Crop vs. crop

Hey,

If you have got 2 cameras for reach, and both are crop factor cameras, then how can you determine the following situation/case if you have given both?

1. Camera with 24-30mp [Say avg. 27mp] and 1.6x and lens of 100-200mm FL
2. Camera with 16-20mp [Say avg. 18mp] and 1.6x and 200-300mm FL

And you crop again from both cameras up to 50%, which one you think you will prefer more? either to post for web or printing up to A3 size.

*Note* The above question is if you shoot with both cameras at subjects which are not in same distance so you forced to crop both to have much tight frame, otherwise no point to ask this question.

in your question, the quality of the lens at the specific focal length would have a big impact on the outcome, and makes the question impossible to accurately answer. Same goes for the basic quality of the sensor. Although with your output sizes, especially web, both would be fine if everything else were equal.

There are too many vague variables to answer your accurately but the bottom line is that for web size both are so far overkill that either will deliver the same result. Even at A3 size, I think you would be hard pressed to notice any difference.

I see, so they both are still great under that, will, i am afraid to talk about pixel peeper because then that should be under real test.

Well, let's say, if you don't crop both at same percent and you end up with one has slightly more mp, will this be better than the one with less mp result? and assuming both lenses are high quality

Also, if you end up with one result with some crop and the other result is non crop but still less mp, which one you will choose, the result that you did crop and still have mp or the result that you didn't crop at all in pp but not more mp than first one? For example, with say 30mp camera you cropped slightly and you get about 22mp and the other is 18mp un-cropped SOOC.

Tareq wrote in post #17373990
I see, so they both are still great under that, will, i am afraid to talk about pixel peeper because then that should be under real test.

Well, let's say, if you don't crop both at same percent and you end up with one has slightly more mp, will this be better than the one with less mp result? and assuming both lenses are high quality

Also, if you end up with one result with some crop and the other result is non crop but still less mp, which one you will choose, the result that you did crop and still have mp or the result that you didn't crop at all in pp but not more mp than first one? For example, with say 30mp camera you cropped slightly and you get about 22mp and the other is 18mp un-cropped SOOC.

The more pixels you have on target, the better. A good goal is 72 DPI for screen use, and 200 DPI for print. Excess pixels are helpful since size reduction seems to cut noise.

As others have said, image quality is affected by many issues, and 'pixels on target' is only one of them. Older sensors are noisier. Better lenses will show better resolution or detail. To truly evaluate your scenario we'd need more specific details on the kits you are trying to compare.

'For the web'...any image with resolution greater than 1920x1040 (2 Megapixel) is a waste! Both cameras are overkill 'for the web'...the choice does not really matter!

Whether someone posts a image from a 36Mpixel camera or from a 8Mpixel camera, BOTH are seriously undersampled when viewed as filling the average computer monitor! Even my own monitor is maxed out with a 3.7Mpixel image on screen.

Camera 2 combination 'gets you closer', so inherently puts about (at the minimum) 60% more pixels on target (in one axis) due to the 'better reach'

Ok, let say if i fixed the lens, but i have 2 cameras and both are 1.6x crop, but has more mp, and i will crop in both scenarios, so will that means that with more mp camera [new sensor and high quality lens are used] is giving me better details or IQ than the lower one?

Also i should make it more details or clear of what i am asking for for both scenario:

if you have both cameras with a crop factor, but one has more mp and you crop it slightly heavier than the other one, so let's say if you have a camera with 36mp but the lens is not long enough so you crop it until you get about say 20mp and the other camera you have log lens but the original mp is 18mp and you don't crop, so which one you will think will give you better details or quality for anything including printing? and what if you crop both cameras output to have let's say both at 16mp, one has more or heavier crop but both end up at same mp or final same pixels size, which one will have the advantage? both cameras are new and both lenses are high quality.

Let's give an example, i use A7R which is a FF but the lens i use is 200mm, and i use 1DX which is also FF but here i use 300mm, and i crop from both but i crop from A7R more as the lens didn't give me enough reach and i end up with both at say 10mp after cropping, using same f-stop and same ISO [Say 400], which one will have the advantage? and if i crop that A7R to have say 15-16mp against cropped 1DX with 10mp final, both are cropped with A7R is heavier crop, will the final IQ has an affect of the degree/percent of crop?

Or, if i use let's say Sony A77II[24mp] with 70-200mm and another camera which is Canon T5i[18mp] with 300mm, and i crop from both ending up with both at around 12mp from each, which one will have the advantage of details and quality for pixel peeper or printing or web size at larger sizes [Some websites allow to upload nearly original size or very large size for fun or pixel peeper or even comparisons]?

Assuming 36MPixel camera A with 200mm lens vs. 18MPixel camera B with 300mm lens, the same subject would be 1360 pixels tall on camera A if it were 1440 pixels tall on camera B. So pixel count difference is marginally in favor of the 18MPixel camera B with the longer lens.

But that is not the whole story...if you printed the identical size print, you have to enlarge camera A image by 150% where you only need to enlarge camera B image by 100%. So the LENS resolution -- assuming both lenses performed identically on the sensor -- would favor better detail resolution from Lens B...better lines/millimeter of detail on print from camera B.

So camera B enjoys a pixel count advantage for the subject, and it enjoys a lens detail advantage feeding those pixels.


Vert pixel, Hor pixel, Pixel total, pixel/mm, Pixels on subject
4900, 7350, 36015000, ​327, 2178
3470, 5205, 18061350, ​231, 2313

Wilt wrote in post #17376572
Assuming 36MPixel camera A with 200mm lens vs. 18MPixel camera B with 300mm lens, the same subject would be 1360 pixels tall on camera A if it were 1440 pixels tall on camera B. So pixel count difference is marginally in favor of the 18MPixel camera B with the longer lens.

But that is not the whole story...if you printed the identical size print, you have to enlarge camera A image by 150% where you only need to enlarge camera B image by 100%. So the LENS resolution -- assuming both lenses performed identically on the sensor -- would favor better detail resolution from Lens B...better lines/millimeter of detail on print from camera B.

So camera B enjoys a pixel count advantage for the subject, and it enjoys a lens detail advantage feeding those pixels.


Vert pixel, Hor pixel, Pixel total, pixel/mm, Pixels on subject
4900, 7350, 36015000, ​327, 2178
3470, 5205, 18061350, ​231, 2313

Great, very logic and so understandable, this is a great answer which someone can use as a reference.

Thank you very much!