The Prevalent Megapixel Myths
June 9, 2009
Initially, there were film based cameras that used rolls of films for recording the photos you capture. At the end of the photographing session the film needs to be developed and the photos were to be printed. Later the film cameras were slowly replaced by digital cameras that used image sensors to record images, these could be printed by first transferring the photos to a computer. The next stage in camera technology saw the production of digital cameras with PictBridge compatibility so that the use of computers could be eliminated. Now, advancements in technology has made it possible to incorporate more and more mega-pixels in smaller and portable digital cameras.
Previously, only 2 and 3 mega-pixel cameras were available. People used to prefer higher mega-pixels for better quality images and larger sized prints. But now, many unique and novel functionalities are being incorporated into the digital cameras such that it is no longer only about mega-pixels. These days, cameras are known more for their features than their sensor resolution. However the bad news is that many are ignorant of the fact that even a 5 or 6 mega-pixel camera is capable of delivering good quality images and are thus spending or rather wasting money by going for cameras with higher mega-pixels. Digital Camera manufacturers have been reported to mouth a common lie that with the sensor resolution the image quality improves. In the digital photography sector, this is one prevalent unhealthy practice.
A mega-pixel is in fact a collection of millions of tiny dots that construct a single photo. Hence, higher number of mega-pixels is a clear indication of having more number of pixels defining the photo resulting in sharper images. This is just one side, the other and more obvious side to the mega-pixel story is that a lot of other factors too play a major role in determining the sharpness of an image. The other factors include the camera's lens system, the lighting effects and various other functionalities. In case you are a casual photographer, then you need a camera that will allow you to explore its features rather than a higher mega-pixel one. Also a truth about the large mega-pixel camera is that the captured images occupy large amount of memory. Thus you will be able to store just a few amount of images as that compared to a lower mega-pixel digital camera.
Higher mega-pixel camera is an apt choice if you need to shoot image situated far away. But now super-zoom cameras with high optical zoom can serve the same purpose. Larger mega-pixel is also useful when you are interested in getting creative with the images and may want to do lot of cropping and editing. The prime importance of having higher sensor resolution is to obtain large poster sized prints of the photos. So depending on your requirements, you can perform a thorough research of the digital camera market and get one that suits your needs. Ensure to look-out for additional features such as the Face, Blink and Smile Detection technologies along with image stabilisation and lighting correction facilities.
Even though point-n-shoot digital cameras are self-sufficing with regards to the image quality, a more advanced and better photo quality can be attained by using digital SLR camera. This is because the DSLR cameras come with extraordinary noise reduction potentialities that in turn provide you with photos exhibiting perfect clarity and sharpness.
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