billnikon wrote:
I personally can get beautiful 20X30 prints from both. So, who cares.
This is another great point (by someone who's work demonstrates what he knows)......
"Image Quality" is a HIGHLY Subjective term. That is why it is useless to argue about.
In my earlier post I mentioned that 12MP FF was a bit of a landmark level for camera evolution.
There is enough physical resolution to make large prints AND , IN THE TECHNOLOGY OF THE DAY, the pixels were large enough to be low noise.
But you may not be able to get the same quality of print from every picture, or Some pictures will print better than others.
I sometimes use an ill defined term like "Full Exposure" to describe a frame where the important elements have received enough exposure to allow a good print. It is probably not a good term, but I'll bet those of you who do your own printing know what I am talking about. The better you are technically the more frames like this you make. Regardless of MP, you can often see the difference.
I have an ancient Canon 40D crop 8MP that under the right circumstances can make gorgeous prints
There is no arguing with a print you can hold in your hand or view in a wall, when it is right, it has a kind of perfection, that is independent of numbers or Display resolution ,or weather each of our displays has been calibrated etc... The Proof of the Pudding is in the eating, and the best Proof of image quality is a Print.
It either succeeds or fails. I am not speaking of the aesthetic value of the picture which is a separate thing.
My point here is that it is really pointless to have this discussion of image quality, especially across old sensor and processing technology vs Brand new technology when no real definition is universally agreed upon.
I think it should be enough to agree that superb work although uncommon , has been done since the earliest days of digital photography. Good work is sometimes produced BECAUSE of limitations.
So the best way to 'argue' for your preference of lower pixel counts is not to discuss the unprovable, but to show great work that proves your point.