Digital cameras advancing

[tweeksound]

It's amazing, the technology/price curve on digital cameras.
Just a couple years ago I bought a 5 MP digital camera for $170.
Now I'm seeing 8.1 MP that are smaller and have more features for $150.

I wonder if before too long you'll have serious cameras that would have cost $800 going for $200.

[tonyvdb]

You think thats bad, I bought my Sony DSC P5 back 7 years ago its a 3.2mp and payed $1100

[tweeksound]

Incredible.

[Mike P.]

I remember paying $400 for a 3.2 MP camera. The only use I can think of for a 8 to 10 MP camera is if you're printing 24" x 30" posters. For 5" x 7" pics, 3.2 MP is fine. I wonder how much memory a 8 MP pic takes up?

[tweeksound]

This should tell you everything yu could want to know about 8MP shots :0)
http://web.forret.com/tools/megapixe...56&height=2304

I thought that a 4x6 print from a 8 MP camera would look better than a 4x6 from a 5 MP camera.
Due to the higher resolution?

[tonyvdb]

tweeksound wrote:

I thought that a 4x6 print from a 8 MP camera would look better than a 4x6 from a 5 MP camera.
Due to the higher resolution?

Yes, The 8 and 10mp cameras will be used for prints done at pro printing shops. We have a Kodak 8mp SLR camera and the prints in raw form take up the most space at about 14mb a photo JPEG mode is a bit better at 11mb.

[Mike P.]

Here's a chart showing MP and what size pics they are good for.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/FrameWor...hartPopup.html

Notice the defintion of "Photo Quality" at the bottom of the page.

[Peter De Smidt]

Well, the BH guide is a good generalization if you're not being very critical, and most consumers aren't. Film systems comparable to a given digital system will have significantly more detail available which will show up in large prints, but film also has, generally, more noise (i.e. grain), but the noise is often aesthetically appealing, much like tube amp distortion. When you enlarge digital you don't run into overall noise so much as you loose detail. With a little sharpening the edges in the photo will look sharp, but the textures of surfaces will slowing fade away as you enlarge. If you compare, say, a 20x30 from a 10 mp camera and one from a 24mp camera, the the first one might look pretty good, at least until you place it next to the second one. Since most photos don't depend on really high detail, digital enlargements often look very good.

With regards to consumer cameras, the biggest problems are noise, the blowing out of highlights and slowness. Oh yeah, and often battery life. My daughter's little Canon ps shows a low battery warning very quickly after installing new batteries. The move from 4 to 2 double As was a mistake. Too many megapixels contribute to all of these problems. My 2mp point'n'shoot makes super 4x6 prints and good 5x7 prints. How many times does the average consumer print bigger than that? 4 to 5 mp would be perfect for most people, especially if the chip is big enough so that noise is kept in check.

[tonyvdb]

Peter De Smidt wrote:

Oh yeah, and often battery life. My daughter's little Canon ps shows a low battery warning very quickly after installing new batteries. The move from 4 to 2 double As was a mistake. Too many megapixels contribute to all of these problems.

Hmmm, haven't seen a digital camera that uses AA batteries in a long time they now use Lithium Ion rechargeable batteries and they last many many pictures. We have an SLR 8mp camera and it takes at least 150 pictures with flash before it needs charging.

[MatrixDweller]

I have a Sony DSC-H2 right now and it takes up to 400 pictures on a full charge (2xAA). I used to have a Canon Powershot A70 which took 4 AAs and would take almost 600 on a full charge. I like the convenience of AAs and other standard battery sizes because if you're on vacation the batteries happen to run out of juice every store has them and they're cheap.

One thing to consider with the extra megapixels you get in more modern cameras is that you can always reduce the size of the picture within the camera settings so that you can cram more onto your memory card.

Here's a good review site www.dpreview.com

[Mike P.]

if you're on vacation the batteries happen to run out of juice every store has them and they're cheap

Depends where you vacation. I ran out of batteries while on vacation in Australia. A pair of AA's were $10.50. That was 3 years ago.

[thxgoon]

NI-MH or Li-I batteries will last longer in a digital camera than alkalines. A charge set of AA NI-MH last around 450 shots where Alkalines are around a 100 pics in my old 3.2mp canon.

IMHO - more than 5mp is a waste if you are not blowing the image up or cropping significantly. How many of these cameras have lenses that can actually resolve 10mp of resolution? Not many of the cheap ones. Personally, I'd rather spend money on a camera with a good lens, optical zoom and fast response. But ya, it is amazing how fast they advance.

[Peter De Smidt]

My daughter's camera is a Canon A series. We used to have an A60 which took 4 AAs, and we never had a problem. The current one, I forget what A camera, only uses two, and it has a huge LCD and image stabilization, and hence it eats NI-MH AAs quickly.