For those looking to buy a new digital camera one of the easiest to follow guides to get a rough idea of a digital cameras overall quality is the megapixel count.
Megapixels are each a million sensor pixels, each of which senses when it is hit by photons of light and builds up information about what colour that pixel of the image should be during the exposure. The maximum resolution of photograph a camera can take is restricted by the size of their sensor. The information from all of the pixels is then combined to create a digital image of small blocks, each with colour and light information. Cameras that have too low a megapixel count will show this in their blocky and undetailed images.
The megapixel count for a given camera can be calculated by multiplying the height by the width of the maximum size image the camera can take and alternatively a rough idea of the maximum resolution can be gained by doing the reverse.
Very high megapixel counts have positive and negative features, in low light conditions too few photons hit each individual pixel as they are very small leading to noisy and unclear images. It also means the photos created contain more information resulting in longer processing time and needing more storage so it may be harder to take as many photos in a limited time and fewer will be stored on a given memory card. Noisy is a variable problem with high megapixel sensors, this is when adjacent pixels interfere with each other leading to the creation of image pixels with the wrong colours, usually very visible as speckles on dark areas of photographs.
Cameras that create a lot of noise can be avoided, there are high megapixel count cameras that deal with it well so it is a good idea to look at sample photos taken by a model or try it for yourself.
The advantages of higher megapixel counts include far higher levels of detail and the absence of blockiness. It is also useful for less experienced photographers as the larger size and detail of the photos produced allowed cropping, that is removing parts of the image, to reframe the image to improve its placement of the subject. Larger megapixel counts are also better for any use of photographs that will display them in a larger way such as on a large print or even a poster, the extra pixels will keep it sharp as the image is expanded.
Manufacturers are well aware of the advantages and disadvantages of higher megapixel counts as well as their customers' perception that more is always better which leads them to match the higher pixel counts with higher end hardware and better cameras making the pixel count a good indication of the overall quality of the camera.
If you are buying new digital cameras a higher megapixel count is a good indication of the overall quality of it and where it is placed in a range in comparison to other cameras. It is a positive feature of a camera to have a higher count but should not lead a buyer to ignore the other features a camera has and compare them between models.
Higher megapixel cameras are becoming an increasingly popular inclusion on most mobile phones. This can be seen on many new smartphones releases like the LG Optimus 2X.
Megapixels are each a million sensor pixels, each of which senses when it is hit by photons of light and builds up information about what colour that pixel of the image should be during the exposure. The maximum resolution of photograph a camera can take is restricted by the size of their sensor. The information from all of the pixels is then combined to create a digital image of small blocks, each with colour and light information. Cameras that have too low a megapixel count will show this in their blocky and undetailed images.
The megapixel count for a given camera can be calculated by multiplying the height by the width of the maximum size image the camera can take and alternatively a rough idea of the maximum resolution can be gained by doing the reverse.
Very high megapixel counts have positive and negative features, in low light conditions too few photons hit each individual pixel as they are very small leading to noisy and unclear images. It also means the photos created contain more information resulting in longer processing time and needing more storage so it may be harder to take as many photos in a limited time and fewer will be stored on a given memory card. Noisy is a variable problem with high megapixel sensors, this is when adjacent pixels interfere with each other leading to the creation of image pixels with the wrong colours, usually very visible as speckles on dark areas of photographs.
Cameras that create a lot of noise can be avoided, there are high megapixel count cameras that deal with it well so it is a good idea to look at sample photos taken by a model or try it for yourself.
The advantages of higher megapixel counts include far higher levels of detail and the absence of blockiness. It is also useful for less experienced photographers as the larger size and detail of the photos produced allowed cropping, that is removing parts of the image, to reframe the image to improve its placement of the subject. Larger megapixel counts are also better for any use of photographs that will display them in a larger way such as on a large print or even a poster, the extra pixels will keep it sharp as the image is expanded.
Manufacturers are well aware of the advantages and disadvantages of higher megapixel counts as well as their customers' perception that more is always better which leads them to match the higher pixel counts with higher end hardware and better cameras making the pixel count a good indication of the overall quality of the camera.
If you are buying new digital cameras a higher megapixel count is a good indication of the overall quality of it and where it is placed in a range in comparison to other cameras. It is a positive feature of a camera to have a higher count but should not lead a buyer to ignore the other features a camera has and compare them between models.
Higher megapixel cameras are becoming an increasingly popular inclusion on most mobile phones. This can be seen on many new smartphones releases like the LG Optimus 2X.
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