Pixel
A pixel is one dot on your computer screen or graphic image. Many pixels together make an image.
Megapixel
A megapixel is one million pixels. Digital camera quality is measured in megapixels, which is usually displayed on the camera.
Resolution
This is the number of pixels across and down that a picture contains. The higher the resolution, the better quality of picture you’ll get. Higher resolution pictures can also be larger in size without loosing quality and looking fuzzy.
The list below is from www.howstuffworks.com/digital-camera.htm and lists some typical digital camera resolutions:
- 256×256 – Found on very cheap cameras, this resolution is so low that the picture quality is almost always unacceptable. This is 65,000 total pixels.
- 640×480 – This is the low end on most “real” cameras. This resolution is ideal for e-mailing pictures or posting pictures on a Web site.
- 1216×912 – This is a “megapixel” image size — 1,109,000 total pixels — good for printing pictures.
- 1600×1200 – With almost 2 million total pixels, this is “high resolution.” You can print a 4×5 inch print taken at this resolution with the same quality that you would get from a photo lab.
- 2240×1680 – Found on 4 megapixel cameras — the current standard — this allows even larger printed photos, with good quality for prints up to 16×20 inches.
- 4064×2704 – A top-of-the-line digital camera with 11.1 megapixels takes pictures at this resolution. At this setting, you can create 13.5×9 inch prints with no loss of picture quality.
High-end consumer cameras can capture over 12 million pixels. Some professional cameras support over 16 million pixels, or 20 million pixels for large-format cameras. For comparison, Hewlett Packard (www.hp.com) estimates that the quality of 35mm film is about 20 million pixels
Be the first to comment