Canon Powershot has 8.0 megapixels but isn’t as good as a Nikon D40 SLR which has only 6.1 megapixels?

Posted by admin in April 21st 2010    under: Nikon D40 SLR Cameras    
  
6 Comments

I’m want to buy a new camera because I’m really interested in photography. I know the SLR cameras are much better for real photography compared to a powershot which is more for the basic photo needs.

However, I always thought that the amount of megapixels was the main thing having to do with picture quality? Obviously, it’s not if the SLR has less megapixels but better picture quality?

I’m very confused.
What makes a camera take better photos if it’s not the amount of megapixels?

Thanks

The most important camera features are the quality of lenses and sensors. Beyond this, it’s the talent of the photographer. Megapixels has nothing to do with quality, it’s the size of the picture. An 8×10 may be larger than a 4X6, but they can have the same exact quality. DSLRs and higher end Point and Shoots use glass and high end plastic optics to produce better images that are more sharp. The also have better quality sensors that produce better contrast and color. Zoom is just another feature for the masses, high zoom lenses can actually produce lower quality images due to light restrictions.

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6 Comments

super_saiyan_goku_4 Said,
April 21st, 2010 @6:50 am  

optical zoom, features, lens.

SLR are not really for noobs.
References :

Alisha Said,
April 21st, 2010 @7:03 am  

It’s all about sensor size not megapixels. Even though the Canon Powershot has 8MP, it’s sensor sizes are a lot smaller then that of Nikons D40. When you have smaller sensors, it picks up less details in the subject of which you are taking.

Megapixels are only important if you are going to make big prints, but if you’re only going to make 4×6 prints, then you don’t need an insanely large amount of megapixels.
References :

kethander Said,
April 21st, 2010 @7:34 am  

Not all pixels on sensors are the same size (SLR pixels being much bigger, generally) and larger pixels don’t have as much problem with contributing ‘noise’ to their neighbors.

A film analogy: if you put high quality, low-grain film in two cameras of very different quality, the resulting pictures would be different in quality, especially if blown up to a large size. With digital cameras of the same mega pixel count (loosely comparable "film graininess"), the slr will likely be working from a much larger "negative" ( the sensor).

You can find many references to the "megapixel myth" online. It’s just an easy way to quantify things for sales and promotion purposes, rather than a measure of image quality. Optical quality is much harder to quantify (though extremely important), and sensor size makes most shoppers eyes glaze over.
References :
http://www.megapixelmyth.com/
http://www.dpreview.com/

drifter45h Said,
April 21st, 2010 @7:46 am  

Marketing hype has led many to believe that more megapixels means better pictures. That’s why we see digicams with 12mp or even 14mp. What isn’t told, however, is that the sensor size remains the same. So you end up with tiny pixels which can’t record as much detail and perform poorly at higher ISO settings.

The sensor in a typical DSLR is as much as 15 times larger than the sensor in a digicam. This allows for much larger pixels which means more detail and much better performance at higher ISO settings.

The kit lens with the average DSLR is much better than the lens on a digicam. Plus, since the DSLR has interchangeable lenses you can always upgrade to a better lens.

A digicam is a station wagon. A DSLR is a sports coupe. Buy a DSLR.
References :

gator Said,
April 21st, 2010 @8:20 am  

The power shot is a point and shoot. Your stuck with the lens and you will never learn the correct way to shoot photographs. The Nikon D40 is an interchangeable lens camera, you can add lens to it. Also the D40 gives you the ability to use it as a point and shoot and manual adjusting where you make the decisions about the exposure. The difference from 6.1 to 8.0 is really not that much that will affect image quality.
References :

Jimmy Said,
April 21st, 2010 @8:37 am  

The most important camera features are the quality of lenses and sensors. Beyond this, it’s the talent of the photographer. Megapixels has nothing to do with quality, it’s the size of the picture. An 8×10 may be larger than a 4X6, but they can have the same exact quality. DSLRs and higher end Point and Shoots use glass and high end plastic optics to produce better images that are more sharp. The also have better quality sensors that produce better contrast and color. Zoom is just another feature for the masses, high zoom lenses can actually produce lower quality images due to light restrictions.
References :

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