I need more info on digital cameras and pixels?

Question

I want to buy a digital camera, but want more info on what's the best to buy, what difference does the amount of pixels make and are ther differences in memory cards? Thanks

Answer 1

I am not going to sit here and sprout information you can make up your own mind.

Here try this link and see what you think.

Answer 2

Don't look at quantity look at quality. The pixels are only as good as the sensor inside the camera. The larger the sensor the better the quality. A 6 mp camera will outperform a 10mp camera if the 6mp has a larger sensor. The idea behind a larger number of pixels has only to do with how small or how large you want to print something. There comes a point when a 6 will look no different then a 10 if you are printing a 4x6 card.

Now in P&S's this becomes less relavant then DSLR's since P&S's have very small sensors so a larger pixel count is in essence counter productive. Between 6 and 7 for point and shoot should be sufficiant.



Don't worry to much about pixels worry more about

Sensor Size

Lens quaility

optical zoom

White Balance adjustments

Battery life

Things that matter! Mp's are a marketers dream come true to make the average snap shooting think that more is better thus making you buy more then you will ever need.

Answer 3

More pixels doesn't necessarily mean better quality: it just means that the image gathered by the lens and projected onto the sensor will be captured with more resolution. But if the optical quality is bad, and/or the sensor is tiny, the additional resolution would give you little advantage -if any at all. Far more important than the resolution, then, is the optical quality and the sensor size; for example, the Fujifilm F31fd (6 megapixels) will give you much better picture quality than, say, the Fujifilm Z20fd (10 megapixels), because the Fujifilm has better optics AND a larger sensor.



Of course, most manufacturers don't easily give information on their cameras' sensor size (you have to find that out in the specifications' page for the camera, either in the manufacturer's website or on specialized photography websites), and none give you an idea (at least not an unbiased one) of the camera's optical quality: you definitely have to look for professional reviews of the camera (DPReview, Imaging Resource, DCResource, etc).



But a generic, usually true thumb of rule is this: the smaller the camera (or its optics) and/or the longer its optical zoom, the less optical quality and smaller sensor you can expect it to have. The Casio EX-V7, for example, with its small body and its 7x, you can expect it to have (and indeed it has) poorer optical quality and a smaller sensor than, say, the larger, 6x zoom Canon PowerShot A650 IS.



As for pixels, it essentially amounts to the sensor size: if the sensor is larger, it can afford to have more megapixels without seriously compromising the image quality. Another pair of examples: the Fujifilm Z20fd, with its 10 megapixel, 1/2.5" sensor, won't have nearly as much quality as the Sony N2's 10 megapixel, larger 1/1.7" sensor.

Actually, most modern 12 megapixel cameras do have a somewhat larger sensor that can afford to have that many pixels, whereas most 7-8 megapixel cameras have a smaller sensor.



In short, choosing between long zooms, small cameras and good quality is a trade-off: you can't have all of it. Therefore, you have to decide what's more important to you: optical zoom, camera size or image quality.





As for memory cards, they rarely affect image quality in any way; they're just a convenience. The optimal camera would use SD and SDHC cards, because those have the best capacity/speed/price ratio, but sometimes you'll have to choose a camera that is the best in everything (for your own needs & preferences), except for the fact that they use the more inconvenient xD (Olympus/Fujifilm) or MemoryStick (Sony) card formats.

Answer 4

Pixels is how many dots make up the image, usually, the more the better. Do not buy a camera that interpolates to get resolution. This is a smaller sensor that uses a chip to make the image larger and the images look like crap. Look for a camera with a glass lens. Glass works better and produces clearer images than plastic, most low priced cameras use plastic to save money. Ignore digital zoom, it uses a chip to enhance the picture and usually make the image look worse, go for optical zoom. SD and SDHC cards are the most popular now, they are widely available and inexpensive. Buy from a known brand (Olympus, Nikon, Canon, Fuji, etc), these are made to higher standards and produce better images. Do research. Go to http://www.dpreview.com/, and other sites, to compare cameras you are considering and to look at sample images and side by side comparisons of images.

Answer 5

Contrary to seemingly popular opinion, when it comes to megapixels more isn't always better. Clever marketing has led people to believe that 12mp will give better results than 6mp or 8mp but that is just marketing to sell cameras.



The size of the sensor also plays an important role. If you take two sensors of the same size and put 8mp in one and 12mp in the other, something has to change. What changes is the size of the individual pixel - it gets smaller.



The following is from an article titled "High Resolution Digicams" by Peter K. Burian that appeared in the Nov.

2007 issue of Shutterbug Magazine.



"As the pixels become smaller they are less sensitive to light (photons). Consequently, "analog gain" must be applied at higher amplification to boost the weaker sensor signal. That produces a lower Signal-to-Noise (S/N) ratio, causing more obvious digital noise - mottled colored specks and/or graininess - particularly at ISO 400 and above."



IMO you'll have better results with 6 to 8mp cameras.

Answer 6

What are you doing with the camara?



Are you trying to get into photography and will be going the DSLR route or is it more for point and shoot?



If its more for point and shoot (capturing those moments when on vacation or out with the kids or family or whatever) getting a really high megapixel camera may be a waste of money. If you are not printing out huge portraits and are not selling your photos, you probably would not see a difference between a 6 megapixel and a 10 megapixel camera.



If you're trying to get into photography in the sense that you want to sell pictures or print big portaits and such then get the highest megapixels you can afford.



The differences in memory cards is really how much capacity it has. I would probably get at least a 2gig card.



Get a camera that uses either compact flash or SD (by Sandisk), you can go the sony route if you'd like, they use memory sticks. the only draw back to a memory stick is its only compatible with sony products. If you get something that uses the Sandisk SD card, you could possibly use that in other devices or other brand cameras down the road.

For more info hit my profile and e-mail me.

Answer 7

Since warranties do not cover impact damage, and minimum cost on a repair is generally $150-$500, it would be uneconomical to repair. A repair department will tell you this, 3-4 weeks after you've spent $15 to get an estimate. A repair will take 6-8 weeks to complete. Consider buying a new camera.

Answer 8

No No No!!!



This ridiculous American idea of Bigger or More = better is getting waaaay out of hand.



More pixels is not always better. If you are going to make HUGE prints or do a lot of cropping, you might want to opt for more. If not then there's no reason to buy a camera with more mega pixels.



While I don't always agree with everything Ken has to say, he does have some great articles on his site. I've linked below an article of his that explains "The Megapixel Myth."

Answer 9

The higher number of pixels does not guarantee better image quality. Check out your local library and look at Nov'07 Consumer Reports to get a better handle on cameras.

Answer 10

The more pixels there are the better quality the end picture will be. It can be zoomed in on and still look good ( not grainy ) the more pixels you have.



Get a camera with a good lens zoom not digital zoom as digital zoom degrades picture quality



The SD memory card is slowly becoming the card of choice so try to choose that if you can.

The number of photos stored on the card will depend on the resolution (number of pixels) of your camera but SD cards are now quite cheap so just get what you can afford or fancy



Spend as much as you feel on a camera but avoid really cheap ones and very expensive ones just a nice mid-range major Japanese brand name will be fine



Just experiment and play around with your camera you will learn as you go and have great fun



Happy Shootin'

Answer 11

the higher the pixels, the higher the quality of pictures. Memory cards over a 1 gig hold a lot of pics, but that depends if you shoot in a raw format or just a basic one.

Answer 12

More Pixels = BETTER PICS.



BUY the camera with the MOST pixels that you can AFFORD.



Buy a camera that uses big memory cards as LOTS of PIXELS = BIGGER PIC files and more space on card.



Simple rule of thumb:



Buy the camera with the most pixels you can afford.

Answer 13

the best thing to do is to get one with the most pixels ..... usually 5 or more is sufficant but the higher the better and get at least a 1 gb card ..... stores a lot of pics...... and always go for a well known brand like sony!.... hope this helps