Megapixels-photo dorks help us out

[natas]

Ok, back when digi cams first got popular mega pixels made a huge difference. When I had a 2.1 and upgraded to a 3 I saw a big difference when printing.

What I want to know is this. Are the prints better now because of the higher megal-pixels or because the sensor is just better.

When I decide on my DSLR should I determine my choice because its more megapixels. The problem I am seeing is that I can get a really nice 6mp DSLR or a moderate 10mp DSLR.

To you photographers out there, will a good 6MP DSLR allow you to print fairly large prints. I heard that 8MP is the magic number for DSLR.

[John_White]

The limiting factor on printed images is the quality of the printer. Whether you have a 3.1mp or a 20mp camera the printers output is limited to 300 to 600 dpi in most cases. Printers of today are using better algorithms and can produce better looking prints from limited information (lower megapixel cameras) than those of just a few years ago.
This is an informative read: The Megapixel Myth

[natas]

Yeah, I read the MegaPixel Myth article a few weeks ago, but after reading some of the comments left by people it made me rethink the article.

He does bring up valid point, but I just don't know what to really think. If I get into this, I am not going to be using a home Photo printer because I still don't like the results when compared to it getting printed on a nice Dye-sub printer.

[brianb1998]

i dont know but i just bought the sony cybershot dsc-t100 point and shoot camera and i have yet to take a picture i didnt like just look at the ones of my water dragon http://redtailboa.net/forums/post-yo...hould-pro.html

[John_White]

If you have a good camera shop in your area, they should be able to show you samples of different megapixel cameras and their respective output.

[cherrykasper]

Quality of images and prints relies heavily on numberous factors, not just one. I have a Nikon D50, which is a 6mp DSLR. I am in a photo class in which the check out cameras are 8mp. I have used the Canon Digital Rebel XT (the check out camera) a time or two, and along side about half the class who uses them, the pictures show little difference, in terms of clarity due to megapixels. 8mp is the "magic number" in terms of professional cameras, but I'd take a great 6mp camera over a moderate 10mp camera anyday.

I can say that under the same circumstances, Canons tend to sharper, but have more noise, and Nikons tend to be slightly less sharp, with much less noise.

Quality of the lens on a DSLR is probably your most important factor. There are $150 lenses and $500 lenses that have the same range, but the components of the higher end lenses will defiantely show.

Printers will greatly affect your print quality, but if you don't have the image first, it doesn't really matter.

And lastly, the photographer matters. There is a student in the class that has a 10+mp DSLR who hasn't quite grasped the technical aspects yet. While this student takes very nice images compositionally, without being able to control the technical aspects, it doesn't show through as well.

I hope this helps!

If you haven't already, I'd recommend snooping around dpreview.com. I looked on that site on and off for nearly a year before deciding on a camera. They are a great resource.

[John_White]

BTW - Who are you calling a dork?

You got that wedding cake picked out yet?
Better yet, just give me you girlfriends email address. I want to make sure that she realizes that this wedding is a once in a lifetime event and just how important it is to have *every* *single* detail worked out with the groom in advance.

[natas]

LOL. Man, we have a year to plan and things are already getting stressful. When its your own money paying for a wedding its gets a little stressfull