Are more megapixels better?
By Gary Gray
I'm going to give my five cents worth of input on the never ending see-saw internet discussions.
Are more megapixels better? Yes. Maybe.
The megapixel race between camera manufacturers has made me think of what I consider to be the real problem with today's photography market.
Only a few years back, 6 megapixel cameras were considered a “pro” standard. That lasted, as does anything in the world of consumer electronics, about 2 years at best. Camera manufacturers soon increased the pixel counts on their standard DSLR's up to 8, then 10, then 12 then 14, 16, 21 and 24 megapixels. Where it ends, nobody knows, but I've read estimates of around 30 megapixels on a APS sensor being about the theoretical max. I'm not a sensor engineer so I don't have that answer.
Canon and Nikon are the two biggest players in the DSLR market and a majority of photographers use one or the other brand, sometimes both. Canon typically seems to be the manufacturer who bumps up the pixel count first. The Nikon D300, D700 and D3 are all 12 Megapixel bodies, but Nikon does offer the 24 Megapixel D3x, but at a price that is all but prohibitive for the average photographer out there. Canon on the other hand has recently jumped ahead with their newer line of consumer level DSLR's, upping the count to 15.1 mp on the 50D, 18 mp on the 7D and now their 1DMK IV at 16 mp.
The debate goes on and on. The internet experts all chime in, many complaining about the never ending megapixel race. You'll hear some Nikon owners saying that more isn't better and that they'll take 12 good megapixels over 16 bad megapixels any day. Well, that's all well and fine, but to my knowledge and experience, there are no bad 16 megapixel cameras on the market. I want to know exactly which 16 megapixel camera bodies they refer to when making such an ignorant statement.
To my way of thinking, there is only one primary reason for having more megapixels in your camera sensor and that is to have more image resolution for making larger prints. My perspective is that of a photographer who makes his own prints from my own and other photographer's images. I don't care much about 4x6's, 5x7's, or even 8x10 inch prints. The smallest print I even fool with is 11x14 and I regularly make prints up to 44 inches. To me, the final result and consideration for most photographs I take using my digital cameras is the print.
At image sizes commonly used on the internet, 4 megapixels is over-kill and for print sizes up to 8x10 inches it is just fine. To get a high quality 11 x 14 inch print, you'll need at least 6-8 megapixels, to get a high quality 16 x 20 inch print, you'll need at least 12 megapixels. For larger prints, you can push your images but you'll begin losing a bit of resolution and those prints will still look “good” but I can gaurantee you that there is a difference between 15 megapixels on a 20 x 30 print and 8 megapixels on a 20 x 30 print.
When you choose your camera body, I advise you to take into consideration the size of the print you want to be able to make. Personally, I want to be able to make “good” quality prints up to 24 x 36 inches on a regular basis. As a result of this need, I use cameras that have as high a megapixel count sensor as I can afford. I can't push a 8 megapixel camera to a 24 x 36 inch print size and get what I consider to be an excellent print.
You'll hear some “experts” talking about how more megapixels are a waste and how it makes photographers lazy by relying on those extra megapixels to make crops instead of taking the time to compose their images better. This is a very short sighted thing to say and think.
All things being equal, I'll take more megapixels every day of the week. I regularly frame my photographs and most common frame sizes are not in a 4x6 aspect ratio. Most common frame sizes are 8x10, 11x14, 16x20, 18x24, 20x24, 20x30 and 24x36. Yeah, you can find other sizes, but walk into the local store that sells picture frames and see what your choices are. Mostly you'll find 8x10, 11x14 and 16x20 inch frames. Cruise the internet frame store and see what they are offering. I seldom take a photograph with a 4x6 (2/3) image ratio with the intent of framing that photo with that exact frame size ratio. When my customers purchase a print, they want a print size they can frame cheaply. A 2/3 aspect ratio print smaller than 20x30 inches will most likely require a custom frame to be made, and that custom framing can cost 5-10 times more than an off the shelf frame.
I compose and shoot my images knowing full well that I'll be cropping that image to a common frame size, most likely a 11x14 or 16x20. If I need to go up to a 20x30 or a 24x36, I can still use the original image ratio or even re-crop while maintaining the original ratio of the camera.
When you hear somebody complain about the megapixel race, you're more likely hearing somebody complaining about the fact they purchased a 10 or 12 megapixel body and now the market has moved beyond that standard and they are behind the curve and hate the thought of buying a new & better camera. It's rationalization and lamenting the fact that they don't have the latest-greatest camera body in their kit. My response to this rationalization is to keep your print sizes to the ability of your camera and don't worry about it. If you have an emotional or financial need to make larger prints, get the equipment you need to produce higher resolution images. What ever the case may be, live with the results of your decisions and stop whining about megapixel races.
The real issue, and this is an issue that doesn't seem to be getting any yak time on the internet is the issue of commonly available picture frame sizes. I wish some of these internet experts would chime in on this issue and lose the need to bark about megapixels, because I find it the most compelling problem in the market segment I work. Most of the common frame sizes available commercially are not in the same image ratios that most of todays cameras are using. The picture frame market is still weighted to image ratios that were more commonly found on older film cameras. The 2/3 ratio is now the most common ratio in the world and frame manufacturers, suppliers and retailers don't seem to grasp this fact.
If you want a little better understanding of how large you can print with your camera, take a look at my write up on the 300 dpi print myth.
In the meantime, I say crop your photographs all you like. Just try to keep the crop size that matches your intended print size. Cropping your images is not making you a lazy photographer. Cropping is a tool in your kit. For somebody to say that cropping is wrong, it's like saying that having a certain size of screwdriver in your toolbox is wrong and that you're not tightening screws properly if you have to use the right tool for the job. Real photographers use all the tools they have at their disposal and don't cripple themselves because somebody else is unhappy about the fact they can't afford a better camera.
Have fun and don't forget to take the lens cap off.