I was just browsing around while taking a break from writing my latest iPhone app when I came across this incredibly intelligent poster from Nikon. It certainly caught my eye (for some time I must say) before I thought that I should actually write a post based on the poster. I’m no expert photographer and the first thing I look at when choosing a digital camera is the number of megapixels. I’ve had a 2MP, 5MP and most recently an 8MP digital camera each time “upgrading” under the impression that the camera is in fact better than the previous one.

Although it is true to a certain extent that the picture can be better with an increase in megapixels, it is not always true. Digital cameras are in fact one area where lesser can be more (if you ignore the picture in this post that is).

Here is what Amit Gupta, founder of Photojojo.com has to say:

A high megapixel count doesn’t always equate to better image quality. In fact, if camera designers try to cram too many megapixels into a small camera it can actually have the opposite effect.

This counterintuitive snag mostly affects tiny digital cameras, the ones compact enough to fit in your pocket.

To keep sizes down, manufacturers place itty-bitty image sensors inside their point-and-shoot models. These small parts perform well within a certain range. But when companies try to raise the megapixel count without increasing the dimensions of the camera, that means the same size sensor now has to do more work.

This leads to larger but less accurate images, says Mr. Gupta. The overburdened sensor can lose sharpness, struggle in low-light situations, and add “noise” (small blotches or odd colors).

Digital SLR cameras are bulkier than sleek point-and-shoots, but the extra room allows for much bigger sensors and often better image quality per megapixel.

Camera companies rarely advertise their sensor size while they intelligently market the megapixels in the camera instead. This makes it very difficult for the consumer to choose the right camera for himself. Maybe you should look at 8MP or 10MP at the most, but not really dump your life savings into that 12MP camera.
[Via csmonitor]

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