Megapixals

Kim

Kim

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Kim
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I have finally decided that it is time to upgrade my dear little EOS 300D. I have been looking at a couple me cameras but there is something i have never really been able to get my head round. Megapixals???? The models I am looking at are 10 and 12 mp. But what does this mean in respect to my photograph?
 
In real terms. Not that much at all, unless you're printing really large.

The 12mp camera will produce slightly larger images out of the camera, enabling you to print them slightly larger without having to enlarge them in photoshop (which is an art form in itself!). I'll let someone else do the calculations to tell you the actual difference, but my answer would be not much at all :)
 
Kim said:
Thats ok. I guess I am curious as to whether it is something to consider when choosing my new camera.
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I think it's certainly one of the things to consider in choosing your new camera. I believe mattyh has hit the nail on the head with his answer - in that it allows you to be a little more flexible with your printing choices.
 
A 12Mp image will be somewhere around 4368 x 2912 px...that is what my 5D puts out anyway.

The standard is print at 300 dpi for regular photos, jumbo, 5x7 etc and so IN THEORY you should be able to make prints as large as about 14.5" (4368 px divided by 300 dpi = approximately 14.5") tall and 9.7" wide...or other way round for landscape.

Posters and billboards are obviously not printed at 300 dpi. You could drop to 150-180 dpi or possibly even less dpi for billboards:lol: ...which means IN THEORY you could make even larger prints.

In real life I have seen a pin-sharp A1 size print straight off a D70s (6Mp) so it really isn't how big the image file is but rather how you treat it that matters.

HTH
 
mmmmm certainally food for thought. Was tossing up between the 450D and the 40D. So it looks like I might be requesting a little more over time, lol
 
Kim said:
mmmmm certainally food for thought. Was tossing up between the 450D and the 40D. So it looks like I might be requesting a little more over time, lol
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If it has to be one of those I would go with the 40D without a moment's thought
 
oh blimey, as said 40D vs 450D no question get the 40D (so long as its comfortable for you to hold).
I was looking at the 450D but felt it was a bit flimsy and too small, so I was going to get a Nikon D80 but then I saw a second hand 40D and snapped it straight up.
 
It really comes down to what you mainly want to shoot Kim. The 5D is a full frame camera with a wider field of view and has advantages for landscape, portrait, wedding type shots, whereas the 450D, 40D and 50D, are all crop sensor cameras with a narrower field of view and where a high pixel count gives more effective 'reach' for wildlife shots.
 
Unfortunately, manufacturers see this as a powerful marketing tool to sell expensive bodies to people who don't know what megapixels are.

Concentrate on reviews that provide useful information of the image quality (low noise, dynamic range, colour & tone rendition, sharpness etc.) rather than how many pixels they manage to cram on a sensor.
 
sprog said:
Unfortunately, manufacturers see this as a powerful marketing tool to sell expensive bodies to people who don't know what megapixels are.

Concentrate on reviews that provide useful information of the image quality (low noise, dynamic range, colour & tone rendition, sharpness etc.) rather than how many pixels they manage to cram on a sensor.
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Agree and good advice but best is still to test and play before you buy.;)
 
Yep, I thought that was a given. But before you go bothering the bored Jessops counter staff, it's good to go armed with a bit of technical knowledge about particular models you're interested in and fend off some the sales blurb.
 
Once you get above about 8 megapixels, there's limited value in having a lot more. You can print any size you like from about 6-8 megapixels; obviously if you make a huge print it won't look pin-sharp from close up, but huge prints aren't supposed to look pin-sharp close up. At normal viewing distances they'll be fine.

One reason you might want more megapixels is to give you more effective reach on your long lenses. If you have a 12 MP camera, you could make a 6 MP crop from the image which would print quite decently, and that would increase the apparent magnification factor of your lens.

And I guess there are probably commercial markets where people do need (or at least want) to make huge images which are pin-sharp even close up, though that's way outside my area of expertise.

But otherwise, I'd suggest not worrying too much about how many megapixels you have.
 
StewartR said:
Once you get above about 8 megapixels, there's limited value in having a lot more. You can print any size you like from about 6-8 megapixels; obviously if you make a huge print it won't look pin-sharp from close up, but huge prints aren't supposed to look pin-sharp close up. At normal viewing distances they'll be fine.
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That is what I always thought............hence a bit why the megapixals above the 8 mark kinda got me in a tiz.

Cracking advice................and I understand about reading reviews and having a play and such.
It is just I have never really give the cameras pixal count thought. The 300D ws my first digital SLR and I never really gave it much thought when I brought it...........I liked Canon and it was in my price range.

I am leaning towards the 40D.........I am liking most of the feedback people are giving it, plus although dearer than the 450D it will save me money in that the 40D uses the same batteries and media cards as the 300D.

So pay attention to the image quality as to how many pixals crammed in. :thumbs:
 
antonroland said:
A 12Mp image will be somewhere around 4368 x 2912 px...that is what my 5D puts out anyway.

The standard is print at 300 dpi for regular photos, jumbo, 5x7 etc and so IN THEORY you should be able to make prints as large as about 14.5" (4368 px divided by 300 dpi = approximately 14.5") tall and 9.7" wide...or other way round for landscape.

Posters and billboards are obviously not printed at 300 dpi. You could drop to 150-180 dpi or possibly even less dpi for billboards:lol: ...which means IN THEORY you could make even larger prints.

In real life I have seen a pin-sharp A1 size print straight off a D70s (6Mp) so it really isn't how big the image file is but rather how you treat it that matters.

HTH
Click to expand...

So do i need to crop my images at 300dpi everytime i print them out? i thought it would give better print quality at 300dpi and i have had a few 16x12 done which turned out fine at 300dpi. Im lost:cuckoo: is there a link for learning about dpi and when and when not to do them at say 300 or 150 etc.
 
When I upgraded from the
my dear little EOS 300D
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I went into jessops to annoy the sales staff, Was in the same boat as you thinking either the 400 or 40 D, (450 was'nt out then) when I held the 40D it was the then I decided thats what I'm getting. I believe size wise the 450 is pretty much the same as 400. The LCD on the back of the 40D was like widescreen telly, it was huge compared to what was used to. I don't regret getting the 40D for one minute. All your lenses and any spare batteries you have will work on the 40D just fine.
 
Kim said:
I am leaning towards the 40D.........I am liking most of the feedback people are giving it, plus although dearer than the 450D it will save me money in that the 40D uses the same batteries and media cards as the 300D.
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????????? never knew that
Dean:)
 
I had a 300d and loved it but wanted an upgrade and went for the 40d, apart from the increased Mp the speed of focus and fps were great sellers, however i feel the most important thing bar features is the 'feel' in your hand, a 400 or 450 felt too small for me but the 40d felt great, try em before you by em!
 
50D said:
So do i need to crop my images at 300dpi everytime i print them out? i thought it would give better print quality at 300dpi and i have had a few 16x12 done which turned out fine at 300dpi. Im lost:cuckoo: is there a link for learning about dpi and when and when not to do them at say 300 or 150 etc.
Click to expand...

As a general rule you can forget about dpi (printed dots per inch) settings. crop the picture as you want but don't discard pixels by resizing.
There are plenty of threads and posts about DPI and PPI that you can find by searching the forum which will explain the details. Simple answer (unless you are trying to print a small file really big) is you can forget about it and just tell your print program what size print to produce.
 
RobertP said:
As a general rule you can forget about dpi (printed dots per inch) settings. crop the picture as you want but don't discard pixels by resizing.
There are plenty of threads and posts about DPI and PPI that you can find by searching the forum which will explain the details. Simple answer (unless you are trying to print a small file really big) is you can forget about it and just tell your print program what size print to produce.
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^What he said^

Robert has a way of saying so much in so little words;)

The only reason really why I crop my images for printing is because a wedding package of 150 Jumbos fits nicely onto a CD-R when cropped to 1200 x 1800 px.

If your operator at your local printing lab is any sharper than a hamburger bun you should never have hassles. Then again, if you do the cropping you have control over the result which could differ if the lab operator does the cropping.
 
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