When considering buying new digital cameras one of the important specifications to look at is the megapixel count with higher counts being better on the whole.
The megapixel count is the number of pixel sensor points that receive photons and register their impact to create a digital image. One megapixel is a million pixels with the maximum resolution of images created by the camera being limited by their sensor size. Digital images are made up of small squares created with the information received by each pixel with each having colour and light level information. Having too few pixels will leave images with visible blockiness and fail to preserve fine detail.
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.
There are arguments for and against the advantages of more megapixels with some conditions not favouring higher megapixel counts such as low light levels where too few photons would hit each pixel to give a good image resulting in higher image noise. Higher counts are more demanding on the camera's processor and create larger files resulting in longer processing and upload to storage times, this can limit a photographer's ability to take multiple shots. The larger file size also means a memory card will not be able to store as many shots. Finally very high counts can lead to 'noise', that is adjacent pixels interfering with one another and is visible as pixels that are noticeably off colour compared to those around them, usually creating a speckled appearance on dark parts of the image.
Noise will vary from camera to camera so it is a good idea for a buyer to look at sample images or try the camera for themselves to see how it deals with noise.
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 use megapixel counts as a marketing tool as consumers perceive them as wholly advantageous so cameras that are higher up in a range of products will have higher megapixel counts and this will be matched with better hardware and lenses.
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.
High mega pixel cameras are also becoming a key feature of many new release mobile phones. As with the cameras, a higher mega pixel camera often gives greater capability as with the LG Optimus 2X.
The megapixel count is the number of pixel sensor points that receive photons and register their impact to create a digital image. One megapixel is a million pixels with the maximum resolution of images created by the camera being limited by their sensor size. Digital images are made up of small squares created with the information received by each pixel with each having colour and light level information. Having too few pixels will leave images with visible blockiness and fail to preserve fine detail.
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.
There are arguments for and against the advantages of more megapixels with some conditions not favouring higher megapixel counts such as low light levels where too few photons would hit each pixel to give a good image resulting in higher image noise. Higher counts are more demanding on the camera's processor and create larger files resulting in longer processing and upload to storage times, this can limit a photographer's ability to take multiple shots. The larger file size also means a memory card will not be able to store as many shots. Finally very high counts can lead to 'noise', that is adjacent pixels interfering with one another and is visible as pixels that are noticeably off colour compared to those around them, usually creating a speckled appearance on dark parts of the image.
Noise will vary from camera to camera so it is a good idea for a buyer to look at sample images or try the camera for themselves to see how it deals with noise.
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 use megapixel counts as a marketing tool as consumers perceive them as wholly advantageous so cameras that are higher up in a range of products will have higher megapixel counts and this will be matched with better hardware and lenses.
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.
High mega pixel cameras are also becoming a key feature of many new release mobile phones. As with the cameras, a higher mega pixel camera often gives greater capability as with the LG Optimus 2X.
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