Posts filed under 'World Digital Camera'
Panasonic Unveils Touch-Screen LUMIX Digital Camera
HULIQ, NC
Panasonic announces the LUMIX DMC-FX500, the company’s first digital camera with a 3-inch touch-screen LCD – also featuring a 25mm ultra-wide-angle Leica DC lens, 5x optical zoom and 10.1 megapixels.
With a dual control system using both touch-screen and joystick operation, the ability to record High Definition (HD) video and advanced Intelligent Auto technologies, the FX500 packs innovative features and intuitive design, helping consumers enrich the digital photography experience and take better photos.
“With the FX500’s touch-screen operation, we are giving our consumers a new interface that we think will prove extremely intuitive during playback, photo organization and of course – helping to take high-quality photos,†said Alex Fried, National Marketing Manager, Imaging, Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company. “The FX500 represents a new flagship model for Panasonic, as we add brand-new capabilities to our already popular, slim and stylish FX-Series of LUMIX digital cameras and we introduce another model that features a 25mm ultra-wide-angle lens.â€
The FX500 has a hybrid control system that combines joystick control with touch-screen operation, so users can make fine adjustments by touch, using their finger, or the LUMIX stylus-pen that comes with the FX500. In manual exposure mode, adjustments can be made using the on-screen sliders to adjust aperture and shutter speeds. In playback mode, a new Easy Organization menu allows for photos to be selected and viewed by scrolling through the thumbnails located below the main window. Then, users can edit the titles using an on-screen keyboard.
The FX500 expands Panasonic’s family of wide-angle LUMIX digital cameras and joins the Panasonic LUMIX DMC-FX35 as an ultra-wide-angle lens with a 25mm wide-angle lens, which can capture almost double the photo area at the same shooting distance compared with a conventional 35mm lens*. Also new to the FX500 is Auto Focus (AF) tracking, a feature that tracks the photo subject even if it moves after the AF is set – especially helpful for catching active children or pets.
Panasonic’s iA (Intelligent Auto) mode is an advanced system of technologies that engage automatically, so the user does not have to change any settings. Maximizing the iA mode, users can go a step further and easily set auto focus and exposure by simply touching the screen. This kind of quick, easy operation is made possible with the touch-screen technology.
.Intelligent Exposure – To help correct photos from being under- or over-exposed, the FX500 instantly analyzes the framed image and adjusts the brightness in areas that are too dark because of dim lighting, backlighting or the use of the flash.
· Digital Red-eye Correction– Helps eliminate the red-eye problem that sometimes results when taking flash shots at the night. Incorporated into the built-in flash, the camera emits a small preliminary flash before the main flash, detects red-eye and digitally corrects it.
· MEGA O.I.S. – Gyrosensors detect hand-shake and the lens system shifts to compensate, helping to prevent hand-shake from creating a blurry image.
· Intelligent ISO – Determines if the photo subject is moving and changes the ISO setting and shutter speed accordingly.
· Intelligent Scene Selector – Senses the ambient conditions, recognizes the shooting environment and automatically selects the appropriate scene mode from: Scenery, Portrait, Macro, Night Portrait or Night Scenery mode.
· Face Detection – Detects faces anywhere in the frame and automatically chooses the optimal focus and exposure settings so portraits come out clear and crisp. Detecting up to 15 faces, Panasonic’s Face Detection can even track a face if the subject is moving.
· Continuous AF – Maintains focus on the subject even without the user pressing a shutter button halfway, thus minimizing the AF time.
Other features include its ability to take1280 x 720p HD video content and still photos with a 16:9 aspect ratio, perfect for viewing on an HDTV. In addition, the FX500 incorporates the Venus Engine IV processor, featuring more advanced digital signal processing technology for taking even higher-quality images. The fdsa proprietary Venus Engine IV also heightens the detection accuracy and corrective features in both MEGA O.I.S. and Intelligent ISO Control.
The Panasonic LUMIX DMC-FX500 will be available in black and silver models for a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $399.95 in May 2008.-Panasonic
March 24th, 2008
Panasonic Announces Touchscreen Digital Camera With HD Video
Wired News
The touch user interface is slowly creeping into every relevant gadget and Panasonic is getting into the game by releasing a touchscreen-operated point-and-shoot camera today. The Panasonic LUMIX FX500 will feature a 3-inch LCD touch UI allowing you to touch-adjust aperture and shutter settings, and even set the focus and exposure frames in the middle of a recording.
There’s also a new Easy Organization feature where you organize your pictures by touching a picture thumbnail to select, and then an onscreen keyboard pops up so that you can title each picture. That is much better than waiting after upload them to the PC.
But Panasonic didn’t go completely naked into the touchscreen-only night, like Apple did with the iPhone. Instead, they hedged their bets by mixing in a regular joystick and an odd, key-like stylus that’s begging to be lost. Maybe next time they’ll have the courage to go the full monty.
The FX500 will also feature the latest 25mm ultra-wide angle Leica DC lens, go up to a 5x optical zoom set, and stays at the 10.1-megapixel level of the other top-line cams.
It will also record HD video at 1280 x 720p and HD stills with a 16:9 aspect ratio. In addition, there’s Auto Focus (AF) tracking, a burst shooting mode high at 6 frames/sec, and a full-resolution burst mode at 2.5 frames/sec.
The camera is scheduled to come out (in black and silver models) around the middle of May, for $400.
So that’s ‘the touch’ in another gadget. Not quite the same as the touch leader, but it is another mark on the way to the feature’s ubiquity. Even if it’s not true that every gadget needs the touch, manufacturers have psyched themselves out into believing this is so.
In the words of the late Johnnie Cochran, “If it doesn’t have touch, the other gadgets will eat it for lunch. I’m not exaggerating much — wait, hear that crunch? That’s your non-touch gadget young man.â€
March 19th, 2008
Nikon connects its new S51c camera to the net with Wi-Fi capability, but are its photos worth uploading?
infoSync World, Norway
The Wi-Fi functionality in Nikon’s Coolpix S51c just might be an evolutionary step for point-and-shoot (perhaps all) cameras, but it isn’t quite intuitive yet. Too bad, because it’s otherwise the camera’s best feature: for a $250 MRSP, the image-quality is average at best and the video-quality outright mediocre, and curiously Nikon’s software bundle includes a multi-image panorama utility but no basic editing-software. For users who crave the immediacy of Wi-Fi uploading, the S51c may fit the bill, but others could do better for less money. Release: September 2007. Price: $250.
Pros: Wi-Fi connectivity, panorama-assist utility, external charger, film-grainy noise
Cons: Unwieldy ergonomics, Wi-Fi can be flaky over WEP and troublesome to setup for WPA/WPA-2, no editing software, average image-quality, terrible video-quality
March 18th, 2008
In era of gadgets, old ways are still best
People’s Daily Online, China
The simpler, the better.
In preparing to cover this year’s two-week legislative meeting, the newspaper I work for asked Wang Wenlan, a veteran photographer, to give writers a crash course on how to snap pictures for those occasions when our photographers are not immediately available.
“All you need is a foolproof camera, which allows you to do your work conveniently, without distracting or offending the subject,” Wang said.
The simple solution offered by the award-winning vice-chairman of the China Photographers Association echoed in my mind, as I believe the same simplicity could be applied to journalism in the digital era, when the profession has been complicated and journalists are sometimes bewildered by new must-have gadgets.
I am referring to the all of the high-tech “weaponry” available – the Internet surfing PDAs, digital recorders and video cameras that some of the people covering the session are carrying.
A humble pen and notepad, plus some curiosity and observant eyes and ears are all that reporters really need to do their job.
I have covered the annual legislative sessions for seven years in a row. In 2001, I went to the conference carrying nothing more than a notebook, a ball-point pen and a tape recorder. This year, my only change was to switch to a digital audio recorder.
While the recorder has helped reduce the odds of misquoting someone, I find relying on it for interviews leads not only to time-consuming transcribing afterwards, but also makes some speakers shy or more careful.
The popularity of the Internet increased in China, offering reporters a new tool to use when looking for clues and doing research. But I found an obsession with the Web could lead to a very dull experience for reporters.
While the Internet speeds up the flow of information, some go to extremes. At a press conference on agriculture last week, a few reporters walked out midway through because on-the-spot stenographers were helping designated websites broadcast the meeting online, offering full texts of the questions and answers in “real-time”.
Even if one is toiling for new media, the traditional approach to journalism is still essential when it comes to telling a story.
For example, this year our newspaper for the first time invited senior lawmakers and policy advisors to our website for online chat sessions with Internet users.
Even with digital recordings, video streaming being the “infrastructure”, I find that good moderators will employ those time-tested journalism skills – asking questions and stimulating the guests to respond.
Our guest last Tuesday was lawmaker Zhou Qiang, who is also governor of Hunan province, who came to our chat room and talked to netizens about topics ranging from snowstorm relief to investment. I did not miss the points like “How has your law education influenced your career as one of the youngest provincial chiefs in China at 47?”
Perhaps what Wang Wenlan really wanted to convey was this: For reporters, it is not the tool that matters so much as the way it is used.
Source: China Daily
March 17th, 2008
Canon Digital Ixus 900 Ti
PC Authority, Australia
The “Ti†in 900 Ti means this Ixus boasts a titanium shell and, despite its elegant looks, it feels almost bulletproof. It’s a regular Canon at heart, though, so if you’ve used a Digital Ixus before you’ll instantly be at home. Newcomers may find it takes a few outings for the controls to become second nature, but once you’ve acclimatised to the system it’s consistent and responsive.
On automatic settings, the 900 Ti produced sharp, well-exposed images across all of our tests. In our outdoor test, it produced a very appealing shot, with balanced lighting and the sort of crisp detail you’d expect with a 10-megapixel CCD. At extreme close-up in Photoshop, we saw some noise and smudgy colouring in areas of low contrast, but don’t be alarmed by this: the high resolution means that even if you blow your prints up to A3, such flaws should be imperceptible from normal viewing distances.
The camera’s macro mode achieved a focal distance of around 5cm – not exceptional, but fine for most uses. Colours were perhaps a little less vibrant than those produced by some other cameras, but more accurately represented the actual lighting conditions.
Our twilight test revealed an excellent dynamic range: although dark areas were predictably underexposed, the camera still captured a remarkable amount of detail, which we were easily able to recover in Photoshop. There’s no anti-shake mode as such, but the camera’s ISO 3200 setting allowed us to take relatively sharp low-light shots without a tripod. Movies were acceptably clear and smooth at 640 x 480 and, while there’s the first 1024 x 768 mode we’ve seen, it cuts the frame rate to a jerky 15fps.
If the Ixus 900 Ti has a drawback, it’s the 3x optical zoom, which is really the bare minimum for a modern compact digital camera. The 10-megapixel output gives you plenty of scope to work around this by cropping your pictures before printing them, but it would have been nice not to have to.
Apart from this, the 900 Ti does more or less everything right. It’s small yet tough, so you can carry it everywhere with you, and it uses standard SD cards and a standard mini-USB cable for total convenience. If you want a longer zoom, you might find the Sony DSC-T100 more approachable, but if you value versatility and portability the Ixus 900 Ti is a winner.
March 17th, 2008
Canon Expands Digital Elph Series
PC Magazine
Canon announced three new PowerShot cameras on Wednesday with improved face detection and a new Intelligent Anti-Blur system.
by David Gussman
Canon today announced three new updates to its already outstanding Digital Elph camera line: the PowerShot SD890 IS, SD790 IS, and SD770 IS. All models feature 10 megapixels, include a new Intelligent Anti-Blur system, and improved face detection. The main differences can be found in body design, but I expect similar results and image quality from each.
The high-end SD890 IS replaces the SD850 IS, and features a 5X optical zoom, 2.5-inch LCD screen, and a 37–185mm equivalent lens. The SD890 has more of a curve at the end of it than the SD850, and is slightly smaller.
The SD790 IS will replace the SD750, and has a 3X optical zoom, 35–105mm equivalent lens, and a 3-inch LCD screen. Of the three cameras announced, the SD790 exhibits the most design changes. For example, Canon’s familiar wheel on the back of the camera has been redesigned; it’s more touch friendly with raised bumps to help in accessing settings while concentrating on taking the shot.
The most interesting model, however, goes to the SD770 IS. The least expensive of the three, (and another camera replacing the popular SD1000), it resembles the SD1000 in that instead of the new curvaceous design of the recently released SD1100 IS, it keeps the box-like design that users seemed to respond to.
Each new model shares a number of fresh features, too. The improved face detection mode includes the ability to detect up to nine faces, and a new autofocus feature gives users more options when shooting a particular scene. Even more, when a face is detected, the camera will automatically select the proper white balance, flash setting, and exposure if needed, and will also automatically correct red eye while shooting.
Also improved is image stabilization. Canon is now referring to it as the Intelligent Anti-Blur system. Combining optical image stabilization, motion detection, Hi-ISO auto, and noise reduction, camera shake has been significantly reduced. In addition, Canon is claiming that images will basically be free of movement because its new system actually moves the lens to compensate for shake. Of course, I’ll have to wait and see if it truly works, once I get these models into the PC Magazine Labs.
The Canon PowerShot SD890 IS, SD790 IS, and SD770 IS will be available in early April and will sell for $399.99, $349.99, and $299.99, respectively.
March 14th, 2008
Panasonic DMC-FZ18 digital camera review
Pocket-lint.co.uk, UK
13 March 2008 – When I first prized the FZ18 from its box, two things, the small size, and the rather uninspiring plastic build struck me. Even turning the thing on, which is a fleet affair, takes less than a second and the enormous zoom range on offer does not make itself apparent at first. This is because the impressive lens only protrudes an inch at the full 504mm end of the zoom; at the wide end, the lens protrudes less than a quarter of an inch.
That lens also has a respectable maximum aperture range providing an F/2.8 to F/4.2 at the extremes of the zoom. This becomes important because you need as much light as you can get into the thing, as those zoom ratios increase, helping prevent camera shake (hand wobble) problems. But Panasonic has dealt with that too.
The FZ18 has OIS or Optical Image Stabilisation in two modes (and an off setting) that provide continuous stabilisation (mode 1) and stabilisation only when the shutter release is pressed (mode 2), which is actually the more effective of the two.
In short, the FZ18 is a camera that will be as at home among bird watchers and wildlife photographers as it will among family snappers or those who prefer shooting wider vistas.
Zooming is responsive and speeds up (there are two speeds) the harder you press the zoom lever, plus the zoom motion is smooth throughout the range. Interestingly, the image size can be adjusted too, which can have the effect of increasing the zoom ratio to a maximum 28.8x magnification without loss of quality
But it’s not all lens. The camera also features a set of features and handling capabilities akin to the growing band of consumer D-SLRs. The bridge-style design means the prominent hand grip offers reassuring one handed control (though even with OIS, you not want to shoot one handed at full zoom) and allows easy reach for your fingers across all the top late controls, the zoom lever and the overly recessed shutter button and is the one control that seemed to have an unattractive handling foible.
Having said that, the large top plate mode dial is great to use, even wearing gloves, it is deeply knurled for “gripinessâ€. Here you can get at the main shooting modes that include a set of subject program modes (including portrait and landscape modes) and the key manual options of program, manual, aperture and shutter priority.
Add to this an intelligent auto mode that picks the most appropriate subject program mode (portrait MODE for a portrait, for example), ideal for novice users, or those wanting to get snapping as quickly as possible.
Add to this custom setting options, where you can quickly call upon up to three previously saved set up options, a VGA, 30fps movie mode and get access to a further 14-subject programs including party, fireworks and a high sensitivity setting. The latter has a downside however, as it cuts the resolution available to a maximum or 3-megapixels in the 4:3-ratio shooting option.
And speaking of image format ratios, the camera can be adjusted to shoot at the 4:3 ratio as above but also at 3:2 and 16:9 widescreen ratios, these modes crop part of the sensor (with a commensurate drop in resolution) but they offer further flexibility.
As you can already tell, the FZ18 is packed full of kit, but further features of note include user defined intelligent ISO settings which can be capped to use any ISO setting up to ISO 400, ISO 800 or ISO 1600, depending on how far you want the camera to switch under given lighting.
Manual focus control is included and a superb macro setting can get you as close as 1cm from the subject, so almost touching the lens. The 2.5-inch screen is nice to use and includes display information from framing guides to an active histogram and an animated display for mode selection, reflecting the operation of the top plate mode dial.
A small rather fiddly joystick control on the camera’s back, just above a four-way controller allows you to adjust and scroll around settings such as aperture changes, manual focusing and exposure compensation adjustment. If feels superfluous to me (why not use the four-way jog controls for all such controls?) but does offer a familiar control interface.
The electronic viewfinder (EVF) is actually rather good, as EVFs go, with an 188,000-pixel resolution and 100% filed of view mirroring perfectly the larger screen.
Other advanced controls includes an AF/AE lock and the AF provides face detection AF, multi-area focusing with 11 selectable focus zones, you get two high speed focus modes that restrict the AF to one large central AF zone or three smaller ones across the frame or you can fix the AF to a single, small AF zone. Auto bracketing is in there too as is, in playback mode, a clever image group mode, by date for example and there’s a neat calendar view.
And so to image quality and performance. Images are very nice overall with images a little too vibrant out of the box; of course, you can adjust such things to your own liking. Images are detailed and both metering and focusing is actually rather good.
The camera’s small 1/2.5-inch sized sensor means noise rears its head at ISO’s above 400 but it is never terrible and thanks to the ability to cap the top ISO setting, you can combine maximum apertures and OIS to help get the shot you want in lower lighting without resorting to the highest sensitivities.
The small sensor can capture most of the detail the lens is capable of producing, noise processing can affect detail (see comments on higher ISOs above) but not overly, which means Panasonic’s done a darn good job working around the compromises of sensitivity, noise and image degradation because of both issues.
Add to this mix RAW capture and although it’s one of the more expensive superzoom models on the market, it offers a superior package to any of them.
This camera is a combination of high end features, nice handling and good image quality with an astonishing 18 zoom lens crow barred in to a compact body making the Panasonic DMC-FZ18 a real contender for those looking to buy a camera that can be (almost) all things to all photographers.
March 13th, 2008
CeBit 08: Samsung Shows off Cameras
Techtree.com, India
We reported about Samsung’s myriad announcements at CeBit 08. The company has also showcased two of its newer digital cameras. Here’s looking at them…
The one, the GX-20 — a DSLR fitted with a high-quality APS-C size (about 23.4 x 15.6mm) 14.6 mega pixels CMOS image sensor, and the other, the NV24HD — a premium HD compact digital camera.
An intermediate-level DSLR camera targeted at families, amateur photographers, and professionals, the GX-20 has been released in the Korean market this month. It comes with a 14.6M CMOS image sensor with vibration-type Optical Image Stabilization (OIS), dual dust removal function, and other image correction functions that promise to take images to the next level in terms of clarity and precision.
Samsung claims GX-20′s CMOS sensor is the fruit of two years labor that began in 2006, and boasts the advantage of extended battery use in-sync with low power consumption. The CMOS sensor improves upon the amount of light received per unit area through refinement of the circuit process, promising clear images with high definition and color reliability. The image sensor vibration-type OIS quickly detects minor vibrations of the hand, and minimizes camera shake by moving the image sensor in a direction opposite to that of the shake.
The GX-20 is optimized for resistance to dust and water. The dual dust removal function prevents microscopic dust from getting absorbed onto the image sensor. And if at all, dust does get absorbed, the vibrating image sensor system helps shake it all off.
The GX-20 supports high sensitivity ISO 3200 (ISO 6400 in the user setting), and integrates upgraded image correction technologies such as HDR or High Dynamic Range function for a wider gamut of expressions. For professionals, the camera comes geared with X-sync for connection with an external flash, one-touch RAW and JPEG conversion button, plus upbeat RAW format conversion software.
A high-quality 2.7-inches LCD, and a live-view function for shooting subjects by directly looking at the LCD screen complete the specs of this camera.
The other shot from Samsung, the 10.2 mega pixels NV24HD, is a lean-mean looking digital camera that comes fitted with a 24mm wide-angle 3.6x optical zoom Schneider lens, and a Smart Touch UI (user interface). The camera’s DRIM (Digital Real Image and Movie) Engine developed exclusively by Samsung, is intended for shooting high resolution images more quickly and clearly.
The NV24HD uses Gen-Next H.264 video encoding standard, and can shoot videos/pictures in up to 1280 x 720 pixels resolution at 30 fps (frames per second) HD video to match HD camcorders.
Other features of this camera include: a next-generation AMOLED or Active Matrix OlED to not only give rich color to videos being shot but also display video subjects clearly in bright light; plus Dual IS, a next-step upgrade in image stabilization technology that deploys both OIS(Optical Image Stabilization) and DIS(Digital Image Stabilization).
March 10th, 2008
Camera makers to ride retail gravy train
Business Standard, IndiaÂ
Suvi Dogra / New Delhi March 10, 2008
With increasing disposable incomes and rising consumer awareness for genuine products, camera makers are bullish on the Indian market. Canon India, for example, hopes to generate 50 per cent of its revenue target of Rs 1,000 crore from cameras alone in 2010.
 The company plans to take the retail route for ensuring stronger sales. At present, the company expects over 30 per cent of sales to come from retailers such as Home Solutions, Vishal, Spencer’s.
The company has also set up exclusive brand shops in New Delhi and Bangalore to showcase latest products.
 According to experts, the compact camera market in India is estimated at 1 million units, while it is 12,500 units for professional cameras. Both categories have been growing at a CAGR of 30 per cent in the last three years and the momentum is likely to continue.
Nikon has big plans as well. Despite being a late entrant in the Indian market, the company hopes to garner a 45 per cent market share of the digital SLR market and 10 per cent of the compact camera market by 2010.
 “In order to achieve this target, we are aiming at 100 per cent expansion in retail consumer outreach through our dealer network,†said Hidehiko Tanaka, managing director, Nikon India.
The company plans to take the number of dealers in the country to 1,000 from 400 by 2008-09. Nikon products are available across traditional multi brand outlets and consumer electronics retail chains such as Croma.
 For Sony India, the exclusive retail store network contributes 35 per cent to revenues. The company, which introduced 17 new models last year, has 7,000 channel partners and 260 Sony outlets.
 Samsung India, too, plans to up the ante in the camera segment through 115 Samsung Digital Plazas. The company also has tie-ups with Reliance Digital, Croma, and other multi brand outlets.
 While the Indian import duty structure has compelled Nikon to operate on low margins, the biggest challenge for the company remains grey market sales.Â
“Our biggest competition in India is Nikon itself. Nearly 80 per cent of the Nikon products sold in India are through the grey market,†says Tanaka.
 While grey market is canabalising into Nikon share, others like Sony and Canon do not give it much weight.
 “We look at the grey market as a missed opportunity,†says Alok Bhardawaj,President, Canon India.
“Our strategy of branded stores in leading locations that offer international shopping ambience, guaranteed product quality, warranty and widespread after-sales are acting as catalysts in changing customer preference from grey to original products,†says Sachin Rai, product head (digital still camera), Sony India
 Also, the government’s initiatives such as reduction of duties and FTA policies have led to a decline in the hold of the grey market.
 Further, the emergence of organised retail through large nationwide store chains has further strengthened the position for original products.
Â
March 10th, 2008
It pays to think big with digital camera sensors
Guardian, UK
I’ve just bought a new digital SLR camera, my old one having failed, and bee reminded just how fast these things change. I went for a Nikon D40 for £25 (after cashback), which is less than half what I paid for my first digital camera, a Olympus Camedia compact. One thing hasn’t changed: buyers still have to negotiat the pixel inflation problem. In my case, this meant choosing a D40 that records si megapixels (6MP) rather than the newer D40x, which offers 10MP
Both have the same size light-capturing sensor, much the same body and the same lenses, so the D40x is unlikely to produce noticeably better pictures, despite having 66% more pixels.
You should see a difference if you print pictures bigger than 11 x 8 inches, but you won’t see it on screen or in the Technology section. Maybe you would see it if you crop images, but I grew up with the Henri Cartier-Bresson Adoration Society, and always use the whole frame. Anyway, it felt like a bargain to get what was a £450 camera for £250.
It’s amusing, in hindsight, that the camera review site DP Review welcomed the D40 by saying: “The biggest news however is probably [the] fact that Nikon resisted the temptation to keep chasing megapixels (hooray for that) and instead appear to have concentrated on what makes a good camera.” (tinyurl.com/yhte7g). Nikon’s resistance was so strong that the D40x was launched only four months later …
Pixels are, of course, important. As someone with three Canon 35mm SLRs and more lenses than would be polite to mention, I certainly wasn’t willing to pay any price for early models that captured 640 x 480 pixels or 0.3MP: the same resolution as a VGA screen. Any pixels you don’t capture at the scene are lost forever.
For comparison, my 1.3MP Olympus compact offered the resolution of an SXGA (Super Extended Graphics Array) screen, which is 1,280 pixels across by 1,024 pixels down.
This is enough for snapshots, websites and most newspaper uses. A 6MP camera gets you up to about 3,000 by 2,000 pixels, enough for a 15 x 10 inch print, if the image is printed at 200ppi (pixels per inch).
Beyond 6MP, it’s the law of diminishing returns: you get more pixels, but if the pixels are smaller, you also get more noise (tinyurl.com/k2ma4). This can make the image worse rather than better. To benefit, you need a camera body/lens that delivers more resolution (to exploit the smaller pixels) or does a better job of noise reduction – preferably both.
This should not be a surprise. Nobody expected a Box Brownie to produce the same image quality as a Hasselblad simply because they used the same film. In fact, a camera’s megapixel rating can be misleading because it stops people from thinking about sensor size.
In the days of film cameras, many or most people knew that a bigger negative generally produced a better quality image. The sensor in a digital camera is the equivalent of the film, and having a bigger sensor also makes a difference.
Nikon’s “prosumer” models such as the D40/50/60 have sensors that are roughly half the size of a 35mm negative, whereas the 12MP professional D3 has a full-frame (36mm x 24mm) sensor, albeit for £3,300. If you want more, you can get a 39MP Hasselblad H3D-II with a sensor twice the size (48mm x 36mm), for something over £20,000, and that’s without the lens.
Buy a compact camera, however, and the sensor could be anything from 2/3 (8.8mm x 6.6mm) to 1/2.5 (5.8mm x 4.3mm). I’m sure somebody can get 6MP out of a 25 sq mm sensor, but can it match 6MP from a Nikon D40′s 370 sq mm sensor? No way.
March 6th, 2008
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