Best Pixel Size for Photo Quality

[MICKEY88]

By your logic a 5MP DSLR will produce the same color a P/A 5MP camera will. That is clearly not the case. But hey, if you want to throw money away on more megapixels, thinking it will make you a better photographer, be my gues.

is this debate over resolution or color ???

 

[LordAthens]

Megapixels do not equal resolution. Better optics and larger sensor = better resolution.

No, larger sensor's and better quality glass equal better picture quality, NOT resolution! I'll assume that you will atleast agree that a 6.1mp camera will give you an image that is ~3000x2000, correct? And what is the technical term for what that 3000x2000 stands for for? Why, that would be the resolution of the picture! Additionally, you're honestly telling me that a picture containing 3 million individual pixels is going to contain enough information to clearly print a 16x20 and in your theroy, be able to compete with a image that has twice the resolution at 6 million individual pixels.

The reason your cell phone camera will not produce a beautiful 8x10 is not because of the lack of megapixels, it is because of the lack of quality optics and sensor size in the cell phone camera.

But, in your (absurd) theory and i'll quote you, "A 3MP pictue looks pretty much the same as a 6MP picture, even if you blow it up beyond 4x6. Try it and see." My cellphone scenario is identical to yours, we're just lowering the sizes. My camera on my cell phone produces a exellent wallet! It's sharp, has accurate color and is overall pretty darn nice! Now when I blow that same picture up to an 8x10, it looks like garbage! I loose all detail and quality in the print and it's extremely grainy. It's simply because there isn't enough resolution (ie, information) in the file to create a good 8x10.

By your logic a 5MP DSLR will produce the same color a P/A 5MP camera will. That is clearly not the case. But hey, if you want to throw money away on more megapixels, thinking it will make you a better photographer, be my gues.

Don't be delusional, I never said that a 5mp DSLR will produce the same color a 5mp consumer P&S will. Now what I will freely say is that a 5mp DSLR will produce the same resolution as a 5mp consumer P&S. Note I said resolution, not quality.

But the simply fact still remains (and why you're trying to sidetrack the original intent of your post is beyond me), a good picture, taken with either a 5mp consumer or a 5mp DSLR is still a good, 5mp picture.

Nor, did I say more megapixels will make you a better photog. More pixels WILL allow you to blow your picture up to a larger size and still retain the quality, however you obviously have to start with a good picture. If you're trying to blow up a blurry fireworks shot to a 11x14, yeah it's going to look bad, just like the 4x6 did. It's just like programming, garbage in, garbage out.

 

[Favorite Auntie]

All I know is that I have a 5 MP camera, and I shoot almost entirely at 3 mp. I have never had a problem related to the 3 mp with a picture. I crop and print 4X6 pics (for scrapbookking) and they come out fine...

 

[MICKEY88]

All I know is that I have a 5 MP camera, and I shoot almost entirely at 3 mp. I have never had a problem related to the 3 mp with a picture. I crop and print 4X6 pics (for scrapbookking) and they come out fine...

4x6's should come out fine, but if you were to enlarge to a 16x20 or 20x30 there would be a noticeable difference.. or even crop out a small part of the pic and enlarge to 8x10

 

[Favorite Auntie]

4x6's should come out fine, but if you were to enlarge to a 16x20 or 20x30 there would be a noticeable difference.. or even crop out a small part of the pic and enlarge to 8x10

.

Am I wrong or didn't the OP state that she just wanted to print 4X6's? 3mp should be fine for that. Even if you crop a pic down and then print a 6X6... Not many of us enlarge to the sizes that you have mentioned.

 

[MICKEY88]

.

Am I wrong or didn't the OP state that she just wanted to print 4X6's? 3mp should be fine for that. Even if you crop a pic down and then print a 6X6... Not many of us enlarge to the sizes that you have mentioned.

yes the OP did, however I would NEVER limit myself that way, you never know when you might get a picture that you want to enlarge to frame..

or a picture that you might want to cut a very small part out of and enlarge...

the average person might never go larger than 4x6, but you'd be amazed at how many just ok pictures can be turned into fabulous pictures with the right editing software, and the higher the resolution the more that can be done with your computer..

 

[Charade]

Whenever you set your camera for lower megapixels than it's NATIVE resolution, the camera is resizing the image for you before it stores it. The problem with that is the quality of the resizing procedure. There are many different methods and some produce better results than others.

 

[Goofyish]

This article gives a useful description of 'pixel quality':

http://www.dpreview.com/learn/?/Glossary/Camera_System/Pixel_Quality_01.htm