels the CCD can capture, measured in megapixels (millions of pixels).
What is a pixel anyway?
A pixel is a tiny square of light that makes up the images you see on your computer screen or television. Your camera's resolution is determined by multiplying the number of horizontal pixels by the number of vertical pixels that the CCD can capture - so a camera with a resolution of 1280 pixels wide by 1024 pixels tall can capture approximately 1.3 million pixels of information, or 1.3 megapixels.
So how many megapixels do I need?
Digital cameras on the market today range from 1.3 megapixels at the low end to 5 megapixels at the high end. Your choice will depend on how you want to use the images you take.
Looking for an inexpensive camera that lets you capture quick snapshots to email or post on a family website?
A 1 or 2 megapixel camera will fit the bill, but print size is limited. At 1 megapixel, the largest prints you can reliably expect are 5"x7". At 2 megapixels, you can generally enlarge up to 8"x10" with reasonable results, as long as you never crop your pictures.
Want to print photos for the family album and have the option to enlarge a few for framing?
Choose at least a 3 megapixel camera. This way you can crop and edit your images, taking full advantage of the benefits of a digital camera - and still achieve a good quality 8"x10".
Think you may ever want an enlargement greater than 8"x10"?
You'll want a minimum of 4 megapixels; 5 is better. At these resolutions, your digital camera can capture plenty of information, allowing you the option to crop and print high-quality poster-size prints of your images.
What happens if I just enlarge the image from my 2.1 megapixel camera?
Remember those little squares of light? Well in your photos, they're translated into tiny squares of colour. As you enlarge your photo, they simply get bigger. Eventually, they get big enough for the human eye to distinguish and your photograph starts to degenerate. Edges become jagged and bitmapped.
More megapixels also mean that each individual pixel is smaller. So it takes more magnification before the quality of the image is visibly affected.
A digital camera captures your photographs to memory via a device called a CCD. Your camera's resolution is determined by the number of pixels the CCD can capture, measured in megapixels (millions of pixels).
What is a pixel anyway?
A pixel is a tiny square of light that makes up the images you see on your computer screen or television. Your camera's resolution is determined by multiplying the number of horizontal pixels by the number of vertical pixels that the CCD can capture - so a camera with a resolution of 1280 pixels wide by 1024 pixels tall can capture approximately 1.3 million pixels of information, or 1.3 megapixels.
So how many megapixels do I need?
Digital cameras on the market today range from 1.3 megapixels at the low end to 5 megapixels at the high end. Your choice will depend on how you want to use the images you take.
Looking for an inexpensive camera that lets you capture quick snapshots to email or post on a family website?
A 1 or 2 megapixel camera will fit the bill, but print size is limited. At 1 megapixel, the largest prints you can reliably expect are 5"x7". At 2 megapixels, you can generally enlarge up to 8"x10" with reasonable results, as long as you never crop your pictures.
Want to print photos for the family album and have the option to enlarge a few for framing?
Choose at least a 3 megapixel camera. This way you can crop and edit your images, taking full advantage of the benefits of a digital camera - and still achieve a good quality 8"x10".
Think you may ever want an enlargement greater than 8"x10"?
You'll want a minimum of 4 megapixels; 5 is better. At these resolutions, your digital camera can capture plenty of information, allowing you the option to crop and print high-quality poster-size prints of your images.
What happens if I just enlarge the image from my 2.1 megapixel camera?
Remember those little squares of light? Well in your photos, they're translated into tiny squares of colour. As you enlarge your photo, they simply get bigger. Eventually, they get big enough for the human eye to distinguish and your photograph starts to degenerate. Edges become jagged and bitmapped.
More megapixels also mean that each individual pixel is smaller. So it takes more magnification before the quality of the image is visibly affected.