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Optimal camera resolution for 3.2MP?

K

KnickNut3

Platinum Member
Just got a Canon SD200 and am enjoying it. I set it to max resolution (2048x1536) and superfine, and while the pictures are good, they're not as sharp when I zoom in as I would expect (EDIT FOR CLARIFICATION: I MEAN ZOOMING IN ON THE FILE IN MY COMPUTER). (Not lack of focus, just not as detailed as one would think that resolution would provide.) Does 3.2MP limit me with what resolution it would fill clearly, in a sense? With 3.2MP, is over a certain resolution and detail overkill? Am I better off saving memory and later HD space by lowering to 1600x1200 or to just fine detail with no appreciable loss of quality?

Thanks a lot.
 
Originally posted by: laurenlex
Disable digital zoom. Only use optical zoom.

/thread
Click to expand...

Of course. I'm referring to zooming in on my pictures in my computer. If I put it at 100% view (since the picture is larger than my screen) it's not as sharp as one would expect.

Also, I'm not an expert enough to adjust the ISO settings and all (yet). I'm just looking for a general guideline (which I know will not be totally accurate).
 
Originally posted by: KnickNut3
Originally posted by: laurenlex
Disable digital zoom. Only use optical zoom.

/thread
Click to expand...

Of course. I'm referring to zooming in on my pictures in my computer. If I put it at 100% view (since the picture is larger than my screen) it's not as sharp as one would expect.

Also, I'm not an expert enough to adjust the ISO settings and all (yet). I'm just looking for a general guideline (which I know will not be totally accurate).
Click to expand...

There is no general guideline then. If you aren't using digital zoom, and you don't know what ISO the pictures are taken at, then we can't do much for you. The higher the ISO the more grain there is in the picture. On those cams, anything over 100 is going to be grainy. If you are shooting a full optical zoom, and the shutter speed is only like 1/100 you are probably going to get some camera shake if you are hand holding the cam. There are many reasons why the picture might not be that sharp. The 3.2mp should only matter when blowing up the picture larger than original resolution, or when printing large photos (over 8x10).
 
Well, I've been shooting on auto though I'm beginning to learn to adjust it. ISO is usually on 50 (during the day at least).

Good site to learn about this stuff? The digital camera review sites don't have much substance in that regard (that I can find at least).
 
Originally posted by: KnickNut3
Imageshack resized it which I know defeats the purpose, and I'm sure I'll be embarassed by my crappy picture taking skills, but http://img13.echo.cx/my.php?image=bouldercreek0056jo.jpg
Click to expand...

Maybe crop a sample at original resolution?

Your EXIF data shows that it was 1/500 at f/4.9. At that f stop and shutter speed, i'd be surprised if the ISO was 100 or 50. In which case you are going to see a bit of grain. I don't see much of a problem with the picture as it is shown here. Some spots further out are going to be out of focus because of the f/4.9, but that's about it.

Check out this site. On the left hand menu you can go through the "Taking Pictures" section and it gives some good basic info about taking photos and explaining some things.

 
Don't forget that besides the sensor's resolution, your lens has a resolution also. A cheap lens will make things look blurry. On top of that, the camera's picture processing might soften the image a bit.

But I noticed with my A80 that the focus is the main culprit in producing "low res" images. The autofocus will get the focus 90% right, but the pictures won't look professional and crisp. But if I set the manual focus or the autofocus gets lucky, the pictures look excellent and sharp.

The focus issue isn't enough to make you think that your pictures are out of focus, it makes you think that the camera just doesn't have the resolution to take crisp pictures. But once you get the focus right you'll be surprised by the crispness.
 
Here are some examples of what I'm talking about.

I took these pictures at an airshow a few weeks ago. In the camera's viewfinder, they all looked sharp, but when you see them on the computer you can see that one of them is slightly out of focus. If I just used autofocus all the time, I only get good focus sometimes. But when I do it manually I can get a crisp one once in a while. Too many times I've noticed this and I got home and realized that my "cool shot" was all blurry. Since I didn't take enough pictures, I was left with nothing good. Now I take multiple shots of the same thing to increase my chances of getting a good shot.

I did that at the airshow, and took 3 shots which looked identical in viewfinder screen. But on my computer's monitor they looked much different.

Compare these two:

Slightly out of focus, looks like a low res camera took it.

In focus, picture looks much more crisp.

I also like using manual focus so that the subject is in full focus but the rest is slightly out of focus. This gives you a sharper picture in my opinion since the camera isn't trying to focus on everything at once. It also draws your attention to the thing that's in focus. Like this:

A-10 gun (manual focus)

Then, to get a good pic of something really up close you need to use your macro mode. Without using macro, holding the camera up close is just going to get you a blurry picture. Here, you can even see the little cracks in the end of the gun barrel:

A-10 gun macro

 
Originally posted by: Judgement
The A-10 is such a badass plane.
Click to expand...


Yeah, it's pretty much my favorite aircraft. It's like a tank and an aircraft mixed, bred for its skills in ground attack.
 
my god that's a huge gun

have you ever seen that pic of an a-10 gun next to a volkswagen beetle....going to find it
 
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