Understanding camera features - Megapixels

I hope the Camera Types post on this blog allowed you to decide what kind of photographer you would like to be and then decide what type of camera you were looking for.

However, if you step into a camera shop and ask the salesperson to show you some cameras, unless you specify your requirements, chances are 9 out of 10 that he will first tell you about the MP or the Megapixel count.

So one would say, bigger or higher Megapixel is always better, right??

Well…. not always! Before we get to answering that question, lets see what exactly a pixel is. A pixel is a portmanteau of the words Picture and Cell. So the word pixel means one cell or one unit of the digital picture. See the picture below for some clarity:

At a large magnification, the cute kitty on the left is actually composed of many many little squares which form the complete picture. Each square can have only one single colour, but the number of colours available to each little square to paint himself or herself is a range of 16 million colours!!!

So all these little pixels, arranged in rows upon rows make up the complete picture. The number of pixels in the area of the picture make up the picture’s pixel count. The pixel count is like the tiles on a room floor. If you have a room that is 20 feet long and 10 feet wide, and the tiles are 1 feet square, you will need 20 x 10 = 200 tiles to cover the whole room.

Similarly the picture of the cat above is 350 pixels tall and 350 pixels wide. So the number of pixels in the picture or the pixel count of the picture is 360 x 360 = 122600 pixels. That’s 122600 little coloured squares that make up that picture.

A Megapixel is nothing but a collection of 1000000 pixels. Thus if you divide any pixel count by 1 million, you get the Megapixel count. So the Megapixel count of the above kitty is 122600 ÷ 1000000 = 0.1226 megapixels.

Wow, that was a lot of math up there. But do not worry. You don’t have to carry a calculator with your camera when you take pictures.

What does the megapixel count indicate

As I said, the number of megapixels actually lets you know the area of the picture you would be taking. So larger the Megapixel size, bigger the picture area.

Max Print Size	Typical Use	Minimum MP	Resolution
4 x 6″	- Photo Albums	2 megapixels	1600 x 1200
5 x 7”	- Photo Frames	3 megapixels	2048 x 1536
8 x1 0″	- Large Photo Frames	5 megapixels	2560 x 1920
11 x 14″	- Commercial Prints - Wallpaper	6 megapixels	2816 x 2112
16 x 20″	- Wallpaper - Hoarding Posters	8+ megapixels	3264 x 2468

The megapixel rating of a camera is the number of pixels on its photo sensor, the “film” or recording medium of the digital camera. The ability of the camera to record more pixels actually means that the camera can capture more of the image. This essentially translates into more detail in the picture.

So that more detail is supposed to be better, right??

Well, it depends. The detail that is captured on the camera’s sensor is only useful for the size of the print. When a high detail picture is resized to a small area, it is a sharp picture but the extra detail does not really add to the view. I took the picture below from my terrace. It is a 3 Megapixel picture.

The picture on the top is a small part of the larger picture at its real size. Notice the detail of the creek and the little cranes on the edge of the creek.

 

Now here is the whole photograph, resized to a smaller size to post on the blog. Notice the same creek but now the cranes are small specks. While the detail is there in both photographs [They’re the same photo], at a smaller size, the extra detail is insignificant. The same would happen if you clicked a 12 megapixel photograph and then got it printed to a 4” x 7” size to put in the photo album. 

Another important thing about large megapixel photographs is that the larger the megapixel size, the larger the size of the photo. a 5 MP photo is roughly about 2 Megabytes in size. While that’s not too big, going on a vacation with only a 4GB storage card in your camera and clicking high resolution 12 Megapixel photos will fill up your card very very quickly, while all you wanted to do was bring back some memories for a photo album.

In conclusion, while a large megapixel recording camera is good to have, when you look for a camera, keep in mind what you are going to photograph for?? For a photo album or the large frame in your office lobby or the large poster on the side of a apartment building?? If you did read my post on Camera types, here’s a recommendation:

Point and shoot cameras for shooting family occasions, portraits and scenery: 3 – 5 megapixel

Prosumer fixed lens cameras for amateur experimentative photography:  5 – 10 megapixel

dSLR cameras for experienced and commercial photographers: 12+ megapixel

Remember, you can buy bigger megapixels, but buying lesser megapixels when you don’t need them can save you quite a tidy sum. Now you do have something to say to that enthusiastic camera salesman.

Choosing a digital camera – camera types

With digital cameras getting cheaper and cheaper, its no wonder that with the coming holiday season, digital cameras come towards the top of the gifting options list. Most of the time, this consideration happens when one either wants to break into the bold new world of digital photography or when you want to move up to the next level of expertise.

Now before I go on, the statutory disclaimer. I am not a professional photographer. What I’m doing here is sharing my experience and method that I used when I went shopping. My advice is not the expert advice and I will not name any brands or camera models.

However what I will do is list out what I looked for when I bought my camera and how I chose it. I will also point you to places where you could find in-depth reviews of cameras carried out by experts in subsequent posts.

Here are some of the considerations to look for when you choose your camera:

How do you use your camera:

Before you go web surfing, you should go sit in your favourite chair, get a notepad and answer these few questions:

• What do I want to photograph? Am I only going to photograph people or nature or scenery or sports?
• When do I take photos? Am I going to spend a lot of time taking photos or just special occasions like birthdays and anniversaries?
• What am I going to do with my photographs? Keep them on my computer and share with friends? Print them and frame them? Sell them??
• How much time do I want to invest in learning to use my camera?
• And finally, how much money do I want to invest in my camera?

Digital cameras usually come in three main categories:

The “point and shoot” camera: This is the no-fuss no-nonsense camera. Specifically meant for people who just want to take some occasional pictures of friends and family and some sunsets. These cameras do not have a lot of settings and modes and are built to be simple to use, literally “point the camera at your subject and press the button”. These cameras are towards the lower end of the price spectrum and need very little time to learn to use. Usually these are the cameras you can gift away or use regularly.

The prosumer camera: This is the next level of camera complexity. The word prosumer is a portmanteau of the words proficient and consumer. Typically this camera is meant for people who want a little more control of their photography but do not want to be overwhelmed by a myriad of functions and settings. A prosumer camera gives the user more manual control on the photograph settings than the “point and shoot” and would need about a day or two and some tinkering to understand the different settings and modes available.

A user can very well buy a prosumer camera and use it like a “point and shoot” [In fact, a lot of show-offs do that ;-) ]. I personally feel that’s a waste of camera capability and money. A prosumer camera is somewhere mid-range on the price spectrum. Prosumer cameras are also alternately called fixed lens cameras, typically because the lens cannot be changed.

The professional dSLR: This is the big daddy in the camera world. At the very top end of the camera spectrum, the digital Single Lens Reflex camera is what photography professionals use. The dSLR has the advantage of multiple manual setting adjustments, interchangeable lenses and incredible control on every aspect of the photography process. It can take weeks to learn to use a dSLR to its full potential and usually with expert guidance in some aspects. These are also moderately to outrageously expensive and usually worth investing if one wants to graduate into commercial photography.

In conclusion, I’ll leave you with a handy table that’ll help you decide which camera is right for you:

FEATURE	POINT & SHOOT	FIXED LENS (PROSUMER)	dSLR
Typical Use	- Occasional photos	- Hobby photography - Experimentation and learning	- Professional or Commercial photography
Advantages	- Simple to use - Very affordable - Smaller and lighter	- Better manual control than P&S - Better zoom and picture quality	- Interchangeable lenses - Multiple accessories - Best manual controls and image quality
Disadvantages	- Too little control - Low image quality	- Not as much control as a dSLR - Lens is fixed, so not easily replaceable - Usually needs a camera bag	- Expensive - Always needs a camera bag for accessories - Heavier than the other cameras
Time to learn to use including reading the manual	A couple of hours	A day to a week with lots of experimenting	A couple of weeks with expert guidance sometimes
Price	Low [$50 – $ 200]	Medium [$350 – $ 650]	High [$800 upwards]
Buy this type of camera if…	- you want to take pictures once in a while - you want to take pictures quickly and easily - you want to carry your camera easily	- you want to learn digital photography - you want more control on your imaging - you like to get creative - you want the ability to click professional looking photographs on a budget	- you’re a professional photographer or want to be one - you want to gain mastery in digital photography - you want to sell your photos commercially - you have lots of money

So that’s my take on camera types. Do leave comments or queries if you have a specific question that needs answers. I promise I’ll either give you an answer or find you one.

The camera I use

Someone asked me what camera I use. I actually switch between two:

My main camera is a Panasonic Lumix DMC FZ-35 superzoom camera. Its not a SLR, so those readers who don't have an SLR, take heart. I'm gonna learn on this one. I chose this camera after a lot of research and reading reviews and also because I am not a professional photographer, so an SLR would be like buying a cow to get a glass of milk.. :)

My other camera is a Kodak Easyshare C713 point and shoot camera. This is the camera I used before I bought the FZ35 and it has caught some good captures. Its easy to carry around on those quick tours around the city or the ocassional hike.

I must mention a third camera and that has to be the 2 MP camera built into my Nokia E61i mobile phone. Its not the best of cameras on a phone, being fixed focus and all, but its handy. It goes wherever I go and I don't need to miss a moment due to the lack of a camera.

So that's it. My little arsenal.