Please comment briefly on whether having the largest megapixel count sensor available is important to you and your printing.

Please comment briefly on whether having the largest megapixel count sensor available is important to you and your printing.
Having that high megapixel count is important to me because I want the ability to make large prints.
66% (154 votes)
While I know my camera can deliver large image file sizes for large prints I rarely make prints that size.
30% (71 votes)
Almost all my prints are 5x7 inches or smaller, so megapixel count is not that important to me.
3% (8 votes)
Total votes: 233

COMMENTS
Santiago Dulay's picture

While megapixel is a big factor to me, i also prefer a full sensor with high MP's over a aps-c sized sensor with the same amount of MP's

Ed Truitt's picture

However, when I want to make really big prints (larger than 13x19), I shoot film (medium format) and scan it to the size I need. And, I am thinking of including a 4x5 view camera in my arsenal, to get the extra detail.

GT's picture

Having that high megapixel count is important to me because I feel like I get better prints from higher megapixel camera in even a 4x6 image. I also like to have the option to have bigger prints.

Amanda Botterweck's picture

The higher count may not always be used to print larger photos, however it only takes that special picture that one time you may want to. If you don't have it, then you just lost out in printing it bigger.

Cornell Tramontana's picture

A large number of megapixels is important if you want to crop pictures.

Kirk Atkinson's picture

I use uninterpolated 3000x2000 res to produce enlargements to 12"x17" without any visable dropoff.I am pleased w/ my d100's 6mp.

Greg Dillard's picture

I use the higher megapixel count for cropability. I don't shoot vertically anymore! I just crop to a vertical if needed and results are outstanding.

John Enman's picture

High MegaPixels are great for marketing, however, I never make large (20X24) prints.

Herb Fabry's picture

The more knowledge and experience I get with camera and imaging software, the more large prints I will make.

Darrell 's picture

High megapixels ads detail to small prints too.

Paul Sikora's picture

High resolution is also important when I crop, both when I could not get close enough to fill the frame and when I later see something in the photo that I did not envision when I took it.

Aubrey B.'s picture

I usualy print A4 prints. It is nice to know that my camera can deliver larger prints if required.

John Lambeth's picture

I use 3 D-DLSRs, so the most important point is the physical size of the imager, not megapixel count.

Daniel Brahms's picture

The cost of ink and paper required to perform trial and error prints due to various color management problems keep me out of large format printing....although I would like to if materials were cheaper.

Chuck Gold's picture

Cropping is actually the major reason for wanting a high pixel count sensor.

J.  Roberts's picture

I have a 6mp and if it is sharp I can get a good enlargement, but I dont make then much, when I do I take them to a lab.

Gilly Pilgrim's picture

I live in the low country and take a lot of wide landscapes. My canon i9900 is magnificent - the large prints are just gorgeous, and well worth the price of the large paper.

Dan's picture

I need the ability to crop to fairly fine detail. I also find the higher megapixel counts help tonal gradations and identifiability by the naked eye of details, like plant types in a garden.

Eddie Wiseman's picture

Images are edited in their native sizes from RAW files, and then re-edited as TIF's and then saved (all the preceding WITHOUT RE-SIZING or SHARPENING). When it's time to print, I usually use "QIMAGE" for EXCELLENT large prints, and do my sharpening and final tweaks in this program as well.

Robert Hall's picture

High MPix allows cropping with minimal loss. The human retina is about 150 Mpix (approximations are needed). When printers can print 150 Mpix I will be happy.

Charlie Campbell's picture

If you are not going to print large pictures, save your money and purchase a 3 or 4 megapixel camera.

Earle Reynolds's picture

I require only 5-6 MP,unfortunatly most of the time the new features usually come on the higher MP cameras.

Lee's picture

My most popular images are 20 x 30 so I look for a large file size to maximize print quality.

Roger Kimble's picture

Too much emphasis on pixel count. Just a god 8x10 print is all I require.

William Mahnken's picture

I shoot local sports, especially football. Larger megapixels allow me to shoot at 70mm, allowing me to keep both eyes open to follow the action. I crop the image significantly later to "zoom" in on the action.

Dennis S.  Guyon's picture

Having large images allows me to crop and enlarge smaller areas of the photo without sacrificing resolution. As a graphic designer, I often create my own "stock photos" for future use, so the larger images are essential when cropping for printed publications needing resolutions >300 dpi.

Sal Sclafani's picture

I need the large pixel count even though i do not make large prints. For me the great value is in being able to crop small areas of images and still have satisfactory pixel count for electronic display or small format prints.

Arnold Victor's picture

Even more than that, the higher mp count allows for better pictures and greater ability to shoot in low light.

Steve Warren's picture

Canon Rebel XT - I use the large pixel size to allow for cropping without any loss of print quality. Three mega-pixel cameras or less do not allow for much cropping.

Ira Schwartz's picture

I have a Canon 20D which I love, in part due to it's 8mp sensor. However, previously I used a Nikon 990 which had 3.3 mp and I was able to make 8x10 and larger with very good quality. So, megapixel count is only one factor in making good quality large prints.

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