Value of megapixels in a camera.
Dec 21, 2021 10:08:22 #
I have a question concerning megapixels in a camera. I hope this question hasn't been asked before, I hate getting raked over the coals because I ask a question that has been previously addressed, taking up 5 pages of answers..... but here goes. If I have two cameras, the D750 with roughly 24 megapixels and a D810 with roughly 36 megapixels. I set the cameras up to take the same photo, say of a blue heron about 20 yards off. I make sure i use the same lens, the same focal length, same shutter speed, same aperture, same ISO, I make sure everything is the same with both cameras. Will the D810, with more megapixels give a sharper picture, show greater detail in the feathers? Will I have to pixel-peep to notice the difference in greater detail?
Dec 21, 2021 10:12:24 #
Dec 21, 2021 10:13:28 #
jradose wrote:
Will the D810, with more megapixels give a sharper picture, show greater detail in the feathers? Will I have to pixel-peep to notice the difference in greater detail?
Yes, but only at HUGE enlargements.
Dec 21, 2021 10:13:57 #
Dec 21, 2021 10:14:16 #
Dec 21, 2021 10:15:14 #
Rongnongno wrote:
Megapixels are irrelevant if you do not print.
Or pixel peep.
I have one old bridge camera that is 5Mp; my phone is 8Mp.
I still use them, but I don't pixel peep or make three feet wide prints.
Depends on how persnickety one is.
Dec 21, 2021 10:16:49 #
Dec 21, 2021 10:19:02 #
Ollieboy wrote:
Megapixels are relevant. What about cropping?
Cropping = Huge enlargement.
Dec 21, 2021 10:22:48 #
For your questions, as asked, there's some amount of 'it depends' on what you'll find / see. At the pixel-level of the two cameras (24MP vs 36MP), you might / might not 'see' the resolution difference at the 1:1 pixel level. As others noted, the more pixels offer larger print options with the very fine details printed as you see then when viewing the pixel-level details on your screen. More pixels also offer more cropping options.
What can be confusing is the minor differences of these modern 24MP and higher cameras vs older resolutions of just 10-years ago in the 12MP to 18MP range. Those older / lower resolutions are much more obvious in the pixel-level details vs images from the 24MP, a difference more obvious than comparing the 24MP image vs images from 30MP+ cameras.
What can be confusing is the minor differences of these modern 24MP and higher cameras vs older resolutions of just 10-years ago in the 12MP to 18MP range. Those older / lower resolutions are much more obvious in the pixel-level details vs images from the 24MP, a difference more obvious than comparing the 24MP image vs images from 30MP+ cameras.
Dec 21, 2021 10:25:23 #
Najataagihe wrote:
Cropping = Huge enlargement.
Yes, depending on the amount of the crop.
Dec 21, 2021 10:27:00 #
Rongnongno wrote:
Megapixels are irrelevant if you do not print.
Megapixels are quite relevant if you want to be able to enlarge and crop a photo to find and create "piictues within pictures".
Dec 21, 2021 10:32:12 #
Longshadow wrote:
Yes, depending on the amount of the crop.
I have 16MP camera and if I don't crop it doesn't matter for most of my usage. My monitor can't display the whole image at full resolution any way. When I print I never print larger than 11x14 which is about the the size when I can start to see the difference as compare to a camera with more MP. But if I crop well I really don't have any spare pixels to crop.
Dec 21, 2021 10:40:20 #
Visually, the "sharpest" 13x19 print on my photo wall right now is a single frame captured from a 4K drone video with a tiny sensor. (3840x2160) If my math is right (!), 4K video frames are 8.3 MP each. Next to it is a 20MP 13x19 print from a "real camera" with a much larger sensor. It is not visually sharper.
Google searching suggests that one needs at least a doubling of linear resolution or film size to make an obvious improvement. This is the same as quadrupling the megapixels. I think that means that, to see a big difference in 13x19 prints, I would need a drone with a 32MP sensor or a real camera with an 80MP sensor.
My personal solution is to ignore what I can't explain or figure out. Megapixel count does not help me. The factors that matter, like color, contrast and sharpening algorithms, are far more significant.
Google searching suggests that one needs at least a doubling of linear resolution or film size to make an obvious improvement. This is the same as quadrupling the megapixels. I think that means that, to see a big difference in 13x19 prints, I would need a drone with a 32MP sensor or a real camera with an 80MP sensor.
My personal solution is to ignore what I can't explain or figure out. Megapixel count does not help me. The factors that matter, like color, contrast and sharpening algorithms, are far more significant.
Dec 21, 2021 11:20:37 #
bsprague wrote:
The factors that matter, like color, contrast and sharpening algorithms, are far more significant.
AMEN!
Dec 21, 2021 11:29:24 #
BebuLamar wrote:
I have 16MP camera and if I don't crop it doesn't matter for most of my usage. My monitor can't display the whole image at full resolution any way. When I print I never print larger than 11x14 which is about the the size when I can start to see the difference as compare to a camera with more MP. But if I crop well I really don't have any spare pixels to crop.
I try to do my cropping in the camera, and as little as possible in post. But sometimes.....
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