Megapixel Madness

Posted by Philip Northeast Sep 29, 2007

While it is easy to understand the magnitude of a simple number and a large pixel count is great marketing tool, ISO range is more important for flexibility.

The Kodak sensor development shows image quality in the digital era is more than mere megapixels – the quality of the pixels is important too.

The serious reduction in sensor noise and subsequent practical use of higher ISO settings opens up new photographic opportunities for digital cameras in sports, travel, and photojournalism. The ability to choose faster shutter speeds and produce better images low light conditions offer new creative possibilities for the digital photographer.

High megapixel digital cameras limited to bright lighting conditions or demand extensive artificial lighting in a studio environment have their place for professional, but it does limit their flexibility and take anywhere usage.

Another price to pay for digital cameras with extra megapixels is the consequential increase in digital image file size. The bigger files place greater demands on storage capacity and systems as well as on the computer software and hardware required to process the larger images.

While 35mm size film is the most common film, there are a number of cameras using larger film sizes, mainly for specialized professional use. Many professionals recognize the flexibility and compact size of the 35mm film camera outweigh the better image quality of the more cumbersome medium and large format film cameras.

Common 6 megapixel DSLRs produce quality images that look fantastic printed on 19’’x 13” paper. As in the film era, digital camera choice is a combination of factors and ensuring that image resolution is suitable for your needs is only one consideration.