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Photography Question 

Camilla Z. Freestone 		 

Problems with 3 megapixels?


 
 
Hi All, I'm currently going about setting up my own online digital stock photography website (in Australia). I am an amatuer, with an Olympus MJU 300 ... nothing flash, but it takes great photos ... they seem clear and sharp. I'm aiming to sell for mainly editorial use. I don't fully understand the dpi vs pixels vs quality issues. But why won't an image that appears clean and sharp when viewed on my computer AND when printed be good enough for professional use? Where is the main area the images will fall short? Is there a section of the market I can still cater to with a lower megapixel camera? Any help greatly appreciated.
Cheers


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October 19, 2005

 

John P. Sandstedt 		  It's just a matter of information. The size of the camera's chip determines the amount of information that is available for further processing.

There are some general rules of thumb for prints. Some may disagree and say they too conservative. But,
Less than 2-3 MP > good for computer monitor or TV screen.
3 MP > good for 4X6 print
4 MP > good for 5X7 print
5 MP > good for 8X10 print
6 and up > good for large prints.

It's in the resolution needed to make images worthy of editorial usage. A 3 MP camera is fine for the point and shooter making 4X6's, but you need more capability [pixels] if you want to produce quality larger prints.

Now, as to your monitor - you'll get a respectable viewing with 72 dpi, the typical resolution for a monitor or TV. But, when you make a print, the rule of thumb is 300 dpi.

Finally, you'll want more MP for editing purposes. If you crop anything out of an image, you erase MP. Data loss! You really need a bigger, better camera - with a larger chip.


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October 19, 2005

 

Elisabeth A. Gay 		  I recently contacted Caribbeanstockphotography.com and one of the criteria is that you must have a camera that has a resolution of 6MP or more, and can shoot in RAW. I have a Canon 300D which is 6.3MP, shoots RAW, and those files are 600dpi, which gives you much more information to play around with. The minimum requirement for stock photos is 300dpi.


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October 19, 2005

 

Camilla Z. Freestone 		  Thank you John and Elizabeth, I appreciate your responses. Coming from a science and not a photography background, there is just so much to get my head around.

A continuation of the orignal question I asked, if I'm serious about selling, should I be buying an 8+ megapixel camera or will a 6 megapixel one be fine? And do you think this will be a short or long term thing? ie. I would hope to buy a camera that I can use for at least a couple of years. Does the digital camera world have the same turn over and redundancy rates as the computer world?

And thanks again for your help and advice.


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October 19, 2005

 
- Bob Cournoyer

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  www.betterphoto.com/forms/QnAdetail.php?threadID=19634


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October 19, 2005

 

Pete H 		  Hello Camilla;

All your questions are good ones.
You will find many answers, so take the ones to heart where there is agreement amoungst many.

I can only offer a short answer at this time.

A 3 MP camera camera is not for professional use for many reasons. I will list only a few.
1) The images will degrade with manipulation.
2) Color rendition is poor with the current consumer 3 MP cams.
3) Any serious enlargements will pixelate.

Finally; and perhaps the most important,
(this has been stated in many places in many forums)...Nearly all 3 MP cams use a very small image sensor.
The new crop of digital DSLR's use larger sensors that produce stunning quality, color and sharpness. The tech mumbo jumbo is not important, it is a fact!

A jump from 6MP to 8MP in the DSLR world is not all that significant btw.

Interestingly; many agencies still require medium format submissions..although I think this is changing rapidly.

Many pro's are still using 35mm or medium format film, and then converting to digital with dedicated scanners..Not the desk top scanners we all see in the average home.

As far as catering to a market segment with a 3MP? Sure you can..The trick is in finding or developing the market..THAT; is a whole new ball game.

At this time, my best answer to you; based on your needs and not wanting tech to pass you buy..is to 1) buy a 35mm digital..6MP will work great..and get some (GREAT) lenses to go with it.

2) Learn all you can about post processing in the digital world.

May your light be pure,

Pete


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October 19, 2005

 
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