16 megapixel camera. Megapixel - what is it and how many should there be? Is it worth replacing an old camera with one of the same functionality, but with “more megapixels?”

loan possible | Pickup possible

video reviewphoto

RUB 5,990

Camera Nikon Coolpix A10 Purple Lineart 16Mp, 5x zoom, SD, USB, 2.7 VNA983E1

With a minimum aperture value of the camera lens tele 6.5. White balance. With crop factor 5.6. With a minimum aperture value of the camera lens wide 3.2. With a 16 megapixel matrix. With 2.7 inches (7 cm) LCD display. With a minimum shooting distance of 0.1 m. The physical size of the matrix is ​​1/2.3". With a maximum sensitivity of 1600 ISO. Batteries - with AA batteries. With a maximum memory card capacity of 128 Gb. With a minimum lens focal length of 26 mm. Lens included. Body material - plastic. Macro photography. Matrix type - CCD. Secure Digital (SD) memory card. Built-in flash. With 5x zoom. Thickness: 29 mm. Height: 59 mm. Width: 96 mm. Weight: 160 g. .

video reviewphoto

RUB 14,990

12% 16,990 rub.

Compact camera Nikon coolpix b500 black (black)

Optical zoom - 40. Matrix type - BSI CMOS. With built-in flash. Aperture number 3.0 F. Minimum focal length of the lens 23 mm. Max. ISO sensitivity - 6400. Megapixels - 16. With rotating LCD display. Batteries - with AA batteries. Includes lens. Wi-Fi enabled. With remote control. With optical stabilizer. Crop factor - 5.6. Max. video resolution - 1920x1080. LCD display 3.0 inches. With macro photography. Case material - metal/plastic. The physical size of the matrix is ​​1/2.3". With support for Secure Digital (SD) cards. Aperture number 6.5 F. With white balance. With thickness: 95 mm. With height: 78 mm. With width: 114 mm. With weight: 542 g .

Pickup possible

video reviewphoto

RUB 4,490

Nikon Coolpix A10

With a minimum aperture value of the camera lens tele 6.5. Batteries - with AA batteries. With a 16 megapixel matrix. Secure Digital (SD) memory card. Lens included. Case material - plastic. The physical size of the matrix is ​​1/2.3". With an LCD display of 2.7 inches (7 cm). With a maximum sensitivity of 1600 ISO. With a maximum memory card capacity of 128 Gb. With 5x zoom. Macro photography. Matrix type - CCD. Built-in flash. With minimum aperture value of the camera lens wide 3.2. With a crop factor of 5.6. With a minimum shooting distance of 0.1 m. White balance. With a minimum lens focal length of 26 mm. Height: 59 mm. Thickness: 29 mm. Width: 96 mm. Weight: 160 g.

Pickup possible

video reviewphoto

RUB 9,390

Camera Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ10

Max. ISO sensitivity - 6400. Megapixels - 16. The minimum focal length of the lens is 25 mm. Matrix type - CCD. The physical size of the matrix is ​​1/2.3". Includes lens. Battery capacity 250 number of photos. Aperture number 3.1 F. Max. video resolution - 1280x720. Aperture number 5.9 F. Crop factor - 5.6. With macro photography. Minimum shooting distance 0.1 m. Supports Secure Digital (SD) cards. Optical zoom - 10. With white balance. Battery capacity 680 mAh. Batteries - own battery. LCD display 3.0 inches. With built-in flash. With optical stabilizer. With height: 59 mm. With thickness: 21 mm. With width: 99 mm. With weight: 131 g.

Pickup possible

video reviewphotoreviews

11,900 rub.

Nikon D5100 kit 18-55 (Eng)

Rotatable LCD display. TTL mirror viewfinder. With 3.0 inch (8 cm) LCD display. With a minimum lens focal length of 18 mm. Manual focus. With a 16 megapixel matrix. Nikon F mount. With the number of photos on one battery: 660 photos. The physical size of the matrix is ​​23.6 x 15.6 mm. Max. video resolution - 1920x1080. Matrix type - CMOS. Case material - plastic. Batteries - own battery. With a minimum aperture value of the camera lens wide 3.5. With max. sensitivity 6400 ISO. With a minimum aperture value of the camera lens tele 5.6. Secure Digital (SD) memory card. Possibility of changing lenses. With crop factor 1.5. With a minimum shooting distance of 0.3 m. Manual settings of shutter speed and aperture. Built-in flash. Lens included. White balance. Macro photography. With 3x zoom. With a battery capacity of 1030 mAh. Matrix cleaning function. Remote control. With height: 97 mm. With thickness: 79 mm. With width: 128 mm. With weight: 510 g.

video reviewphoto

RUB 14,210

Camera Nikon Coolpix B500 black VNA951E1

With built-in flash. Max. video resolution - 1920x1080. LCD display 3.0 inches. With white balance. Batteries - with AA batteries. Wi-Fi enabled. Megapixels - 16. Case material - metal/plastic. Physical size of the matrix - 1/2.3". Matrix type - BSI CMOS. With lens included. With optical stabilizer. With support for Secure Digital (SD) cards. With macro photography. Aperture number 6.5 F. Maximum ISO sensitivity - 6400. Crop - factor - 5.6. With a rotating LCD display. Optical zoom - 40. Minimum focal length of the lens is 23 mm. With remote control. Aperture number 3.0 F. Weight: 542 g. Dimensions 114x78x95 mm.

loan possible | Pickup possible

video reviewphoto

RUB 10,899

Camera Panasonic DMC-FT30 Lumix Blue

With a 16 megapixel matrix. Matrix type - CCD. The physical size of the matrix is ​​1/2.33". With a crop factor of 5.7. With a battery capacity of 680 mAh. With a minimum lens focal length of 25 mm. Secure Digital (SD) memory card. With a minimum aperture value of the camera lens tele 5.7. Optical stabilizer. Lens included. With 2.7 inches (7 cm) LCD display. Case material - metal. With a minimum aperture value of the camera lens wide 3.9. With 4x zoom. With a minimum shooting distance of 0.1 m. Batteries - own battery. Built-in flash. With max. sensitivity 6400 ISO. With the number of photos on one battery: 250 photos. Macro photography. Max. video resolution - 1280x720. White balance. Moisture-proof. With thickness: 20 mm. With height: 58 mm. With width: 104 mm. With weight: 125 g.

loan possible | Pickup possible

video reviewphoto

RUB 14,990

Camera Nikon Coolpix B500 Black(16Mp, 40x zoom, 3, 1080P, WiFi, SDHC) VNA951E1

Max. video resolution - 1920x1080. With macro photography. With built-in flash. Aperture number 3.0 F. Body material - metal/plastic. Crop factor - 5.6. Megapixels - 16. Matrix type - BSI CMOS. Supports Secure Digital (SD) cards. With rotating LCD display. The minimum focal length of the lens is 23 mm. Optical zoom - 40. Aperture number 6.5 F. LCD display 3.0 inches. Includes lens. With white balance. With remote control. Batteries - with AA batteries. Physical matrix size - 1/2.3". With Wi-Fi support. With optical stabilizer. Maximum ISO sensitivity - 6400. Thickness: 95 mm. Width: 114 mm. Height: 78 mm. Weight: 542 g.

video reviewphoto

RUB 4,790

Nikon Coolpix L31

With a 16 megapixel matrix. Secure Digital (SD) memory card. Lens included. With max. sensitivity 1600 ISO. Matrix type - CCD. With 5x zoom. Batteries - with AA batteries. Built-in flash. Max. video resolution - 1280x720. Case material - plastic. With a minimum shooting distance of 0.1 m. Rotatable LCD display. With a minimum aperture value of the camera lens tele 6.5. With a minimum aperture value of the camera lens wide 3.2. The physical size of the matrix is ​​1/2.3". Macro photography. White balance. With a 2.7-inch (7 cm) LCD display. With a minimum lens focal length of 26 mm. With a crop factor of 5.6. With a maximum memory card capacity of 16 Gb. Height: 59 mm Width: 96 mm Thickness: 29 mm Weight: 160 g

Pickup possible

video reviewphoto

RUB 12,490

Compact camera Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ57

Optical zoom - 20. Megapixels - 16. Case material - plastic. Max. video resolution - 1920x1080. Crop factor - 5.7. Aperture number 6.4 F. LCD display 3.0 inches. Batteries - own battery. Battery capacity 1250 mAh. Matrix type - CMOS. With macro photography. With built-in flash. With remote control. The minimum focal length of the lens is 24 mm. Battery capacity 350 number of photos. Includes lens. Physical matrix size - 1/2.33". With Wi-Fi support. With optical stabilizer. With manual shutter speed and aperture settings. Maximum ISO sensitivity - 6400. With support for Secure Digital (SD) cards. With white balance. With rotating LCD- display. Aperture number 3.3 F. Width: 108 mm. Height: 60 mm. Thickness: 32 mm. Weight: 222 g.

Pickup possible

video reviewphoto

16,000 rub.

Nikon D5100 kit 18-55mm

Matrix cleaning function. With a minimum aperture value of the camera lens tele 5.6. Max. video resolution - 1920x1080. Manual focus. With a 16 megapixel matrix. With crop factor 1.5. With the number of photos on one battery: 660 photos. Batteries - own battery. Remote control. Rotatable LCD display. TTL mirror viewfinder. Matrix type - CMOS. With a minimum shooting distance of 0.3 m. Manual settings of shutter speed and aperture. With 3x zoom. Macro photography. Secure Digital (SD) memory card. Built-in flash. With a battery capacity of 1030 mAh. Lens included. Case material - plastic. White balance. Nikon F mount. With 3.0 inch (8 cm) LCD display. With a minimum aperture value of the camera lens wide 3.5. With max. sensitivity 6400 ISO. The physical size of the matrix is ​​23.6 x 15.6 mm. With a minimum lens focal length of 18 mm. Possibility of changing lenses. With width: 128 mm. With height: 97 mm. With thickness: 79 mm. With weight: 510 g.

A 16-megapixel camera on a smartphone sounds great, but an 8-megapixel camera often takes better photos. Technologies allowed companies to equip all their flagships with stronger cameras last year, but for some reason this did not happen. Samsung Galaxy S3, HTC Droid DNA, BlackBerry Z10 And iPhone 5, all gadgets are nestled on a cozy eight-megapixel bar.

In contact with

The picture quality of these smartphones is very high, and much better than some devices with a large number of pixels. What's the matter? Let's figure it out.
Megapixels are not a guarantee of the quality of your photos, this is the first thing you need to understand. The formula for getting fantastic photos is much more complicated. This includes the weight of the camera module, lens material, light sensor, image processing hardware, software that links all the components together, and much more. If you can add something else to this list, then most likely this article is not for you. Well, newcomers, welcome.

Sensor

Most beginner and professional photographers will tell you that the most important element in an optical system is the sensor that reflects the light. No light - no photos.

Light enters the camera lens and the sensor receives the information and converts it into an electronic signal. The image processor takes the signal and creates an image, which is by no means final. All photographic imperfections, such as noise, are visible here. Therefore, the size of the image capture sensor is extremely important. In simple terms, the larger the sensor, the greater the number of pixels, and the more pixels, the more light you can get.

Many experts like to draw a rather colorful analogy of the relationship between pixels and sensors with “buckets of water.”
Imagine you have buckets (pixels) placed on asphalt (sensor). You want to collect as much water in these buckets as possible, as much as possible. It turns out that the more buckets (pixels) you can place on the asphalt (sensor), the more water (light) will get into them.

As you may have already noticed, increasing the number of pixels installed on a limited sensor size does not lead to improved photo quality. It is necessary to enlarge the sensor itself, which will have a bad effect on the ergonomics of mobile phones and, of course, increase the cost.

The relationship between the number of pixels and the physical size of the sensor is precisely why some 8-megapixel cameras can outperform their 12-, 13-, or even 16-megapixel counterparts.

Unfortunately, most camera manufacturers do not disclose the full list of characteristics of their devices, much less indicate such “little things” as the width of the sensor. And think about it, even if they did this, how many users would understand these incomprehensible terms?

Image processing

The image processor is equally important for creating high-quality photography. Most modern smartphones have a graphics processor installed that handles all multimedia tasks of the device. Whether it's photos, videos or even games, processing is carried out without the load of the central processor, which significantly affects the operation of the smartphone.

The image processor helps achieve (or at least get close to) zero delay between the shutter being released and the resulting image being captured. At last year's Mobile World, company HTC advertised the latest discrete image processor for a family of phones HTC One, entitled ImageChip. The processor could process photos at the highest speed, the delay between shots was only 0.7 seconds!

Also, do not forget about the graphical functions of the device. The algorithms embedded in the processor create the final appearance of the image on the phone screen. Determining color, photograph clarity, noise reduction - all this happens at this stage.

Increasingly, some phone makers such as HTC and Samsung are including additional features in their high-end phones, such as detecting people's smiles and faces. All this is also the work of the electronics placed in our smartphones.

What's the result?

But let's return to our pixels. Currently, users pay more attention to convenience and speed of shooting. Quickly taking a smartphone out of your pocket, armed with a really high-quality camera, and taking a photo worthy of your home collection becomes a more pleasant procedure than waiting for a fancy DSLR to turn on. And carrying your phone with you is much easier and more convenient.

Don't chase the number of megapixels on smartphones. Having studied all the ins and outs and understood all the subtleties, you can choose a really good option.

The race for megapixels from digital photography has gradually moved into IP video surveillance. Our clients are increasingly asking for cameras of 3, 4, 5 megapixels and even higher. Most of them are absolutely sure that the higher the resolution, the more megapixels the camera has, the better it will show, the higher the detail of the frame will be. Manufacturers, to please consumers, produce high-resolution cameras; 12 MP IP cameras, in the now fashionable 4K format, are already being sold with all their might.

We decided to figure it out - does the video quality of IP cameras really increase with increasing megapixels? Is it worth paying extra for high-resolution cameras, NVR processing power, high network bandwidth and terabytes of disk space required for such high resolution? We selected several cameras from stock with different resolutions - from 1 to 5 megapixels. We also ordered several expensive 5 - 8 MP IP cameras from manufacturers for this test. This is who came to us for testing.

We gave preference to outdoor IP cameras with a fixed lens, because... they do not need to be adjusted, and errors in the tedious adjustment of varifocal lenses will not affect the quality of the video image. True, we did not find 5-megapixel cameras with a fixed lens and tested 5MP varifocal cameras. We installed all the cameras in the same place and pointed them at the opposite wall, where we have several homemade “test tables” hanging.

Let's see what we got. All frame shots were taken through the web interface of the cameras using the IE browser and the ability to save a still frame built into each camera. In the table below we have placed a reduced frame to a resolution of 640x480 (or 640 by 360 if the camera has a widescreen matrix with an aspect ratio of 16:9), as well as a crop (cut out of the frame) with a resolution of 200x360 pixels. It more clearly shows the quality of the “drawing” of small details of the image - in particular, the letters on the Sivtsev table (a table for testing vision).

To view a full-size frame from an IP camera, click on its small copy in the table.

What we noticed when comparing these frames:

1. Cameras have different aspect ratios. IP cameras with a resolution of 1, 2, 4 megapixels have a widescreen frame with a 16:9 ratio. And cameras with a resolution of 1.3, 3 and 5 megapixels are 4:3. Those. the latter have a greater vertical viewing angle. This is very important for those cameras that will “look” at an object from top to bottom. For such cameras, there will be fewer dead spots under the camera both near and far. It is interesting to note that a 3MP camera compared to a 4MP camera not only has a larger vertical viewing angle, but also a resolution: 1536 versus 1440 pixels.
2. Cameras have different viewing angles, and it depends not only on the lens, but also on the size of the matrix. Budget IP cameras with a 1/4 matrix and a standard 3.6mm lens have a horizontal viewing angle of no more than 60°. But the 5MP IPEYE camera with a 1/2.5 matrix has a wide viewing angle both vertically and horizontally (more than 110°). It’s true that the lens at its shortest focus has a distance of 2.8mm.
3. Well, the most important thing we wanted to pay close attention to is the resolution. If you look closely at all the frames, you will notice that, undoubtedly, as the resolution (megapixels) increases, the detail increases. But NOT PROPORTIONAL! Not huge. A 4MP camera does not improve the image by 2 times compared to a 2MP camera. Detail increases slightly. In any case, not a single camera could “cope” with the second line from the bottom of Sivtsev’s table. And already the 6th bottom line (the right letters “B K Y”) is confidently “read” by both cameras with a resolution of 4 and 2 MP.

Of course, here we need to make allowances for different viewing angles. After all, as the viewing angle increases, we seem to move away from the scene being filmed and the detail deteriorates. This is especially true for the 5-megapixel IPEYE camera - the viewing angle provided by this combination of matrix and lens is too wide. And if you make the angle on it the same as that of 2MP cameras (about 90°), then the letters of this table will be read more confidently.

It’s interesting that another 5MP IP camera with the same declared parameters (2.8-11 lens, 1/2.5 matrix) has a slightly narrower viewing angle at the shortest focal length than the IPEYE-3802VP. Detail is approximately at the same level, the picture is somewhat noisier in dark areas of the frame, although the cost of the BEWARD camera is several times higher. But it has a motorized lens and you can control the viewing angle while sitting in front of the computer. A picture with a maximum focus of 11 mm will then look like this:

Maybe someone needs this, considering that every time you change the focus of the lens, you need to either manually or by pressing the “autofocus” button to adjust the sharpness of the image. And this takes from 5 to 20 seconds. But here you can confidently read the second line from the bottom of the vision test table.

Subsequently, we tested a pair of 2-megapixel IP cameras with a 2.8 - 12mm varifocal lens, because... There is an opinion that they show better than “fixes”. Here's what we got:

As you can see, the result is not much different from the previous one. The detail is almost the same as that of 2MP IP cameras with a fixed lens. Even the expensive 2 megapixel (!) Hikvision camera (the retail price of which as of February 2016 was 21,990 rubles) with a viewing angle of 50 degrees set at the factory (and to change it, you had to open the camera, which we absolutely did not want) The readability of Sivtsev’s table was no higher than 5th line from the bottom.

Perhaps varifocal lenses have greater photosensitivity and IP cameras with them can “see” better in the dark, but this is the topic of a completely different test and another article, which we may turn to later. But varifocal lenses have virtually no effect on resolution. Moreover, the slightest inaccuracy in focusing settings can lead to disastrous results, and all megapixels will be useless. And anyone who has ever set up a varifocal lens on an IP camera will agree with me that this is oh so difficult, given the delay with which the signal from the camera arrives at the monitor.

This is the first camera with a 1/1.8 sensor size that we got our hands on. In addition, this camera is capable of delivering a stream at a speed of 25 fps with a 5-megapixel resolution (2592x1920 px). Others cannot do this yet. The maximum they are capable of is 12-15 fps at maximum resolution. The wide viewing angle of this camera is immediately noticeable. With a focus of 3.6 mm, it is wider than 5MP cameras with a 1/2.5 matrix with a focus of 2.8 mm. The resolution of the camera from BSP Security is at the level of other 5-megapixel cameras, even a little clearer. At least the contrast of the picture is higher. However, the situation is slightly overshadowed by blurring of the left side of the frame. Perhaps we were unlucky and came across a camera with a slight distortion of the matrix.

And finally, 4K IP cameras with 8MP resolution arrived at our warehouse. This is a hemisphere with a fixed lens DAHUA DH-IPC-HDW-4830EMP-AS. Here's a shot from that camera:

To open the frame in full resolution, right-click on the picture in your browser and select the “open image” menu item.

We didn't stop our test with office pictures; we also wanted to look at real footage of a street scene. To do this, we pointed our camera lenses at the nearest parking lot, visible from our window. We did this deliberately in rather difficult light conditions - early twilight. This is what we got.

Perhaps we chose a part of the day that was still too bright (17.10 - 18.00 in February), but all the cameras did an excellent job with such lighting. True, the 1.3 MP camera MT-CW960IP20 had a slightly darker picture than others, which is quite strange, because... the 1/3 matrix should have better light sensitivity compared to the 1/4 matrix.

As for the detail of the picture, the situation is similar to the results of testing in the office. Although it increases with increasing megapixels, it is not significant. Both 4 and 2 megapixel cameras were able to read Renault's license plate number. True last ones A little worse.

IP cameras with a resolution of 1.3, 4 and 5 megapixels with their wide viewing angles even “saw” the license plate of our van in which we carry all these IP cameras)). And the 5 MP camera even saw a car standing to the left of the van. The viewing angle is amazing!

In March, we received two more 5-megapixel IP cameras BEWARD and BSP Security for testing. Let's compare how they show on the street.

5 MP IP camera: resolution 2592x1944, matrix 1/2.5, zoom lens 2.8 - 11 mm
5 MP IP camera: BSP Security, resolution 2592*1920, matrix 1/1.8, lens 3.6 - 11 mm

The cameras were tested at the same time (18.00 in mid-March). It is interesting to note that despite the fact that the camera from BSP Security has a wider angle, it has slightly better detail. State The license plate on the blue Ford can almost be read, which is not the case in the BEWARD camera footage. The matrix size has an effect - 1/1.8 versus 1/2.5.

What conclusion can we draw?

1. The treacherous pursuit of megapixels is practically useless and only the manufacturers (well, let’s be honest, we, the sellers of these IP cameras, recorders and hard drives) benefit from more profit from them.
2. In the vast majority of cases, 1- and 2-megapixel IP cameras are sufficient. And if you need better detail of distant objects, then this problem should be solved not by mindlessly increasing megapixels, but by reducing the viewing angle using a varifocal lens. With this we will “bring the picture closer” to ourselves and will be able to see everything we need. And an increase in the number of video cameras. This solution may be a little more expensive, but it will definitely solve your problem. And perhaps the price of a pair of 2-megapixel cameras with a viewing angle of 50° (for example, “fixes” with a 6mm lens) will be less than the price of one 5- or even 4-megapixel with a viewing angle of 100°. But they will give us much more information about the observed territory.
3. It should be taken into account that increasing the number of pixels without increasing the physical size of the matrix only worsens the sensitivity of the video camera, because The pixel area becomes smaller and less light reaches its surface.
4. Real high-quality lenses with optics that allow you to get all the advantages of multi-megapixel matrices cost at least $1000. What can you expect from a 12-megapixel camera worth 20,000 rubles?
5. Well, the last thing to remember is that with an increase in “megapixel” you will additionally overpay for the processing power of the devices being recorded, storage devices (HDD), network bandwidth and traffic when viewing via the Internet.

P.S. We will continue to test IP cameras that come into our hands in this way. Several test samples have already been requested from various suppliers with resolutions ranging from 5 to 12 megapixels. Therefore, periodically visit this page to receive new information about the megapixel race in IP video surveillance.

P.P.S. If any of the manufacturers or suppliers would like to test their cameras on our “test bench” - welcome, contact us by e-mail: kb063_sobaka_yandex.ru

Relevance: 2016

Since the advent of digital photographic equipment, there has been a kind of “megapixel race” between different manufacturers, when a new camera model invariably receives a matrix of higher and higher resolution. The pace of this race changes from year to year - for quite a long time the “vertical” limit for cropped DSLRs was 16-18 megapixels, but then once again some innovations were introduced into production and the resolution of cropped cameras approaches the 25 megapixel mark.

To begin with, let us remember that pixel- this is a basic element, a point, one of those from which a digital image is formed. This element is discrete and indivisible - there are no such concepts as “millipixel” or 0.5 pixels :) But there is a concept megapixel, which means an array of pixels in the amount of 1,000,000 pieces. For example, an image measuring 1000*1000 pixels has a resolution of exactly 1 megapixel. The resolution of the matrices of most cameras has long exceeded the 15 megapixel mark. What did it give? When the resolution of digital cameras was 2-3 megapixels, every extra megapixel was a really serious advantage. Now we are observing a paradoxical situation - the declared resolution of the matrices of amateur DSLRs has become such that it makes it possible to make prints of acceptable quality in almost A1 format! While most amateur photographers rarely print photos larger than 20 by 30 cm, 3-4 megapixels are enough for this.

Is it worth replacing an old camera with one of the same functionality, but with “more megapixels?”

Let's take two cameras as an example - the “simple” amateur Canon EOS 1100D and the “advanced” Canon EOS 700D. The first has a matrix resolution of “only” 12 megapixels, the second has “as much as” 18 megapixels. The difference is 1.5 times. The first thought that many amateur photographers have is something like this - “By changing the 1100D to 700D, I will get 1.5 times better detail! Now absolutely all the nuances will be visible in the photographs - I missed this so much with my old camera!” This installation is actively supported by advertisers. An amateur photographer who has convinced himself that he absolutely needs a new camera breaks his piggy bank and goes to the store.

Let's take a calculator and calculate what the actual increase in photo resolution will be when moving from 12 to 18 megapixels. The 18-megapixel sensor of the same 700D produces an image with a width of 5184 pixels, while the maximum image width of the 12-megapixel 1100D is 4272 pixels (data taken from the technical specifications of the camera). Divide 5184 by 4272 and get a difference of only 21%. That is, with an increase in matrix resolution by 1.5 times, the photograph increases in size by only 1.21 times. If you depict this graphically, you get the following comparison.

The difference is surprisingly small! It turns out that the differences between 12 and 18 megapixels are not so significant. Conclusion - rumors about the significance of megapixel growth are greatly exaggerated. Going from a 12- to 18-megapixel device (or from 18 to 24-megapixel) only in the hope of getting a significant increase in detail in photos is falling into the trap of marketers.

An increase in megapixels in some cases reduces sharpness even when using good optics!

It would seem that this generally looks like nonsense! However, let’s not rush to conclusions... It is logical that as megapixels increase while maintaining the size of the sensor, the area of ​​each individual pixel decreases. You may know that reducing the pixel area leads to a decrease in its real sensitivity, and, consequently, to an increase in the noise level (purely theoretically). However, thanks to the constant improvement of technologies and signal processing algorithms, new matrices, even despite a noticeable reduction in pixel area, have a very low noise level. But danger may lurk on a completely different side...

I have already talked about such a thing as diffraction. Without going into details, let me remind you that this is the property of a wave to bend around an obstacle, slightly changing its direction. When a beam of light passes through a narrow hole, this beam has the property of being sprayed, as it were, like a spray (may physicists forgive me for such a comparison:)

In our case, the aperture (diaphragm hole) acts as a hole. The tighter the diaphragm is clamped, the greater the angle at which the spray is “sprayed.” As a result, the “perfectly clear” point after passing through the aperture turns into a blurry speck. The smaller the aperture diameter, the greater the blur. Now let’s add a small piece of the matrix with pixels to this picture and try to roughly imagine what this “perfectly clear” point in the photograph will look like...

Naturally, the illustrations given do not pretend to be absolutely accurate; many nuances are not taken into account - for example, the fact that when an image is formed, neighboring pixels are interpolated and much more. The point is to show that as the pixel area decreases, the working range of aperture numbers decreases. If the matrix has a very high resolution, you should not clamp the lens aperture too hard, as this will lead to the appearance of diffraction blur. Matrices with a small number of megapixels allow you to clamp the aperture almost to f/22 and there is no significant blurring.

Did you buy a modern carcass? Make sure you have good optics!

The matrix resolution of most modern amateur cameras with interchangeable lenses is between 16 and 24 megapixels. Over time, this range will inevitably shift towards higher values. As a rule, the optics that come with the camera are also improved. Modern kit lenses, although they have significantly improved quality, are still “compromise” options. Most often, they are not able to draw a picture in all the nuances to capture it on a 24-megapixel matrix (or they are capable, but in a very narrow range of settings, for example, only in the range of 28-35 mm with aperture 8). If you are looking for an uncompromising option, you will need high-quality and therefore expensive optics. The cost of a lens that is similar to a kit lens in functionality, but has better resolution, is several times higher than the cost of a kit lens:

By the way, it is not a fact that the “advanced” version will be guaranteed to “draw” the picture - perhaps the lens was designed at a time when matrices with such resolutions were not known. For the same reason, it is not recommended to use kit lenses from very old cameras. I had experience using an old kit lens from Canon EOS 300D (6 megapixels) on a 550D (18 megapixels) - I once borrowed it from a friend to play with for the evening. The old 18-55 did not shine with picture quality at 300D, but at 550D it simply killed it on the spot! It seemed like there was no sharpness anywhere.

By the way...

Fixes(i.e. fixed focal length lenses) are an excellent alternative to budget zooms. They will be very useful if a kit lens does not provide the desired detail, but there is no extra $1000-1500 to buy a “cool” lens. The most popular primes are “fifty kopecks” (50 mm), or rather their younger versions with f/1.8 aperture. At a cost comparable to a kit lens, they significantly surpass it in image quality, but have less versatility - you have to pay for everything.

A pocket point-and-shoot camera with 20 megapixels is beyond insanity!

As sad as it is, there will soon be no other choice. Most compact cameras have a matrix measuring 1/2.3", that is, approximately 6 * 4.5 mm - 4 times smaller than that of a “cropped” camera and 6 times smaller than that of a full-frame camera. The resolution is, as a rule, no less 20 megapixels It's easy to imagine how absurdly small each pixel is. The miniature point-and-shoot lens has a very small aperture, which increases diffraction blur. As a result, the picture looks very "soft" when viewed at 100% zoom.

On the left is a 100% crop taken with a 16-megapixel Sony TX10 point-and-shoot camera with a 1/2.3" matrix. On the right for comparison is a similar view taken on a DSLR. Please note that the picture from the point-and-shoot camera looks very dirty - there is no real detail, there is only software an attempt to emphasize the contours. And this is in the center of the frame! At the edges of the frame, detail decreases even more and often looks like a misunderstanding:

And this is how most modern compact point-and-shoot cameras shoot. For example, here, which shows 100% crops from a Panasonic DMC-SZ1 camera (closer to the end of the article). The question arises: why install matrices with such a high resolution in such devices? These megapixels have no practical value, but from a marketing point of view they sound very convincing - in a camera the size of a matchbox there are as many as 20 megapixels.

So how many megapixels should a camera have?

Let's return to the main issue that the article is devoted to. It all depends on the type of camera, the size of the matrix and the capabilities of the optics. Personally, I think a reasonable number of megapixels is:

• For devices with interchangeable optics with a kit lens - about 12 megapixels. With a higher matrix resolution, the “working” range of focal lengths and apertures narrows. If you want to get the most detailed image, try not to shoot at “extreme” focal lengths, set the aperture to 8.
• For devices with interchangeable lenses with primes or professional zooms, there is no such obvious limitation, the main thing is that the lens can draw all these megapixels. The absence of a low-pass filter provides a certain advantage, but there are a number of disadvantages - we’ll talk about them below. and even as megapixels increase, the maximum “working” aperture number decreases. Try not to shoot under normal conditions with an aperture larger than 11-13 - there will be a noticeable decrease in sharpness due to diffraction blur.
• For soap dishes with a matrix of 1/1.7" and smaller, a reasonable limit is 10-12 megapixels. Anything more is a marketing ploy that has nothing to do with detail.

What matrix characteristics are more important than the number of megapixels?

Firstly, the physical size of the matrix. As already written above, 20 megapixels on a 1/2.3" matrix and 20 megapixels APS-C or FF are completely different things. Large matrices Always provide better color reproduction, wider dynamic range and richer hues than smaller ones.

Secondly, the structure of the matrix plays a role. The vast majority of modern cameras have a Bayer matrix with an anti-aliasing low-pass filter. One image pixel is formed by interpolating a group of 2*2 matrix pixels (2 green, 1 red, 1 blue). The low-pass filter slightly blurs the image, but prevents the appearance of moire on objects with a regular repeating pattern (for example, fabric). Recently, there has been a tendency to abandon the low-pass filter in Bayer matrices. Moire is suppressed by the camera's built-in software.

It is also worth noting X-Trans matrices (used in Fujifilm cameras), which, compared to the buyer, have a more “chaotic” structure of the arrangement of RGB color sensors; they use groups of 6 * 6 pixels of the matrix for interpolation - this eliminates the formation of moire and allows you to do without a low-pass filter, which, as mentioned above, improves image detail.

In the end, the novelty of the technology and its class play a role. No matter how perfect the camera’s matrix is, an equally important role is played by the processor and in-camera software that processes the signal received from the matrix. As a rule, expensive high-end equipment with the same hardware (matrix-processor) as amateur cameras provides better picture quality - a slightly larger dynamic range, a slightly higher operating ISO. The manufacturer does not disclose the reasons for these differences, but it is easy to guess that the main reason is the in-camera software. It often happens that the younger and older models have the same matrices, but the picture quality is different. This is explained by the fact that cheap models process the signal using a more stripped-down algorithm, so they are inferior in picture quality to older models. But this loss is really noticeable only in difficult lighting conditions, for example, when shooting at ultra-high ISO.