RESOLUTION
Resolution is to cameras what
horsepower
is to automobiles. Yes, it's
important, but
it's also too easy to focus on
resolution.
The resolution you actually need
depends
on what you're going to do with
the camera.
For best results, the elements of the system
all need to match each other,
as well as
match your photographic objectives.
If you
want to print pictures larger
than 8"
x 10" with high quality,
you need a
large sensor in your camera,
something like
5 Megapixels. Most of us will
rarely, if
ever, print pictures larger than
though.
Area is what's important in camera sensors,
printing, displays, scanners or anything
that involves an image, because they are
surfaces, not sides. Area = Length x Width.
When you double the length of each side of
an image, you quadruple the area.
You can't see more than about 240 dots per
inch at a reasonable viewing distance, which
is about all most printers can achieve too.
At 8" X 10", that means 1920 x
2,400 dots. The dimensions of a 3 Megapixel
sensor is 1,920 x 2,560 pixels. The sensor
might be 0.48" x 0.6" in actual
size, but pixels, not inches is what counts.
You can see that a 3 MP camera matches 8"
x 10" pictures very well. A scanner
with 300 or 500 dpi resolution is a good
match too. If all you want to print is 4"
x 5" pictures, then a camera with 1
or 2 Megapixel resolution is good enough.
If you severely crop a picture, and then
print it at the original size, you'll want
a lot more resolution than you would if you
just printed the uncropped original. Example:
Take an image that has enough resolution
for printing on 8 x 10 paper. Crop (trim)
it down to a 4 x 5 region in the middle.
Then expand and print that cropped image
at 8 x 10 too. It won't be a crisp print.
You'd need 4 times as much resolution in
the original image to still get good resolution.
That's because you've expanded the area by
4 times. Your 2 Megapixel camera just doesn't
give you enough resolution in this case.
You'd need something like an 8 Megapixel
camera for that degree of cropping. That's
probably not something you're going to do
a lot of though.
Printing Photos
If you want your print quality to be better
than "good" your photo
printer
should have 6, not just 3 colors
to work
with. The Epson 2200 is an example
of a 6
color printer, but it's overkill
for what
most of us want to do. The most
important
thing you can do is use the manufacturer's
own ink and paper if you want
top results
with any digital photo printer
The true cost of printing:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,4149,1192709,00.asp
Reviews of digital cameras and equipment
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1538516,00.asp
http://www.dpreview.com/
Comparison of photo printers. [more]
Get your digital pictures professionally
printed without a special printer or cartridges:
http://www.photoworks.com/Info/Digifilm/Default.aspx
http://www.shutterfly.com/learn/index.jsp
http://www.zdnet.com/anchordesk/stories/story/0,10738,2911791,00.html
Thanks to Mike Diamond, I have some great
digital photo links to pass along. These
are sites where the passion for photography
shows (pun not intended) If you're serious
about your photos, they are a great place
to start. If you just have some questions,
some of these sites can be very helpful too.
http://www.computer-darkroom.com/ -- Film Scanning, Photoshop, Color Management,
Display (monitor) Color Calibration, and
Printing with Epson Inkjet Printers, plus
some great photo galleries.
http://www.arraich.com/ps_intro.htm -- Photo editing and everything you wanted
to know about Photoshop.
http://www.breezesys.f9.co.uk/critique/favourable/index.htm -- some superb photos, plus more on using
Photoshop.
http://www.normankoren.com/ -- Tutorials on many aspects of photography,
plus extensive information on all aspects
of digital images, including advanced manipulation.
http://www.photo.net/ -- a forum for photography enthuiasts
http://www.photography.com/ -- the online website of RitzCamera (where
I bought one of my first cameras about 50
years ago).
http://www.zuga.net/ -- "How to take great pictures."
http://www.visionlandscapes.com/Home.aspx -- Landscape Photography.
More resources
"Point and Shoot" http://www.nytimes.com/2002/05/23/technology/circuits/23BASI.html
Family Album: http://www.nytimes.com/2002/05/23/technology/circuits/23ALBU.html
Rayovac has new rechargeable NiMH batteries and a 1-Hour Charger to replace ordinary
camera batteries.
Can't afford Paint Shop Pro? Compare PhotoImpact
at less than $100. Or buy a scanner (the
software that comes with many is pretty good
-- for example, Adobe PhotoDelux). More image
editing options.
CNET compares 4 online photo managers:
http://home.cnet.com/software/0-3227861-8-9797885-1.html
And not to be outdone ZDNet has an interesting
article too:
http://www.zdnet.com/anchordesk/stories/story/0,10738,2867350,00.html
Microsoft has an interesting photo page,
primarily about Windows XP features
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/digitalphotography/default.asp
Some of the best options for organizing your pictures.
Graphics 101 http://builder.cnet.com/webbuilding/0-3883-8-4892140-1.html
http://www.shortcourses.com A serious digital photography resource.
Camera reviews and more at CNet http://reviews.cnet.com/
Comprehensive camera reviews http://www.imaging-resource.com/
To SUBSCRIBE to the "Imaging Resource
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