How Many Megapixels Do You Need?

Left Image: Canon EOS D30, Tamron 70-210mm f-2.8 lens, 1/750 sec at f-8, multisegment metering. Bogen monopod.

Film and digital cameras are just tools we use for taking pictures. Both systems are very much alike in terms of actual picture taking procedures and features. Digital photography is still photography. Everything is still the same except film is replaced with sensors and pixels. Quality photographs can be made with any SLR camera. Film cameras, regardless of the model of format, have nothing to do with the quality of the final image. Film cameras are just boxes that hold the film flat during exposure. That’s it. Everything else built into them including autofocus, auto-bracketing, exposure modes, etc. are just extras to make our photography much easier. The quality of the final image depends on the quality of the lens and film we choose, and more importantly, the technique we use to take pictures. Good technique, a solid tripod, combined with a quality lens and film always produce professional quality images no matter what type of film camera you use.

This whole procedure is still true today with digital cameras. Even though good technique is always the key for quality images, you still need a solid tripod with a quality lens regardless of how sophisticated your camera is. What has really changed with digital cameras is how the image is recorded. Images are recorded on film with 35mm, medium formats, and large format cameras. Type of film and format always play a major role in traditional photography. A slow, fine grain film produces best grain and sharpness. The larger the film format, the more details that can be reproduced from any negative or slide. Professional photographers use the slowest ISO films possible for best results. Some use medium or large format cameras to get more sharpness and detail.

Digital cameras on the other hand, use pixels to put pieces of an image together to produce a final image the way we see them in real life. You take the picture and your digital camera starts processing the image by putting millions of tiny little pixels together. It then saves the final processed image onto cards that are like mini computer hard drives. More pixels always mean more detail and sharpness. That is, if you still use good technique with a solid tripod and a quality lens.  Without good technique your pictures will be worthless no matter how many pixels your camera has.

How many pixels do you need? It all depends. This is like asking someone if they need a 35mm camera or a larger format. Different photographers have different needs. I use digital, 35mm, medium format and large format. I use different formats depending on the situation. If I need the best possible results for larger prints, my medium format or large format systems will be my choice of equipment.  For faster and easier operations, my digital SLR or 35mm cameras are the best choices. It is best to buy the highest megapixel camera you can afford. You may not need 8 megapixels for most of your photography, but it will be available to you just in case you need it. If you mainly shoot for yourself as a hobby and like to share your pictures with friends and family over the internet, then a 3 or 4 megapixel camera is more than enough. For making prints with best quality, the more megapixels the better. Having a camera with 8 or more mega pixels is like having several film cameras in one. You can quickly change resolution without having to carry several cameras and still get the pixels you want. Always shoot at the highest resolution you camera has to offer. This will give you the maximum possible pixels just in case you need to make larger prints or for other reproductions.



Right Image: Canon EOS 20D, Tokina ATX 20-35mm lens, 1/4 sec  at f-11

Don’t envy cameras 11 or 16 mega pixels. Those cameras don’t necessarily give better results for most people who generally shoot as a hobby. A 6 megapixel EOS Rebel digital or Nikon D70 for instance, are excellent choices for most amateur and advanced amateur. I have used from a 3 megapixel Cannon EOS D-30 to the newer EOS D-20 which has 8 megapixels. I can tell you one thing. I can get quality results with either camera, simply because I know how to use my system. I’m not too worried about my older 3 megapixel images that I took with the EOS D-30. The images I have on file with this camera are of very good quality and capable of producing 8x10 prints or even 11x14. If I ever need more pixels from old images, I use Extensis SMARTSCALE software to increase resolution. SMARTSCALE is a plug-in software for increasing pixels with little or no loss of image quality.

Don’t be tempted by more megapixels just for the sake of having it. Unless you need more pixels, your current camera should be enough. Would you buy a medium format camera for better results than your 35mm? If so, then a digital SLR with more resolution might be a good purchase as well. Otherwise, invest your money in a better tripod or lens. Always have a good reason why you should buy or upgrade to a another piece of equipmentt. Only you can decide what you need.