Choosing a Digital Camera – Part (1)

Part1 – How important are pixels ( megapixels )

Does Size matter?

I don’t often explain, that while I have a 12 megapixels camera today, I have taken images ten years ago that were finished into a stadium sized bilboard with a 3 megapixel camera. The bilboards image clarity was perfect, just the same had it been taken todays largest digital camera of 32 megapixels instead of my tiny 3 mpx.

There are two ways of enlarging an image either by pulling it to the size desired ( simply changing the values in photoshop ) or by interpolation of pixels( sophisticated software that mathematically duplicates pixels). Regardless of the price and size of the camera every professional image that is larger than your average big screen television set, needs to be interpolated. Instead of simply stretching the image to desired size.

Nikon D 700 and D3 professional camera has about half the amount of pixels of Sony’s and Canon’s, but it has the ability to shoot at higher ISO without digital noise. Digital noise is a pixels in the camera’s sensor that is lost and becomes red. At 25 megapixels camera’s seem to cram so many pixels together that it can’t capture images at the same ISO setting, without acquiring digital noise of red pixels that ruin the image.

But the manufacturers continue to increase the pixel values nonetheless, to have something bigger and greater to keep the consumer wanting for more. Bigger should mean better.

In choosing a camera, look for value, shutter speed, white balance and exposure abilities, type of lens, etc… etc…( will discuss these aspect in future blog’s).

Pixel size? Its one of the least concerns!

One other consideration when upgrading to a larger camera is your computer ability to process this new information, you may have to upgrade your computer as well, should you choose to buy a monster sized pixel camera.

Thanks,

Carlos Taylhardat