Saving it from scratches is not a big deal in my opinion. I'm not that nice with my unit and it does not really matter. For the concerned you can use a protective cover like used on PDAs.
My next camera will have a flip out LCD but this is (as I've stated before) is primarily for getting those hard to get shots from above or below eye level. Shooting over a crowd without a ladder or down at ground level without getting in the dirt is a really good thing.
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The best 3 MP digital camera in the market?
20 posts • Page 2 of 2 • 1, 2
- Posts: 10
Sun May 09, 2004 7:00 am
I have just read a Digital Photography magazine in a bookstore (but have not finished reading), which has tips to choose the DC and lists more than 400 DCs. It seems in favor of the SD card, next is CF; the LCD size should be at least 1.8, the larger the better and had better to be flip out type. Do you agree? By the way, do you think whether 4 MP is adequate for 10x13 prints or at least 5 MP ( I have already known the MP for 8 x 10)? Thanks.
Last edited by compiler on Mon May 10, 2004 6:22 am, edited 1 time in total.
- Posts: 869
Sun May 09, 2004 1:54 pm
CF (especially the newer ones) are better than SD. CF potentially holds more, is cheaper, and is faster. SD is smaller (physical size) and can be used with PDAs.
Bigger displays are better (but they do take a little more battery power). My Kodak has a 2.2" and I love it for showing pictures that I have taken, I shoot models and giving them instant feedback can be really handy.
But my Pentax has a 1.5" that I can read (and it has a LOT more info on it than the Kodak) just fine.
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The ideal resolution (for printing) is 300ppi the minimum to call a print good is 180ppi (this varys by picture but can be considered a good rule of thumb). About 150dpi is where things start to fall off and at 100dpi its pretty dismal.
So for 10x13 you will want 11.7MP for the ultimate image quality but will find it pretty good at 4.2MP. With image enhancement software or larger viewing distances this can be a little better. The difference between 4 and 5MP is so minor that you really won't notice it. For example my 4MP camera produces 2304x1728 pictures my 5MP camera produces 2592x1944. So you are only gaining a border about 100 pixels wide around the image. 6MP cameras tend to be around 3000x2000 which does give an improvement over 4MP (but not that much over 5MP). The newer 8MP cameras will give you 3264 x 2448.
The best test is empirical .. Take a picture from a DC that you like, crop out (don't rescale) a proportional 4x6 part of the image. Then print out the images and see if they are acceptable to you. For about $0.30 you can do this experiment at a local kiosk.
Another aspect of the picture size is the crop space. If you do a lot of editing you will want more space so you can grab an area of the picture.
Bigger displays are better (but they do take a little more battery power). My Kodak has a 2.2" and I love it for showing pictures that I have taken, I shoot models and giving them instant feedback can be really handy.
But my Pentax has a 1.5" that I can read (and it has a LOT more info on it than the Kodak) just fine.
------------------------------
The ideal resolution (for printing) is 300ppi the minimum to call a print good is 180ppi (this varys by picture but can be considered a good rule of thumb). About 150dpi is where things start to fall off and at 100dpi its pretty dismal.
So for 10x13 you will want 11.7MP for the ultimate image quality but will find it pretty good at 4.2MP. With image enhancement software or larger viewing distances this can be a little better. The difference between 4 and 5MP is so minor that you really won't notice it. For example my 4MP camera produces 2304x1728 pictures my 5MP camera produces 2592x1944. So you are only gaining a border about 100 pixels wide around the image. 6MP cameras tend to be around 3000x2000 which does give an improvement over 4MP (but not that much over 5MP). The newer 8MP cameras will give you 3264 x 2448.
The best test is empirical .. Take a picture from a DC that you like, crop out (don't rescale) a proportional 4x6 part of the image. Then print out the images and see if they are acceptable to you. For about $0.30 you can do this experiment at a local kiosk.
Another aspect of the picture size is the crop space. If you do a lot of editing you will want more space so you can grab an area of the picture.
- Posts: 10
Mon May 10, 2004 6:41 am
castledude wrote:...The ideal resolution (for printing) is 300ppi the minimum to call a print good is 180ppi (this varys by picture but can be considered a good rule of thumb). About 150dpi is where things start to fall off and at 100dpi its pretty dismal.
So for 10x13 you will want 11.7MP for the ultimate image quality but will find it pretty good at 4.2MP...
It’s amazing. How do you calculate or know “So for 10x13 you will want 11.7MP for the ultimate image qualityâ€
- Posts: 869
Mon May 10, 2004 2:29 pm
Just simple math ...
Best Resolution (10" x 300 ppi) x (13" x 300 ppi) = (3000) * (3900)= 11,700,000
Good Resolution (10" x 180ppi) x (13" x 180ppi) = (1800) *( 2340)= 4,212,000
To reverse the equation .. Just divide by the size to get the ppi value and see where it fits on the scale.
Example 3000x2000 (6MP camera) @ 8 by 10 would be ...
3000/10 x 2000/8 = 300ppi x 250ppi
The average ppi (is calculated as the ppi of the hypotenuse)
Sqrt(3000^2 + 2000^2)= 3605
Sqrt(10^2+8^2)= 13.4
3605/13.4= 268 ppi
----------------------------------------------------
All the calculations shown are for viewing at about 2-3 feet (like a book).
When you start getting larger prints the viewing distance will be larger so the required ppi numbers go down. People print 34x24 posters from 3MP cameras and as long as you look at them at a distance where you see the entire poster they will look pretty good.
Best Resolution (10" x 300 ppi) x (13" x 300 ppi) = (3000) * (3900)= 11,700,000
Good Resolution (10" x 180ppi) x (13" x 180ppi) = (1800) *( 2340)= 4,212,000
To reverse the equation .. Just divide by the size to get the ppi value and see where it fits on the scale.
Example 3000x2000 (6MP camera) @ 8 by 10 would be ...
3000/10 x 2000/8 = 300ppi x 250ppi
The average ppi (is calculated as the ppi of the hypotenuse)
Sqrt(3000^2 + 2000^2)= 3605
Sqrt(10^2+8^2)= 13.4
3605/13.4= 268 ppi
----------------------------------------------------
All the calculations shown are for viewing at about 2-3 feet (like a book).
When you start getting larger prints the viewing distance will be larger so the required ppi numbers go down. People print 34x24 posters from 3MP cameras and as long as you look at them at a distance where you see the entire poster they will look pretty good.
20 posts • Page 2 of 2 • 1, 2
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