Search Info On BlackBerries

The Megapixel Camera

Posted by gcfraley / Category:

By Andrew Brown


When considering buying new digital cameras one of the important specifications to look at is the megapixel count with higher counts being better on the whole.

The megapixel count is the number of pixel sensor points that receive photons and register their impact to create a digital image. One megapixel is a million pixels with the maximum resolution of images created by the camera being limited by their sensor size. Digital images are made up of small squares created with the information received by each pixel with each having colour and light level information. Having too few pixels will leave images with visible blockiness and fail to preserve fine detail.

The megapixel count for a given camera can be calculated by multiplying the height by the width of the maximum size image the camera can take and alternatively a rough idea of the maximum resolution can be gained by doing the reverse.

There are advantages and disadvantages to very high megapixel counts though overall more is better. Negatives include the performance of the digital cameras in low light conditions where only a small number of photons will hit each sensor pixel, resulting in some randomness in the relative colour and brightness of pixels and visible as grainy 'noise' in the image. Higher counts also mean larger files are created that take longer to process, limiting the number of shots that can be taken in a given time and how many can be stored on a memory card. Noise can also be caused by adjacent sensor pixels interfering with one another, creating patterns of speckles that are most visible in the darker parts of images.

Noise will vary from camera to camera so it is a good idea for a buyer to look at sample images or try the camera for themselves to see how it deals with noise.

Greater numbers of megapixels allow higher resolution images to be taken which gives better detail and, for less experienced photographers, can be better than a lower megapixel count as it allows images to be cropped, reduced in size, to improve the framing of the subject without losing the detail that makes the photo look professional. How many megapixels you need also depends on what you will use the photographs for, any photograph that will be expanded to display a section of it or displayed in a larger size such as a large print or poster will benefit from having more megapixels in the digital cameras sensor.

Manufacturers are well aware of the advantages and disadvantages of higher megapixel counts as well as their customers' perception that more is always better which leads them to match the higher pixel counts with higher end hardware and better cameras making the pixel count a good indication of the overall quality of the camera.

In summary when looking to buy new digital cameras one of the easiest indications of quality is the megapixel count, though this should not be seen as outweighing the other features of digital cameras it is a good guide to where the manufacturer is aiming the camera in the market.

High mega pixel cameras are also becoming a key feature of many new release mobile phones. As with the cameras, a higher mega pixel camera often gives greater capability as with the LG Optimus 2X.




About the Author:



0 comments:

Post a Comment