Q's about megapixels

[l bo]

Forgive me if this is dumb, as a newbie it's my duty to ask stupid questions. Where does megapixels play a role in image quality? A 11mp camara is different from a 6mp camara how?

I see different reviews of lenses all the time discussing sharpness, contrast and the like but not many convo's concerning megapixels. If all things are the same (lens/settings/ect) will a higher megapixel camara be able to capture a larger image size........say poster size versus postcard size? Or would a lower megapixel camara simply produce more noise and image size is the same?

Just curious.

[lostdoggy]

Yes and No. Yes more MP will let you print larger Picture, but MPs are not all the same. For ie, DSLR that has 6MP will produce equal or better enlargement then a 8MP P&S camera at say 400iso. That is because the DSLR has a larger sensor then P&S. The larger sensor will capture the image with less noise. This of coarse is over simplifying it. My 0.02.

[tim]

A digital image is made up of dots. The more dots, the more detail it captures. We don't discuss MP because there's not much we can do to change it, without upgrading to expensive 1 series cameras. Also, the difference between 6megapixels and 8MP, while being 1/3 more, only gives you something like 15% more size along a side when printing at 300dpi (or so i've read, haven't done the calcs myself).

[CyberDyneSystems]

Lostdoggy started to explain it,. another reason that all MegaPixels are not created equal is the size of the sensor and more specifically the size of each photosite.

Part oif why a 6MP 10D will have far better image quality then an 8MP G sereis camera for example is that the 10D's image sensor is about 4 times larger,. this means that each photosite,. (or pixel) is more than four times larger too,.

the larger photosite gathers light and color information better.. they are more sensitive to light and color and have much less "noise".

Very little seperates a 6MP DSLR from an 8MP DSLR as far as image detail..
However the jump to 11MP will be very noticeable.. as your resolution is nearly doubled.

Anywya,. the short answer is definitely YES,. more MP is better,. but it is never that simple,. and what allways matters is the balance.

In the long run though it is far better to have "decent" resolution (like 6MP) and excellent lenses,. then to have tons of resolution and not so good lenses. ;)

[lostdoggy]

Lostdoggy started to explain it,. another reason that all MegaPixels are not created equal is the size of the sensor and more specifically the size of each photosite.

Part oif why a 6MP 10D will have far better image quality then an 8MP G sereis camera for example is that the 10D's image sensor is about 4 times larger,. this means that each photosite,. (or pixel) is more than four times larger too,.

the larger photosite gathers light and color information better.. they are more sensitive to light and color and have much less "noise".

Very little seperates a 6MP DSLR from an 8MP DSLR as far as image detail..
However the jump to 11MP will be very noticeable.. as your resolution is nearly doubled.

Anywya,. the short answer is definitely YES,. more MP is better,. but it is never that simple,. and what allways matters is the balance.

In the long run though it is far better to have "decent" resolution (like 6MP) and excellent lenses,. then to have tons of resolution and not so good lenses. ;)

Yeah thats wut I wanna say, but just aint finda wors for it!!!

[kb244]

Hrm , This is the article I wrote pertaining to someone asking about megapixels, and it's role in determining quality.

http://www.istockphoto.com/article_view.php?ID=82

[Hellashot]

Yes and No. Yes more MP will let you print larger Picture, but MPs are not all the same. For ie, DSLR that has 6MP will produce equal or better enlargement then a 8MP P&S camera at say 400iso. That is because the DSLR has a larger sensor then P&S. The larger sensor will capture the image with less noise. This of coarse is over simplifying it. My 0.02.

Not so much anymore. My new Fuji F10 basically has the same image quality as my Drebel. They are both 6.3 MP and the quality of the F10 is amazing. Might actually be lower noise at ISO 400 than my Drebel.

[DocFrankenstein]

Not so much anymore. My new Fuji F10 basically has the same image quality as my Drebel. They are both 6.3 MP and the quality of the F10 is amazing. Might actually be lower noise at ISO 400 than my Drebel.
Yeah... now try to pull a curve in photoshop at ISO 400 with the fuji. ;)

[Curtis N]

Here's a pretty good article on the topic.
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/essays/pixel-count.shtml

[PhotosGuy]

Below is a 5% extreme crop from a pic taken with the 300D. We were about 200' away when I took it. It would have been about twice as nice with an 11MP cam, & at least twice as bad with a P&S cam.
As I said in the original thread, "I’m sure no one from SportsShooter will feel threatened by these shots", but they worked for the intended use, & the alternative was no pics at all.
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=75062

The intended use was some 4X6" prints, so it holds up fairly well. Under ideal conditions - the right light, right lens, right cam, etc, almost any cam will take a great looking 4X6" pic.
It's when you push the boundarys that things fall apart when you have fewer MP to play with.