Steve'sDigicams

jcghost · Nov 21, 2006, 12:40 PM

What is better for general photography, i.e, travel photos, landscapes, snapshots? 6 megapixesl with 12X digital zoom or 10 megapixels w/6X. Your thoughts would be appreciated.

KALEL33 · Nov 21, 2006, 3:09 PM

If you don't mind cropping pics later on for each shot you wanted to zoom in on then get the 10MP. 6MP is more than enough for 99% of the population.

post infinite · Nov 21, 2006, 4:27 PM

also pay no attention to "digital zoom", only "optical zoom"

Corpsy · Nov 21, 2006, 6:51 PM

All things being equal, the 6 megapixel camera would outperform the 10 megapixel. When they try cramming more pixels onto a sensor, what generally happens is each pixel captures less light and is less accurate. The camera makers will often turn up the default sensitivity to compensate, resulting in a noisier image.

Generally, if you're shooting in direct sunlight, the higher megapixel camera will take sharper images, though probably not so much sharper that it would be that noticeable. The lower megapixel camera however can take brighter photos and therefore would allow for shooting in darker conditions or make faster shutter speeds available. Also, lower megapixel images take up less file space, which means the buffer won't fill up as easily and you could shoot continuously longer, and they're easier to back up since you won't fill up your hard drive as quickly.

But like I said, that's all things being equal. When a new model of a camera comes out with a higher megapixel, often times they improve on the size/speed of the buffer, make the autofocus faster, improve the white balance, make the screen clearer, etc... Also, if you're comparing a 6 megapixel pocket cam to a 10 megapixel DSLR, the DSLR will probably outperform the pocket cam in all respects.

If you're looking for specific suggestions, you'll need to be a bit more specific about your needs, like what kind of budget you have and how big of a camera you want. My guess is something like the Canon IS S2, S3, or one of the Panasonic FZ cameras would do the trick.

jbarrick · Nov 21, 2006, 7:11 PM

I would take the 6mp with 12X digital zoom any day of the week.

__________________
Jeff

Canon S2IS & Sony VCL-DH1758 Tele Lens

Corpsy · Nov 21, 2006, 11:25 PM

Oh, one other thing about megapixel. 10 megapixel is nearly double 6 megapixel, but remember that megapixel is a measurement of area.

If you took a picture of a bird at 6x zoom with both cameras and it was 2 inches high on the 6mp, it would be 2.6 inches high on the 10mp. However, if you zoomed all the way with the 6mp, it would then be 4 inches high.

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Nov 21, 2006, 12:40 PM	#1
jcghost Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 1	What is better for general photography, i.e, travel photos, landscapes, snapshots? 6 megapixesl with 12X digital zoom or 10 megapixels w/6X. Your thoughts would be appreciated.

Nov 21, 2006, 3:09 PM	#2
KALEL33 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 260	If you don't mind cropping pics later on for each shot you wanted to zoom in on then get the 10MP. 6MP is more than enough for 99% of the population.

Nov 21, 2006, 4:27 PM	#3
post infinite Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 39	also pay no attention to "digital zoom", only "optical zoom"

Nov 21, 2006, 6:51 PM	#4
Corpsy Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 879	All things being equal, the 6 megapixel camera would outperform the 10 megapixel. When they try cramming more pixels onto a sensor, what generally happens is each pixel captures less light and is less accurate. The camera makers will often turn up the default sensitivity to compensate, resulting in a noisier image. Generally, if you're shooting in direct sunlight, the higher megapixel camera will take sharper images, though probably not so much sharper that it would be that noticeable. The lower megapixel camera however can take brighter photos and therefore would allow for shooting in darker conditions or make faster shutter speeds available. Also, lower megapixel images take up less file space, which means the buffer won't fill up as easily and you could shoot continuously longer, and they're easier to back up since you won't fill up your hard drive as quickly. But like I said, that's all things being equal. When a new model of a camera comes out with a higher megapixel, often times they improve on the size/speed of the buffer, make the autofocus faster, improve the white balance, make the screen clearer, etc... Also, if you're comparing a 6 megapixel pocket cam to a 10 megapixel DSLR, the DSLR will probably outperform the pocket cam in all respects. If you're looking for specific suggestions, you'll need to be a bit more specific about your needs, like what kind of budget you have and how big of a camera you want. My guess is something like the Canon IS S2, S3, or one of the Panasonic FZ cameras would do the trick.

Nov 21, 2006, 7:11 PM	#5
jbarrick Senior Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 963	I would take the 6mp with 12X digital zoom any day of the week. __________________ Jeff Canon S2IS & Sony VCL-DH1758 Tele Lens

Nov 21, 2006, 11:25 PM	#6
Corpsy Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 879	Oh, one other thing about megapixel. 10 megapixel is nearly double 6 megapixel, but remember that megapixel is a measurement of area. If you took a picture of a bird at 6x zoom with both cameras and it was 2 inches high on the 6mp, it would be 2.6 inches high on the 10mp. However, if you zoomed all the way with the 6mp, it would then be 4 inches high.