"What camera should I get?" is one of those fundamental questions that, at some point, nosotros all inquire. Whether you're an amateur looking to purchase your beginning, or a professional looking to add to your armory, this question will inevitably rear its ugly head. In this article, I'll exist covering 1 of the key measurements nosotros all use when deciding which photographic camera to buy:

How many megapixels do I demand? 'Need', being the operative word.

Within whatever marketplace, manufacturers take to find a way to differentiate themselves from the competition. As such, it's understandable that headline figures, like megapixels, become central selling points. After all, for the average consumer, megapixels audio far ameliorate than high ISO performance.

How Many Megapixels Exercise Yous Demand To Print At…

Press at 300 DPI is considered the gilded standard for print quality. Yes, information technology is possible to impress with a higher DPI, only 300 is more than acceptable for most of u.s.. Having heard that 300 DPI is the "gold standard" many photographers (I have too been guilty of this) remember that every print has to be 300 DPI. If that were the case, the maximum print size of a l.6 megapixel Canon 5DSR would be roughly 29 inches on the long edge. And, a 100-megapixel Hasselblad H6D-100c would max out at roughly 39 inches. Then, how on earth can you print something at billboard size?

I don't want to delve into this aspect of the megapixel statement too heavily equally it's been covered in countless articles past people far more technical than myself, but if yous want to learn more than nigh maximum print sizes, check out the 2 manufactures linked beneath. For our purposes, all you actually need to know is that a camera with a 24-megapixel sensor could print billboard size. Yup, that'southward correct, billboard size. So, if your argument for purchasing a loftier-megapixel photographic camera is to impress big, you're wasting your coin.

[REWIND: HERE'Due south WHY SIZE MATTERS | Impress RESOLUTION EXPLAINED IN v MINUTES]

[REWIND: DO YOU Need MORE MEGAPIXELS OR A HIGHER MEGAPIXEL SENSOR?]

More Megapixels Does Not Necessarily Equal More than Item

At present that one major myth has been disrepair, lets nail a few others. In the video higher up, Pye talks about some of the many factors that tin can touch 'perceived paradigm sharpness'; racket, lens quality, viewing distance so on. If your sole desire is to print large, ultra-sharp images, then information technology won't matter how many megapixels your camera has if the lens y'all put on it cannot resolve the potential particular (an argument can exist made here, however, that modern good lenses can out-resolve properly paired sensors). The aforementioned tin exist said if you were forced to shoot at a high ISO and your camera does not cope well in those situations. The point here is, in that location are many other factors which must be considered, and megapixels are not the be all and cease all.

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teenager sits on fallen tree in park during autumn. image used as an example of the megapixels needed for your camera
Photo by Max Bridge Portrait Lensman

When Are High Megapixel Photographic camera'south Useful?

Whether or not a high-megapixel camera will exist useful to you comes down to one question: "what exercise you shoot?"

I shoot a range of things, every bit many of usa do, ane of which being family unit photography. For that, I use a 24 megapixel Nikon D750 and have never felt more megapixels were required, almost. I'k confident the D750 files tin can exist printed at almost any size, but I have, on occasion, desired some more than megapixels. Why? Cropping.

I of the biggest advantages to having a high megapixel sensor is the ability to significantly ingather your images. With portrait photography, you rarely demand to brand significant crops. However, there are bound to exist a few occasions where that ability will be of use.

a bottle of courvoisier photographed on a dark background. Use as an exmple of megapixels needed for product photography
Photo by Square Mountain Photography

Given everything we've learned thus far, I think nosotros tin safely say that 99% of photographers out there do not need a loftier-megapixel photographic camera, especially if we include amateurs. So, who does?

Well, I also create a lot of commercial still-life images. Within this arena, the more megapixels the better, and the same tin be said for most commercial photography; fashion, architecture, e-commerce, nevertheless life etc. The reason for this comes back to the power to ingather.

If you lot take a shot of product and want to ingather in on one detail item, a high-megapixel photographic camera will give you that ability. When photographing very small objects like jewelry, you tin can take reward of that ability to crop and shoot a picayune wider. The advantage here is, yous won't have to take quite so many images to focus stack.

The Megapixel War | Summary

For the bulk of photographers out there, the megapixel state of war is a marketing ane between manufacturers, and that has piffling to do with you. A camera with 10-20 megapixels is going to, in most cases, exist more than capable of meeting all your needs. Y'all'd be served far better by saving money on your photographic camera and investing in better lenses.

a low angle photo of a bottle of Kronenbourg used to demonstrate the number of megapixels needed for still life photography
Photo by Foursquare Mountain Photography

On the other hand, loftier-megapixel cameras are uncommonly useful to many, but not all, commercial photographers. Those who need to make pregnant crops to their images volition discover the abundance of megapixels a useful tool. Substantially, beyond a certain number of megapixels, that's what it becomes. A tool. A tool which is useless to nigh but indispensable to others. Don't let the megapixel hype fool you into purchasing a photographic camera you don't demand.

[REWIND: PHOTOSHOP BETTER | USE LINKED SMART OBJECTS TO Go on PHOTOSHOP FASTER & FLEXIBLE]

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