Will a 2MP pic by a 5 MP digicam be better in quality than one by a 2MP digicam?

[mpenza]

What do you think?

The argment is that when you take a pic using the 5MP camera, you capture more details. so intrapolating to 2MP will give better quality than a 2MP one straight from a 2MP camera.

 

[Jed]

Absolutely yes. But a 2mp crop from a 5mp camera is likely to be inferior to a full frame from a 2mp camera.

 

[mpenza]

why would that be?

 

[roygoh]

Originally posted by Jed
Absolutely yes. But a 2mp crop from a 5mp camera is likely to be inferior to a full frame from a 2mp camera.

Doesn't that depend on which part of the 5MP frame you make the 2MP crop from, and the relative quality of the 2 lenses?

I would presume that if you crop from the centre of the 5MP frame, where the performance of the lens is expected to be the best, you might end up having less distortion than a full frame from a 2MP camera, provided that the 5MP lens has at least twice the resolvng power of the 2MP lens.

 

[Jed]

Erm, not really. There is a difference yes, but a decent lens should perform well enough to resolve 5mp equally well to the corners. The issue that I'm getting at is that if both the CCDs are the same physical size (which they usually are in consumer cameras), then the 2mp off a 5mp chip will be physically far smaller. Given that bigger CCDs enable better light gathering capabilities which in turn reduces noise, improves tonality etc, the image off the straight 2mp chip should be better. Which is the same reason why DSLRs with their relatively large CCDs still outperform consumer digicams.

 

[roygoh]

I see. This is another example to show that the number of mega pixels isn't everything!

 

[Wai]

ya...MP isn't everything....esp if u have a 5MP camera and only shoot at 1 or 2 MP becos memory stick is expensive....last time with 707, i usually shoot with 3MP....what a waste

There are pple who ask me why i downgrade from 5MP F707 to a 3MP D30

may be next time i can quote Jed's reply

 

[ckiang]

Originally posted by kamwai
ya...MP isn't everything....esp if u have a 5MP camera and only shoot at 1 or 2 MP becos memory stick is expensive....last time with 707, i usually shoot with 3MP....what a waste

There are pple who ask me why i downgrade from 5MP F707 to a 3MP D30

may be next time i can quote Jed's reply

Simple. A 5mp F707 is 5 lousy megapixels. A "lowly" D30 has 3 good megapixels.

Regards
CK

 

[Wai]

Originally posted by ckiang


Simple. A 5mp F707 is 5 lousy megapixels. A "lowly" D30 has 3 good megapixels.

Regards
CK

F707 have fast lens....but the distortion quite bad esp when i shoot hardware....i have yet to try that on a D30 with 50mm/f1.8 + extension tube