How to Pick the Right Camera Resolution for You

If you are going to buy a digital camera, you'll need to decide on camera resolution. The camera's resolution is the amount of detail that the camera can capture in each photo. Resolution is measured in pixels--light sensitive squares that make up the sensor in a digital camera. The more pixels, the better the resolution. Follow these steps to learn how to choose the camera resolution that will work for you and your photography needs.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Ability to purchase the digital camera

How to Understand Camera Resolution

1. Understand the different pixel amounts available and how they correspond to the megapixels found on the camera. A 1 megapixel camera is 1216 x 912 pixels. A 1600 x 1200 pixel camera corresponds to about 2 megapixels. Four megapixel cameras have 2240 x 1680 pixels, and 4064 x 2704 pixel cameras have 11.1 megapixels.

2. Understand what megapixel resolution is generally needed for different uses. For instance, if you will be simply emailing photos to your friends or posting them on a website, and you don't ever need to print the photos out, you can get away with a 640 x 480 pixel camera, which is less than 1 megapixel. One megapixel cameras are the lowest end you should try if you will print out images, and this corresponds to 1216 x 912 pixels. If you want to print out a 4 x 6 photo, you want at least a 2 megapixel camera.

3. Know that larger printouts of photos require better resolution cameras. A 4 megapixel camera is recommended for printing photos up to 16 x 20 inches. If you want poster size, large images printed out, you need a professional quality camera with at least 10 megapixels.

4. Put all of this information together. The higher the resolution, the better and larger print you can make from the image taken on your camera.

How to Chose the Camera Resolution You Need

5. Determine your budget. In general, higher resolution cameras will cost you more money. You can always check around for great bargains and sales, but just realize that the cost goes up with the megapixel amount.

6. Decide what type of picture you will be taking. If you desire to take a photo of a beautiful sunset that you will keep and cherish forever, you will want a higher resolution. If you're just taking a photo that will become an email to a friend, you can use a lower resolution.

7. Determine the clarity you will need in your photos. If you are going to take a photo of something with printed words, you'll need a higher resolution. If you wish to take a closeup picture of a flower, with acute detail, you'll need more resolution. If you are taking a picture of something large, like the sky or ocean, you don't need as much clarity.

8. Assess how large you will want your prints to be. If you want a 4 x 6 print, you could use as low as a 1 megapixel digital camera. If your prints will be larger, such as a 16 x 20 inch print, you should use at least a 4 megapixel camera.

9. Determine what use will be made of your printouts. If you will be selling the photos or entering them in a contest, you will need a higher resolution than if you will just be giving printouts to friends as keepsakes. Whereas you could print out a 4 x 6 photo of good quality with a 2 megapixel digital camera, if you want it to be a professional quality print, you would want at least 4 megapixels of resolution or more.

10. Determine what use will be made of your camera. If you plan to take professional quality photos, you should get a camera with at least 16 megapixels for professional quality.

Tips & Warnings

• It is best to use a camera resolution better than you need, rather than one that isn't enough. You can never go back and get a better shot of that incredible sunset! You can always adjust the resolution downward on your computer later.
• When choosing a digital camera, stick to brands that you know to be reputable. You're better of to buy a good quality camera like Sony or Canon with a slightly lower resolution than a cheap low-quality unknown brand that won't last you very long or work well.
• If you're using a film camera, you don't have to make decisions about resolution. The film in a 35 mm camera is usually about 20 million pixels.
• Most digital cameras are sold as 7.2 megapixels, or 5 megapixels, etc. However, you can use the settings on your camera to take photos with less resolution than the maximum amount available. This will allow you to use less memory on your memory card.
• If you always set your camera to the highest resolution, you will use more of the memory on the memory card. Keep this in mind if you are on vacation and have limited memory left and no way to download and reuse the card while you are on the trip.