How many MP do you want left after cropping? I typically shoot birds and other wildlife, and I am always out to 300 mm. I start with a 16 MP image (D7000), but after cropping I am...

belwj Loc: Berkshires, Ma

I typically shoot birds and other wildlife, and I am always out to 300 mm. I start with a 16 MP image (D7000), but after cropping I am usualy left with 2 or 3 MP, and often even less. So I am wondering if this is typical for this type of photography, and also what is the minimum MP you strive for after cropping?

snowbear

I strive for a full-size, uncropped image,though I am not always successful. Even when I do crop, Lightroom will resize the cropped image to the same as the original if the aspect ratio is the same.

donrent Loc: Punta Gorda , Fl

Whoaaa thar..... Now I'm just a lil confused... If you are shooting with a 16 mp camera, even tho you crop, whats left ( to me ) isn't 16 mp's.. ?

snowbear

donrent wrote:

Whoaaa thar..... Now I'm just a lil confused... If you are shooting with a 16 mp camera, even tho you crop, whats left ( to me ) isn't 16 mp's.. ?

I think some software apps don't automatically resize, so when you crop, the image gets smaller.

marvin Klein Loc: upstate NY

I am also confused?

Frank T Loc: New York, NY

B, you're right. When you crop a 16 mp or for that matter any image, you lose megapixels. The same way the new D800 is 36 mp when you shoot in full frame but less when you shoot in dx. Although there is no concrete answer that I know, you can still make a good 4x6 print at 2 or 3 megapixels and probably an acceptable 8x10. As far as possible try to get the final image in-camera which is usually easier said than done in your field of choice.

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

Not getting close enough and not filling the frame are bad practices...HUGE crops lose quality.

Try filling the frame and then your crops will just be minor.

Lee-Lee Loc: Houston

This is kind of what I was saying in my post >>> http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-40431-1.html ...... so if I size it to print it for let's say 5x7 I have lost a lot.... I'm useing a canon 7D 18MP..........

donrent wrote:

Whoaaa thar..... Now I'm just a lil confused... If you are shooting with a 16 mp camera, even tho you crop, whats left ( to me ) isn't 16 mp's.. ?

:?: :?: :?: :?: :cry: :cry: :cry:

sloscheider Loc: Minnesota

snowbear wrote:

I strive for a full-size, uncropped image,though I am not always successful. Even when I do crop, Lightroom will resize the cropped image to the same as the original if the aspect ratio is the same.

Ummm, no. It still fills the screen but if you check the resolution the image has fewer dots. If you start with a 10,000 x 10,000 dot image and crop to the upper left quarter the image size (in pixels) will be 5,000 x 5,000 even though LR still fills the screen with it.

Lee-Lee wrote:

This is kind of what I was saying in my post >>> http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-40431-1.html ...... so if I size it to print it for let's say 5x7 I have lost a lot.... I'm useing a canon 7D 18MP..........

donrent wrote:

Whoaaa thar..... Now I'm just a lil confused... If you are shooting with a 16 mp camera, even tho you crop, whats left ( to me ) isn't 16 mp's.. ?

:?: :?: :?: :?: :cry: :cry: :cry:

If you're just cropping a little bit to make the image fit a 5x7 then you shouldn't be loosing much. If you crop to a tiny bird in the middle of your photo then you would be loosing a lot.

snowbear

sloscheider wrote:

quote=snowbear I i strive /i for a full-size, u... (show quote)

I stand corrected - it is not automatic. I have to tell LR to resize when I export.

treadwl Loc: South Florida

You are paying for all those pixels when you bought the camera. The advertised sharpness and detail assumes you are using what the camera can deliver. When you crop you are losing detail. (pixels are being enlarged to show the image) This is why camera companies sell big lens so photographers can get the detail in the image. What is acceptable detail to you is up to you but most wildlife photographers strive to fill the frame with the final image they want. Limited cropping to straighten, slightly adjust position works----but you will get better images when you fill the frame. It takes time, practice and patience. You don't always get the shot. I often walk away from a shot that I know will not produce what I want in a final product. Note: that is why it took me since December to get my least bittern shot. But when you get it---you float all the way home!!!! And rush to post it here on the Hog for all to see!!

Larry

Swamp Gator Loc: Coastal South Carolina

Once you adjust a save a full size jpeg from right out of the camera, even if it started at 7-9MB, the resulting saved image file will drop down in size. If you crop it, the file will be even smaller.

belwj Loc: Berkshires, Ma

Thanks everyone for your input. I think maybe I need to start shooting rocks :(

sloscheider Loc: Minnesota

Swamp Gator wrote:

Once you adjust a save a full size jpeg from right out of the camera, even if it started at 7-9MB, the resulting saved image file will drop down in size. If you crop it, the file will be even smaller.

One of many reasons to shoot RAW - you wont take that initial adjustment hit...

GDRoth Loc: Southeast Michigan USA

sloscheider wrote:

Swamp Gator wrote:

Once you adjust a save a full size jpeg from right out of the camera, even if it started at 7-9MB, the resulting saved image file will drop down in size. If you crop it, the file will be even smaller.

One of many reasons to shoot RAW - you wont take that initial adjustment hit...

Very good point!!