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General discussion

How many megapixels do I need?

by 35mm fan Nov 14, 2004 11:29AM PST

Having an elaborate set of equipment in 35mm (bodies, lenses, accessories) and not wishing to repeat history, I am interested in the digital format. I've used Canon and Nikon equipment and appreciate their quality, and am leaning toward a digital camera from one of these two manufacturers.

I like the wide angle shots with a 28mm lens for travel, but desire the clarity of a "fast lens" for close-up work.

Visualize an 8X10 photo of a human hand. I do not plan to enlarge beyond this size. Do I require a 5 MP camera to capture the details of skin hues and textures, or would a 4MP camera "fill the bill"?

The Nikon Coolpix 4800 has a 35mm equivalent of 36-300mm with good macro capacities, but only 4 MP, while the Coolpix 5400 is a true 28-114 mm equivalent with 5 MP resolution.

I've already visited the local camera dealers, and I'm not getting this basic question answered to my satisfaction.

If anyone has personal experience with these two cameras, as well as similar models in the Canon line, your comments will be humbly appreciated.

Discussion is locked

7 Posts
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Re: How many megapixels do I need?
by jump1127 Nov 14, 2004 2:17PM PST

I'm not sure how serious you want for the photo quality. But, for the picture size upto 8x10, at least 3.2 megapixels digital camera is recommended. The more megapixels will be quite useful for the enlarge photo , considering contrast and details. If you've been using SLR camera, I suggest you go for DSLR camera. Nikon Coolpix5400 isn't that handy at all. Besides, many functions and buttons are out of places. The large CMOS or CCD chip inside the camera really is the factor that keep the picture's noise ( distortion ) less. There are many good DSLR cameras around, such as Nikon D70 and Canon Rebel. Besides, you can use your previous own Canon and Nikon lenses. I'm quite familiar to Canon SLR and EF lenses. I even tested them with EOS Rebel and D20. I used Canon 28-70,F2.8L, and 70-200,F2.8L lenses with those 2 cameras and the pictures came out very nice. However, if you'll be taking a lot of wide-angle, most current DSLR need the extra short range focus due to the multiplier. For example, Canon EOS D20 has the multiplier of 1.6. That's the downfall since you'll have to spend more money for the wide angle lense. You will need 35/1.6 mm-lense ( 22mm ) , just to get the same 35-mm focal length. But, for zooming, it'll be a plus. Any way, good luck.

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Re: How many megapixels do I need?
by 35mm fan Nov 17, 2004 2:30AM PST

Thanks for the replies, but your responses are off the track of my question.
Background: I have an elaborate 35mm system: two bodies, over a dozen lenses from fisheye to 600mm cat, and numerous accessories which will do everything from macro, portrait work, and slide duplication, to wax jobs (let's not get into that one!)
I have used Nikon and Canon in other formats and systems (APS cameras -for "play"- and binoculars) and was very pleased with their clarity, hence, I am focusing (no pun intended) on a digital camera by Canon or Nikon. Based on information from various sources, I am thinking a 5MP DC will be needed for my usage ("gorgeous vacation shots" and high clarity close-ups --think of sharp skin textures on a photo of a hand).
If I can get away with a 4MP which would provide the same results, I can use the saved cash for other goodies, like high-cap memory cards.
Let's see if anyone has any experience with either Canon and/or Nikon DC's in 4 or 5 MP, and please respond with your experiences.

Thanks!

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Re: How many megapixels do I need?
by jump1127 Nov 18, 2004 2:10PM PST

I owned Canon S-40 ( 4 mega pixel )and IXUS S500 ( 5 mega pixel ). I did take a lot of pictures and see no significantly different for the nearby photoshop's print-outs. Nevertheless, I've not make any close-up shot; no comment from me for that issue. Consider the techonology, the memory card price keeps falling rapidly. I bought 512MB compact flash about 6 months ago, and it costed me a double of today sales price. Most today camera manufacturers lean toward 5MP or more camera. Besides, these more pixel camera mostly have the better chips that lessen the picture noise. For the slightly more money to spend, I'd rather choose any compact 5MP camera. Any way, you may have a different viewpoint.

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Looking For Perfection
by snapshot2 Forum moderator Nov 14, 2004 11:22PM PST

Digital cameras mostly take photos in a 4x3 format.
So 10x8 is not a natural size.

So lets settle on 10.24 x 7.68 inches for our photo so there will be no cropping.

Time for math class:

Ink jet printers print their best at 300 dpi (dots per inch).

So multiply 10.24 inches by 300 dpi and get 3072 pixels.
And multiply 7.68 inches by 300 dpi and get 2304 pixels.

Now multiply 3072 pixels by 2304 pixels and you get
7.077888 megapixels.

So to achieve mathmatical perfection we need a 7 megapixel camera like the Canon G6 which can produce a 3072 x 2304 photo.

...
..
.

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You can go to 150dpi and still get a good print.
by Kiddpeat Nov 15, 2004 3:54AM PST

It really depends on the printer. I'm not afraid to use 150, but I don't go below that either. Higher dpi may help a little bit, but not much. A 7 or 8 megapixel camera is typically rated for far larger prints than 8x10.

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Re: How many megapixels do I need?
by duckman Nov 15, 2004 4:02AM PST

I have been a 35 mm Minolta man for the last 18 years and had been waiting for Minolta to make a digital body for my Minolta lenses, but wait no more. I always loved the quality and creativity that the 35 allowed me, but two years ago I purchased a 2MP Olympus for snapsnots. Of the few 8X10's I've had made from that camera, I thought that the results were very good for just being 2MP. But I finally broke down and bought a Canon EOS Rebel 300D digital SLR. In just the 2 days I've had it, I think it is GREAT !!! It's 6.3 MP and costs $999, but I think this camera will be well worth it in that it's going to REPLACE my Minolta. (very sad about that)

ACE

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New Site: SEE Megapixels vs. Print Size
by sbarber3632 Apr 27, 2006 9:12PM PDT

A recurring question on this and other lists is ''I'm buying a digital camera
- how many megapixels do I need?'' People have offered various advice, but
I've just put up a site with a Flash animation that *shows* the effect of
various numbers of megapixels on your pictures. You can see it at
http://www.pixleyalbum.com/megapixels/.

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