![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
How Many Megapixels Do We Need?
Are you having megapixel envy each time you walk by the camera section of your favorite electronics store? So do I. But, do we really need more and more pixels? The answer depends on what we intend to do with the images. First, a quick definition of megapixel: Megapixel is a technical term for "million pixels", where a single pixel is the smallest unit of color that a camera's sensor is able to capture. The more pixels in the sensor, the sharper the image a camera can reproduce. Note that some camera specifications abbreviate megapixel as "MP".
Now then, how many of those pixels do we need? The first task in answering this question is to determine how we intend to use the images. We are mainly concerned about uses that require a high resolution digital photo. Putting a photo on the computer's screen requires a low resolution image, so any camera is sufficient, if this is our only intention. The most common need for high resolution photos is to print or develop pictures. Let us then focus on putting pictures on paper to answer our megapixel question.
The second task is to determine the largest print size we would like of our photo. Sure, it would look cool to have poster-size images all over the house of our sweetheart, but are we really going to go through that expense? I assume for most of us, poster size prints fall into the "rarely or never" category. Having ruled out extreme sizes, we have the three most common photo sizes to consider. According to online photo labs, the following minimum resolutions are sufficient to produce high quality prints:
I know from personal experience that my 3 megapixel camera is as low as I want to go for an 8 x 10" print; any less would start showing pixilation at close examination. Based on this experience, I suggest doubling the above megapixel recommendations when buying a camera. This exercise has taught us that if we only want 4 x 6" prints, then 0.6 megapixels are sufficient. Most digital cameras start at 2 megapixels, which is sufficient to produce quality prints up to 5 x 7".
Now that we know the minimum megapixel requirements for our needs, we are free to focus on other important features of the camera such as lens quality, color reproduction, optical zoom, body size, etc. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
MORE RESOURCES: From ayahuasca rituals to a birthday in the favelas: Arles photography festival takes us on a trip The Guardian Kodak Color Plus 200 Review: The Best Film for Street Photography The Phoblographer A walking elegy, tiny gallery, and gentle Brutalism Harvard Gazette Photography Exhibition - Jean-Michel Daumen at Charivari in Marseille The Eye of Photography Hyperreal photography meets minimal tech house: Facta’s new album features award-winning Pelle Cass It's Nice That The ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2025 Shortlist Revels in Our Remarkable Solar System thisiscolossal.com edward burtynsky maps four decades of earth’s industrial systems in new york exhibition - Designboom 12 compelling wildlife photographs from BigPicture 2025 Popular Science ZAAP Features Brandon Scott’s Stunning Nature Photography - WHIZ - Fox 5 / Marquee Broadcasting WHIZ FAMU Student Photographs the 2025 American Black Film Festival through Getty Images HBCU Photographer Mentorship Program Florida A&M University - FAMU I’m a photographer, and these are my favourite Amazon Prime Day deals Amateur Photographer Visual warrior: Greene uses photography as a truth-teller The Circle News Prepared Food Photos Branding Expertise Exclusive Photography Detroit Free Press Photography entries WV News Have camera, will travel: Local photographer brings art to Brookings Summer Arts Festival Brookings Register See Ten Stunning Images From the International Aerial Photographer of the Year Awards Smithsonian Magazine Drone Photography Services Market Size to Hit USD 13.40 GlobeNewswire Is Sigma Building a Low-Light Photography Beast? The Phoblographer 4 Best Wedding Photography Cameras in 2025 The Phoblographer Anonymous image makers, New York nights and confronting the colonial: three photography shows to see at Les Rencontres d'Arles The Art Newspaper Photography Exhibition - The Solar Collective Launch The Eye of Photography Detroit Photographer ‘Exposures By Ken’ at Ann Arbor Art Fair thejewishnews.com Norton Museum exhibition explores photographers' power to manipulate perception Palm Beach Daily News The Mystique of J.P. Ball, Cincinnati’s First Black Photographer, Still Endures Cincinnati Magazine Camera Technology Has Massively Improved. So Why Hasn’t Photography? The Phoblographer Revisiting the Outer Sunset on Film With Photographer Richard Sexton - Richmond Review/Sunset Beacon Revisiting the Outer Sunset on Film With Photographer Richard Sexton Richmond Review/Sunset Beacon Celestial Fish And Chips And A Solar Cataclysm Shortlisted For Astronomy Photographer Of The Year IFLScience Hubble Photographs a Lost Gem in the Milky Way DIY Photography Resistance is febrile at this summer's Rencontres d’Arles The Art Newspaper Pine Bluff ninth-grader earns award for photography Pine Bluff Commercial Clark Art Presents Exhibition on Photographer Bernice Abbott iBerkshires.com Do Ultra-Sharp Photos Really Make You a Better Photographer? DIY Photography India in full resolution: how a trip with a camera (not a phone) changed the way I travel Lonely Planet Exhibition of Navroze Contractor’s photographs reveals life spent capturing spontaneity, emotion, and hum The Times of India Kapulani Landgraf's decades of Native Hawaiian photography recognized around the world Hawaii Public Radio Acclaimed unit stills photographer David Appleby passes away Cinematography World “Frames” App Brings Organized Metadata to Film Photography DIY Photography Reconciliation and roots in Mounir Raji’s “Dreamland” Collater.al Magazine J Thomas Photoworks now open in Cy-Fair Community Impact The Best 4 Sony Lenses Every Wildlife Photographer Should Know The Phoblographer SAMA Bedford hosting Donald M. Robinson Photography Biennial Friday, July 25 thru Sunday, Oct. 19 WTAJ Uncovering memories through Eleanor Koets' photography Post and Courier The 3 Best Wildlife Photography Lenses from Panasonic The Phoblographer The 100 Most Influential People in the Photography Industry Blind Magazine Popular photography contest returns for the summer DiscoverEstevan Photography, Watercolors & Handmade Necklaces Celebrate World Cultures at Red Brick Gallery exploreClarion A new start after 60: I quit my job, bought a camera – and became a successful wildlife photographer The Guardian Tariffs Affecting Photography Gear May Get Worse After August DIY Photography National Geographic’s Photography Erased People. It’s Too Late For An Apology. | by Ng'endo Mukii brightthemag.com A Photographer Follows the Sea The Provincetown Independent A Tip For Bird Photography No One Shares The Phoblographer I have handpicked the best photography book deals you shouldn't miss on Amazon Prime Day Digital Camera World Paul Bowen: Aviation Photographer Extraordinaire FLYING Magazine Nikon Z6 III Review Part One: Focusing on Still Photography ProVideo Coalition 'An American Beauty' Grateful Dead Photo Book & Gallery Exhibition To Showcase Band's Long Strange Trip Live For Live Music Derek and Quentin, twins from Indiana who live in the woods: Robin de Puy’s best photograph The Guardian |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
RELATED ARTICLES
How to Easily Start Up Your Own New Photography Business From Home With modern technology in the form of SLR digital cameras, you do not even need the room for a dark room. You need only to have a personal computer and a photo-editing program. Photography Poses - The Missing Ingredient You've read all the "best digital camera" articles, got the best price on your first digital camera, and even glanced at its owner's manual. Are you itching to take some shots of your family, or what?Slow down, soldier. Why 1.5 Megapixels is Enough Dots Per Inch is a useful measure of relative resolution. But if you don't know the image size in inches or some other measure of size, then the amount of dots per inch doesn't mean much. How to Take Great Photos of Your Child Children are naturally photogenic. Ive worked in studios and children are so easy to photograph. How a Digital Camera Works The digital camera is not something of a magic box that came out of the blue and made wonders! The digital camera is very much like the conventional analog camera, but the technology has been altered. It also contains most of the associated components that the conventional camera contains, like lens and a shutter for letting in light, however instead of reaching a photosensitive film, the light is made to fall upon array of image sensors or photosensitive cells. CCTV Camera Tip: Apply Simple Common Sense when Picking CCTV Cameras and Lenses Get a good face shot: Use Higher quality cameras at entry areas.Doors, gates and other entry areas need a good quality, high resolution camera to record a good 'face shot. Four Unique Ways for the Pet Portrait Artist to Stand Out The warm feelings are flowing all around when the pet lover sees her commissioned portrait of her beloved dog or cat for the first time. Would you like the love to last even longer and reward you above the standard commission fee? If so, consider these ideas:When contracting with the pet lover for the commission, offer extras for a set additional fee. Is Film Better than Digital for Weddings? As a professional wedding photographer I get this question asked more than anything else. Rarely will somebody ask me about my wedding photography education, awards, or professional memberships. Getting The Right Digital Camera For You There are really great advantages in digital photography:You can shoot till you dropTaking digital images on your camera has no implication other then you have captured the image. Then you can review each image on the small screen on the back of your camera. Removing a Textured Pattern from a Scanned Photo - 5 Minute Digital Fix One of the most common problems when dealing with scanned photographs as part of a digital restoration activity is that after scanning, the digital image appears to have a textured pattern to it.This is often caused by the fact that the photograph in question has been printed on textured photographic paper. 8 Simple Tips for Taking Great Baby Photos Taking pictures of your new baby is a great way to preserve life long memories. Baby pictures can also make great postcards, keepsakes, or baby shower gifts. Traveling to Europe with Your Digital Camera? The Vacation Season is fast approaching and naturally you will be taking your digital camera along for the journey. After all your vacations are far and few between and it is nice to look back on those memories as you slave away at your job. Underwater Digital Cameras Underwater photography's is primarily focused towards entertaining and informing the people and the users themselves about what is happening in the world of under water with the aid of photography. The advent of digital cameras has opened up new horizons for such ventures. How To Avoid Or Reduce Red-Eye Photography with the aid of a digital camera is beyond doubt very fascinating. However, it also has many a nooks that the users of the digital camera must be aware of and also must be well educated to deal with in order to produce good photographs worth the most prized digital camera. Take Spectacular Nighttime Photos with Your Digital Camera - Part II Night photos can take on a somewhat magical quality you may find lacking in normal daytime photography. Amazing night pictures certainly can attract attention. Easy Tips for Digital Photo Touchups Using a digital camera to take pictures is great. It's easy and quick. Entering the World of Digital Video Cameras Gone are the days when you would need to employ a professional to take a video for your business projects. Whether you need it to provide training to your employees or students, you can do it yourself with the help of a digital video camera. Who Had The Better Brushes Leonardo or Michelangelo? Ordinary photos of dull subjects do actually sell, but the dramatic shots generally have an unusual element that makes them stand out from the crowd. They are well-composed and they carry no excess baggage. Hyperfocal Focusing: What Is It And Why Should You Use It? When should you use hyperfocal focusing? Well, sometimes when shooting a landscape, you want everything sharp from the front to the back of the scene. Setting a small aperture such as f/16, f/22 or even f/32 can help, but if you really want to maximize depth of field, hyperfocal focusing is the technique you need to use. Digital Camera Memory Cards A digital camera accessory you should purchase is a spare memory card. Most cameras are sold with a 'starter' memory card that is usually a low capacity card that's enough to take a few sample photos on, but not enough for day-to-day use. ![]() |
home | site map |
© 2006 KeralaClick.com |