TheMask
I am going to ask for a polaroid PoGo instant digital camera for my birthday and i have seen that it is 5 megapixels, when i mentioned this to a friend who is into photography she said that 5 megapixels is really bad quality, but then i go online and read that it is ok.
i just want a few more opinions about whether 5 megapixels is good or bad.
thankyou for any help :)
Answer
A 5 megapixel camera can be bad, average or good. Megapixels are NOT a measure of image quality, so anyone that tells you that 5 MP is 'bad quality' doesn't understand digital photography and digital image sensors. a given number of megapixels is only a potential for a certain amount of detail, that's it. MP has nothing to do with color, contrast, noise (or lack of it) image noise etc.
Early dSLR cameras were only 3 MP and they were used by pros for all kinds of major publications. I know nothing of the PoGo, so you'll need to search the web for not only reviews, but full size digital photos to look at. The quality of the image sensor and the lens will determine image quality, not the pixel count.
If anything, more pixels in a small image sensor is bad, not good. I've got a dSLR with 12MP, I wonder if your friend thinks that a 12MP 99 dollar compact is just as good. It isn't.
http://tonyflores.smugmug.com/Mostly-Candids/Mixed-Mostly-Napa-Valley/5718849_SwLGK#776944835_XU6CP
A 5 megapixel camera can be bad, average or good. Megapixels are NOT a measure of image quality, so anyone that tells you that 5 MP is 'bad quality' doesn't understand digital photography and digital image sensors. a given number of megapixels is only a potential for a certain amount of detail, that's it. MP has nothing to do with color, contrast, noise (or lack of it) image noise etc.
Early dSLR cameras were only 3 MP and they were used by pros for all kinds of major publications. I know nothing of the PoGo, so you'll need to search the web for not only reviews, but full size digital photos to look at. The quality of the image sensor and the lens will determine image quality, not the pixel count.
If anything, more pixels in a small image sensor is bad, not good. I've got a dSLR with 12MP, I wonder if your friend thinks that a 12MP 99 dollar compact is just as good. It isn't.
http://tonyflores.smugmug.com/Mostly-Candids/Mixed-Mostly-Napa-Valley/5718849_SwLGK#776944835_XU6CP
Camera Megapixels?
asere
When buying a digital camera does it really matter or is there a noticeable difference in the megapixels say 6.0 - 8.0? Is looking at how much pixels one of the main things to look for?
Answer
Pixels are the tie-breaker when choosing a camera - especially when comparing 6 to 8 MP.
Having said that, though, here is my stock answer on the pixel count. It is sure to cloud the issue for you.
If you always plan and compose your pictures perfectly, you don't need a whole lot of pixels. These days, I'd say that 5 MP or even 4 MP is fine for the average snapshooter and this can be obtained without unreasonable expense. If you want to allow for cropping, which means enlarging only a portion of your image, the more pixels the better.
Imagine taking a scenic view and then noticing that the middle 20% of the photo would make an even better picture. Suppose you take a picture of a whole group of people and Aunt Clara really, really looks great in the picture, but everyone else looks lousy. If you have the pixels to work with, you can still make a decent print of Aunt Clara that she would be happy to have. If you buy an 8-to-10 MP camera and don't want to TAKE large photos, you can always set the camera to a lower file size. You can never go the other direction, though. Unless the cost is a major issue, buy the camera with more pixels. You will never be sorry that you did, but you might one day be sorry that you didn't.
I have a few photos on Flickr to include in a discussion on how many pixels are enough. Go to my page at http://www.flickr.com/photos/samfeinstein/tags/pixels/ Some of the pictures are from a 4 MP or even 3 MP camera, showing you what you might expect without any cropping. I think they are quite acceptable. Some of the pictures are from a 10 MP camera (the swan and the pansies), showing the value of having those large images so that you can crop a smaller image out of the original picture and still end up with a satisfactory image. There is one VGA picture, just to show what you could expect from 640 x 480 pixels - not much.
Ken Rockwell has an interesting article on pixels and the pixel wars:
http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/mpmyth.htm
Having said all that, though, pixels are not the only measure of image quality. The sensor size is important as well as the image processing software included in the camera. (See http://www.flickr.com/photos/7189769@N04/476181751/
You need to read reviews if you want a critical understanding of image quality for particular cameras. Try http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/ for more information on the cameras you are considering. Pixels are not the decision maker, but they are the tie breaker, so go for the higher pixel count.
You can go there and click on "Buying Guide" and then "Features Search" to specify how many pixels you want to look at.
You can also go to http://www.steves-digicams.com/default.htm and click on "Our reviews," where you will find catagories of cameras arranged by pixel count.
Pixels are the tie-breaker when choosing a camera - especially when comparing 6 to 8 MP.
Having said that, though, here is my stock answer on the pixel count. It is sure to cloud the issue for you.
If you always plan and compose your pictures perfectly, you don't need a whole lot of pixels. These days, I'd say that 5 MP or even 4 MP is fine for the average snapshooter and this can be obtained without unreasonable expense. If you want to allow for cropping, which means enlarging only a portion of your image, the more pixels the better.
Imagine taking a scenic view and then noticing that the middle 20% of the photo would make an even better picture. Suppose you take a picture of a whole group of people and Aunt Clara really, really looks great in the picture, but everyone else looks lousy. If you have the pixels to work with, you can still make a decent print of Aunt Clara that she would be happy to have. If you buy an 8-to-10 MP camera and don't want to TAKE large photos, you can always set the camera to a lower file size. You can never go the other direction, though. Unless the cost is a major issue, buy the camera with more pixels. You will never be sorry that you did, but you might one day be sorry that you didn't.
I have a few photos on Flickr to include in a discussion on how many pixels are enough. Go to my page at http://www.flickr.com/photos/samfeinstein/tags/pixels/ Some of the pictures are from a 4 MP or even 3 MP camera, showing you what you might expect without any cropping. I think they are quite acceptable. Some of the pictures are from a 10 MP camera (the swan and the pansies), showing the value of having those large images so that you can crop a smaller image out of the original picture and still end up with a satisfactory image. There is one VGA picture, just to show what you could expect from 640 x 480 pixels - not much.
Ken Rockwell has an interesting article on pixels and the pixel wars:
http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/mpmyth.htm
Having said all that, though, pixels are not the only measure of image quality. The sensor size is important as well as the image processing software included in the camera. (See http://www.flickr.com/photos/7189769@N04/476181751/
You need to read reviews if you want a critical understanding of image quality for particular cameras. Try http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/ for more information on the cameras you are considering. Pixels are not the decision maker, but they are the tie breaker, so go for the higher pixel count.
You can go there and click on "Buying Guide" and then "Features Search" to specify how many pixels you want to look at.
You can also go to http://www.steves-digicams.com/default.htm and click on "Our reviews," where you will find catagories of cameras arranged by pixel count.
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Title Post: 5 megapixel camera, good or bad?
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Author: Yukie
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Rating: 92% based on 9788 ratings. 5 user reviews.
Author: Yukie
Thanks For Coming To My Blog
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