What megapixel to use for everyday pictures?

[TheNinja]

I have a 6.1 MegaPixel digital camera that I current set to a default of 4 MP. What is a good setting for everyday pictures that I will either a) upload to a site (snapfish) and print in 4x6 or b) upload to my website. I want good quality but don't want the files to be ginormous.

Help a Ninja out plz

 

[CraigRT]

anything 2 or in that area is fine for printing out on 4x6... higher MP is only useful for editing very large photos, or printing very large photos

 

[CFster]

Why isn't there a digital camera forum...

 

[User1001]

A 6.1 MP camera phone JESUS.

 

[TheNinja]

Originally posted by: User1001
A 6.1 MP camera phone JESUS.

oops, meant camera, not phone. my phone is probably .061 megapixel.

 

[Eli]

Originally posted by: User1001
A 6.1 MP camera phone JESUS.

WTF??

There are 6MP camera phones out??????

No fscking way.

Anyway, Megapixels are the MHz of the digital camera world. There are SO many other important things, like the lens.

It is entirely possible to get very good pictures with a 2MP camera and garbage pictures from a 4MP camera.

A 2MP image from a good camera will give you crisp, clear, perfect 4x6 prints and web size(640x480) images. I've had 8x10's printed with 2mp images that looked great...


<--- Loves my Canon A60

 

[RossMAN]

4MP is good.

You can always easily downscale a photo.

 

[TheNinja]

Originally posted by: RossMAN
4MP is good.

You can always easily downscale a photo.

Does anyone have any recommendations regarding software on file resizing? Sorry, I'm still in 1998 here and don't know anything.

 

[RossMAN]

Originally posted by: TheNinja

Originally posted by: RossMAN
4MP is good.

You can always easily downscale a photo.

Does anyone have any recommendations regarding software on file resizing? Sorry, I'm still in 1998 here and don't know anything.

Image Resizer
http://www.microsoft.com/windo...rtoys/xppowertoys.mspx

 

[TheNinja]

Originally posted by: RossMAN

Originally posted by: TheNinja

Originally posted by: RossMAN
4MP is good.

You can always easily downscale a photo.

Does anyone have any recommendations regarding software on file resizing? Sorry, I'm still in 1998 here and don't know anything.

Image Resizer
http://www.microsoft.com/windo...rtoys/xppowertoys.mspx

AWESOME!!! Your response was so fast and the software is so sweet that I just uppercut myself in the face! :spicychili (replaces :cookie)

 

[Pepsi90919]

buy a 5.3 jiggapixel camera and set it to .5 megapixel

 

[imported_Mike]

You need the 20D, no doubt in my mind...

 

[0roo0roo]

well your 6 probably has a nice sensor. and to boot ur really shooting at 6, ur camera downsizes that to 4 before writing to card. thats the sweetest way of getting 4 megapixels really... a real 4megalpixel camera would have less detail considering how those sensors work.

 

[Anubis]

just shoot at the max res you can and resize later, why not take advantage of what you have

 

[TheNinja]

Originally posted by: Anubis
just shoot at the max res you can and resize later, why not take advantage of what you have

It's wierd. When I shoot on 4 MP the file size is between 500 and 1200 KB. When I used the Windows XP resizing tool to 1024, they go down to about 80-120 KB, considerably smaller. I don't see how you could print a 4x6 picture with a file that small.

 

[DeMeo]

I agree with Anubis.
Shoot at the max resolution. You can always downsize the image later if you need too.
Even if you're just shooting every day images, once in a while you're going to get one that you really like and you'll be wish you had shot it at a higher resolution.

 

[richardycc]

I set my camera at the highest resolution, why buy a 6.1mp camera and set it at lower resolution? you never know when is the next kodak moment.

 

[mercanucaribe]

Why in the hell did you buy a 6 megapixel camera if you have to ask questions like this? What a waste.

 

[yhelothar]

Originally posted by: TheNinja

Originally posted by: RossMAN

Originally posted by: TheNinja

Originally posted by: RossMAN
4MP is good.

You can always easily downscale a photo.

Does anyone have any recommendations regarding software on file resizing? Sorry, I'm still in 1998 here and don't know anything.

Image Resizer
http://www.microsoft.com/windo...rtoys/xppowertoys.mspx

AWESOME!!! Your response was so fast and the software is so sweet that I just uppercut myself in the face! :spicychili (replaces :cookie)

You just tottally flipped out?! SWEEEEEEEEEETT!!
Now go Seppuku!

 

[daniel1113]

2MP is about the minimum necessary to print a 4x6 picture. However, if you want 4x6 prints that are indistiguishable from a standard 35mm film camera, you should go with 4MP or higher.

For posting pictures on the web, you probably don't need anything above 420x560, which is about 2MP.

However, as the others above have already mentioned, you should shoot at the max resolution (the difference in size between 6MP and 4MP isn't that great anyway) and resize them later using your computer.

 

[RossMAN]

Originally posted by: TheNinja

Originally posted by: RossMAN

Originally posted by: TheNinja

Originally posted by: RossMAN
4MP is good.

You can always easily downscale a photo.

Does anyone have any recommendations regarding software on file resizing? Sorry, I'm still in 1998 here and don't know anything.

Image Resizer
http://www.microsoft.com/windo...rtoys/xppowertoys.mspx

AWESOME!!! Your response was so fast and the software is so sweet that I just uppercut myself in the face! :spicychili (replaces :cookie)

I know my response was a little slow, usually within 45 seconds but for whatever reason it took 1 minute

It's ok though, I blame it on my A.I. version 1.3 release ... version 2.0 should be out soon

 

[Pliablemoose]

It's all about the megapixels

I shoot 6.1 or nothing at all

(Poorly disguised D70 gloat)


Seriously though, 2 &amp; above is plenty for everyday use...

 

[GTaudiophile]

My old Canon PowerShot G2 could do 8x10s just fine with 4.0 megapixels. My guess is you're fine with 3-4.

 

[kd2777]

Originally posted by: Pliablemoose
It's all about the megapixels

I shoot 6.1 or nothing at all

(Poorly disguised D70 gloat)


Seriously though, 2 &amp; above is plenty for everyday use...

Not trying to steal your thread, just trying not to start a new one, but how do you like that D70? I've been looking at picking up a good digital SLR. I have the Nikon N90 and love it, but I miss guessed how popular and useful digital cameras would be when I bought it afew years ago. My wife has a smaller 3MP Canon and it is OK but there is a tremendous lag from when you hit the button and when the picture actually takes. It pisses me off to no end to use it, but she loves it thus the OK rating.

Thanks

kd

 

[Anubis]

Originally posted by: kd2777

Originally posted by: Pliablemoose
It's all about the megapixels

I shoot 6.1 or nothing at all

(Poorly disguised D70 gloat)


Seriously though, 2 &amp; above is plenty for everyday use...

Not trying to steal your thread, just trying not to start a new one, but how do you like that D70? I've been looking at picking up a good digital SLR. I have the Nikon N90 and love it, but I miss guessed how popular and useful digital cameras would be when I bought it afew years ago. My wife has a smaller 3MP Canon and it is OK but there is a tremendous lag from when you hit the button and when the picture actually takes. It pisses me off to no end to use it, but she loves it thus the OK rating.

Thanks

kd

<- also have a D70, im like the resedent Nikon whore, i helped convice PM to get his D70, the thing is amazing, if you want to see pics from it sheck out rootminus1 the link in my sig and look at "my pictures"