Posted:
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Beware
the Digital Camera Megapixel Myth!
Why Cameras
With More Megapixels Are Not Always
Better Deals
Advancement
in the digital camera and camcorder
industry has slowed in recent years.
Although manufacturers continue to
refine their product lines, the increase
in the number of megapixels a digital
camera contains does not always
translate to better quality photos.
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Most
professional photographers are aware of
the many factors that go into the
purchase of a quality digital camera.
But to the casual consumer and
especially the budding amateur
photographer who may want to turn pro
someday, the megapixel myth is important
to recognize if one is to get the best
value for his or her dollar.
In recent
years, manufacturers and retailers have
emphasized the importance of the total
number of megapixels a digital camera
contains. But in an ocean of
specifications, one of the most
overlooked is the size, not the number,
of pixels on a camera's sensor. Bigger
sensors usually mean bigger pixels,
which provide some advantages when it
comes to making an image.
A digital
camera sensor can best be compared to a
flat sheet of material upon which
millions of tiny cubby holes rest, sort
of like the cylindrical holes of a
honeycomb. Each of these cubby holes is
known as a “pixel” and the fact that
millions line a digital camera sensor is
where the term “megapixel” originated.
So a camera with 5 megapixels contains
about 5 million of these tiny cubby
holes that are each responsible for
detecting light.
Light
particles, known as photons, pass
through a camera's lens and are captured
by the pixels on the sensor. Each pixel
is capable of detecting either red,
green or blue light. Together, these
three colors combine to make up all the
possible colors on an image. The more
photons a pixel catches, the brighter
that pixel’s color. Pixels that fail to
catch any color record black whereas
totally full pixels record white.
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