Is 'megapixel' the most overused word in the language of
digital photography?
Tell anyone you are thinking of buying a new digital
camera, and the first question they will probably ask you
is "How many megapixels does it have?" In my gallery I
often overhear comments like "I would love to take better
photos, but my camera doesn't have enough megapixels."
Like computers and the internet, digital photography has
bred two types of 'expert.' There are people who know a
lot. Then there are the people who know just a little, but
think they know everything. Many of these people have been
persuaded (most likely by a salesman trying to increase his
commission) that the key to good photography is a high
megapixel rating. By clinging to this notion, they may well
be ignoring more important factors that could help them
become better photographers.
The number of pixels in a photo determines how much you can
enlarge the picture without losing image quality. The more
megapixels, the bigger the print. But how important is this
really, for most photographers in today's digital world?
Let's forget about the size of the enlargement for a
moment. How many photos these days are ever printed at all,
let alone enlarged to poster size? Gone are the days of
shooting photos on negative film, and printing them to see
the results. These days we see the results immediately in
the camera, and can look at them in better detail on the
computer screen. In fact, by eliminating the cost of film
and developing, more people are taking more photos than
ever before.
But back to the question: how many of these photos ever get
printed? Most pictures live their lives on a computer
screen, where we see a small version of a photo at 72dpi.
In fact, if we want to share them in emails or add them to
webpages, we have to make them even smaller to travel in
cyberspace.
Of course there are people who print a lot of their photos.
I encourage everybody to print their best photos, frame
them, hang them, give them as gifts...after all, what is
the purpose of all these photos if we don't do something
with them? But do we need a lot of megapixels to create a
good print?
In most cases, the answer is no. The vast majority of
printed photos are 6x4 or 5x7 inches, and very occasionally
8x12 inches. Very few non-professional photographers will
ever print a very big enlargement from their own
photography. They might think they will; but almost
certainly, they won't.
So, do we really need all these megapixels? I equate it to
buying a car than can travel 200 kilometres per hour in a
country where the speed limit is 100. The power is there,
and it may give some inward pride to know it is there...but
it is wasted power all the same. Apart from bragging
rights, in some ways you equally well served by an old
hatchback that just gets you from Point A to Point B.
You can produce good, high quality prints up to 8x12 inch
(20x30cm), and probably larger, with a five megapixel
camera. This is not a compromise; I doubt you would see any
improvement in print quality taking the same picture on a
ten megapixel camera. Certainly you would see a difference
if you enlarged the photo to poster size, but (as we have
discussed), very few people reading this article are likely
to do that.
Please do not see these comments as negative. I would never
suggest that anyone who has bought a more powerful camera
has wasted their money. Your upmarket camera probably came
with an extra feature or two that adds to the fun you can
have with photography. And of course, it is nice to know
you could make giant prints from your photos...even though
we both know you possibly never will.
Rather, I want to encourage all those people who didn't buy
the top-of-the-range camera and wish they did, or are
currently agonizing over how much to spend on their next
camera. If you want a camera that takes a decent photo, for
use online or to produce small and medium sized prints, you
don't need to overextend your budget. Buy the camera you
can reasonably afford and be happy with it - it will do the
job for you.
If there is one important buying tip that is more important
than the megapixels, it is to find a camera with a good
quality lens. If your photos are not crystal clear and
sharp when they are small, they are not going to improve by
being blown up to larger sizes. In fact, all you would be
doing is making your fuzzy image bigger and fuzzier.
Just as importantly, once you have your camera, learn to
use it. Most digital cameras come with manual settings that
allow you to be truly creative once you know the basic
photography techniques. If you look at any camera club
competition, you will find that the winner is not the
person with the most expensive camera. Invariably, it is
the person with the imagination and skills to get the best
out of the camera they have.
----------------------------------------------------
Andrew Goodall believes that with a small amount of
guidance, anyone can become a better photographer, no
matter what sort of camera they have. Andrew's ebook
"Photography in Plain English" is a perfect place to start.
Check it out at http://www.naturesimage.com.au and while
you are there, sign up to the online newsletter for even
more tips...it's free!
