Why megapixels are important

So, typically a camera that boasts a high megapixel count also comes with a faster processing chip as well. Although it has been established that the total amount of megapixels does not relate to the quality of the photo, that does not mean the megapixel count is entirely irrelevant.

There is some importance to megapixel count, but only if they are paired with the other external needs of the camera. The megapixel count helps provide a quality image, but it does not directly create a better one. Therefore, for a certain sensor size, the more megapixels a camera has, the smaller the area that can be assigned to every pixel. On the actual sensor are specific points of contact, called pixels.

These pixels take the energy waves of the light rays and convert them to electronic signals. This conversion is why having a higher count of total pixels creates a sharper image when printing. It almost works like shooting in RAW; with more information and data available, you can make more adjustments in post-production and scale without loss of data. The direct correlation between the sensor and megapixel count can be understood as the sensor is divided into smaller squares.

Each square can hold up to a certain amount of pixels before the square is filled. Once the square is filled to the brim, no more pixels or information can be read by the sensor. Thus, the sensor is essential to the megapixel amount as you do not want to bog down your processor with excess data.

Take a look at this article where we explain the differences among Megapixels Megabyte and Resolution. The reason megapixel count is important for your photography needs is mainly because of the resulting image. If you are someone who needs to print out your photographs for any reason, the amount of megapixels is crucial.

The higher the megapixel count, the larger you can print. However, if you are someone who needs to photograph things on the move or relies on quicker camera responses, the amount of megapixels does not have as high of an impact. In fact, it might be in your best interest to find a camera with a lower megapixel count, rather than higher. The short answer is no! However, it depends on the situation. As stated before, there are a few more elements that go into what quality of photo you will produce beyond the number of megapixels your camera can handle.

The main two factors that have to be on par with the number of megapixels your camera has to produce the highest quality photos are:.

If these two factors are matched with the megapixels, then yes, having more megapixels could mean a better photo quality. However, if one of these factors is off especially the camera sensor , then the number of megapixels you have would not make a difference in photo quality. If you are printing, you want a higher number of megapixels. With higher megapixel counts, you can print larger photos with more details. Any amount of megapixels within a camera can print at any size; however, they will lose quality and cause blurs because of the inability to process more dots or pixels within one square inch.

The more megapixels your camera has, the sharper your printed image will come out as it will be able to relay more information in the form of higher dpi count. This is especially important for any prints that will be looked at up close. For example, magazines are printed at dpi, and some art galleries print their photos at dpi. To maintain the sharpness and avoid an unprofessional look from your print, you need a higher megapixel count. If you are shooting in RAW format, you will want more megapixels.

This will increase the overall information being processed into the saved image for complete control in the post-production process.

However, it should be noted that you will need a large storage unit for all the files. The megapixel count can have an impact on your print photography. Although it may seem like more megapixels are better, there are times in which you would want to have a lower megapixel count for your camera. It will always come down to the type of photography you are doing, but here are the top three reasons you would not want more megapixels. Megapixels work by converting more information per square inch of captured reflections from the lens to a digital format the SD card.

Although it may seem like you would want as much information on your card as possible when shooting something, the opposite is true for any situation that needs continuous shooting such as event photography. Like the debate between whether to shoot RAW, shooting on a camera with a higher megapixel count means that your camera processor needs more time between each shot taken.

It has to process all the information and convert it from analog to digital. This means that there is slower continuous shooting with higher megapixels. Especially for event photography, this can be a significant disadvantage as you may miss a perfect photo opportunity from your camera, essentially lagging. If you are someone who relies heavily on autofocus features, then a camera with a higher megapixel will become a hindrance.

Most of the processor speed is going towards capturing all the information, rather than the autofocus feature. This does not mean the autofocus would not work at all, but it does mean you should plan for slower responses and possibly less crisp focus. Dividing the width of the sensor 5.

The table below shows a range of typical photosite sizes for current consumer digicams in red and DSLR cameras in green with typical examples for each resolution category. The more photons collected, the more information the camera can process — and the less the image is affected by the background noise that is generated by all electronic devices, which is relatively constant.

The diagram below illustrates why larger photosites are less affected by noise than smaller photosites. But the amount of background noise is the same for both photosites. Consequently, the larger photosite has a much better signal-to-noise ratio. It can also collect more light with the same exposure time and, therefore, respond with higher sensitivity. Identifying Image Noise In most cases, noise can only be seen when the image is enlarged substantially — at least times.

Sometimes you may see a pattern of tiny white or coloured dots, scattered randomly throughout the image. Noise also reduces the sharpness of edges between bright and dark areas in the picture and can make it look unsharp and a little flat. Sometimes noise can only be seen in shadowed areas, where exposure levels are low. It is common for this shadow noise to show a pattern of coloured dots.

Our regular camera tests consistently show that cameras with smaller sensors fail to achieve this in bright conditions. In contrast, DSLR sensors with larger photosites can usually record the full dynamic range in the subject although you may need to shoot raw files in order to extract all the highlight and shadow details in brilliant sunshine. Note the lack of detail in the bright areas on the left wall of the house and also under the verandah near the front door.

Contrast these areas with a similar shot taken with a DSLR camera, which can capture a full range of tones in both brightly-lit and shadowed areas because of its larger photosites. Five megapixels is probably the limit of resolving power for most point-and-shoot camera lenses. A megapixel in a camera denotes the resolution in which the camera captures the image. It is the digital resolution of the photo or video it is capable of capturing. So for example, a megapixel camera would shoot images with a resolution of x pixels.

Similarly, an 8-megapixel shooter will get us images with a resolution of x Now a higher megapixel does mean that the image that you click will be sharper with a good amount of detail, thanks to a higher resolution.

The lens is the first thing that the subject will come across while capturing its image. The lens allows the input of light which hits the sensor, so the quality of the glass on the smartphone camera is of utmost importance. Nokia 8 boasts to feature the Zeiss lens.

The lens of the camera is also responsible for the amount of light it is capable of capturing, using its aperture. The image sensor is responsible to register the image that is derived from the lens. A sensor basically captures the lights from the lens and converts it into electronic signals. This not only includes the resolution, i. And whenever ISO in a camera is bumped, so is the noise or the spots in an image.

A good image sensor will generate less amount of noise, as opposed to a bad sensor. Sony is one of the leading creators of smartphone camera sensors, one of them is in the Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, which is the best smartphone camera as of now. After the sensor has received and converted the lights to a digital signal, the image goes through a series of post-processing, using artificial intelligence to make the image look good.