More Megapixels, Better Camera?

Published on March 29, 2009 by Matt John in Consumer Electronics
More Megapixels, Better Camera?

Not necessarily! If you find that pictures from your 10 megapixel camera phone don’t stack up against those from your pal’s lower megapixel digital SLR camera, here’s why…

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Sensor Size

How a digital camera works is: light lands on a sensor where pixels collect light and converts it into data. The more pixels packed onto a sensor, the higher the image resolution. The sensor size and pixels in a mobile phone is way smaller than the sensor found in a DSLR camera – bigger sensors have bigger light-catching pixels. To achieve a high resolution, camera phone makers pack as many tiny pixels as they can onto tiny sensors. The pixels in these point-and-shoots are not the same as the high-quality pixels found on DSLR cameras.

Noise

When you’re taking pictures at night under disco lights with your camera phone, a lot of heat is created, which is one of the ways “noise” is generated – not the audio sort, but it’s the rainbow­ colored random grains you sometimes see in pictures taken in a dim setting. A lower megapixel count with a bigger sensor on the other hand will produce cleaner images. Advanced digital camera models tone down the grains with noise reduction functions, a feature you normally won’t find on a camera phone.

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20 Comments

Darla Smith, posted this comment on Mar 29th, 2009

Great article and very informative. Thanks for sharing.

clay hurtubise, posted this comment on Mar 29th, 2009

Your right, even between SLR cameras there are so many variables.
Thanks,
Clay

Inna Tysoe, posted this comment on Mar 29th, 2009

Thanks for that. I learned something today.

Inna

payge, posted this comment on Mar 29th, 2009

A informative article that taught me something,was interesting reading.

Liane Schmidt, posted this comment on Mar 29th, 2009

Thanks for the tips!

Blessings.

Sincerely,

-Liane Schmidt.

George W Whitehead, posted this comment on Mar 29th, 2009

An interesting, well written article, Matt.

lindalulu, posted this comment on Mar 29th, 2009

Great tips and nice read.

nesita, posted this comment on Mar 29th, 2009

I have been told that I am challenged where technology is concerned
this material is always helpful.

ML Sheldon, posted this comment on Mar 29th, 2009

Short, sweet, and very informative.
Another of life’s mysteries solved! I’m in robotics, and we do a lot of electronic work, but I definitely did not know that about cameras.
Good write!

rutherfranc, posted this comment on Mar 29th, 2009

OK, thanks for the info…

Juancav, posted this comment on Mar 29th, 2009

I know something more.

papaleng, posted this comment on Mar 30th, 2009

great article, hope my son can’t get hold of those items. LOL

Michelle, posted this comment on Mar 30th, 2009

Thanks!! that really was most informative because I was looking at a phone with and 8meg camera, wondering if I should go with that or the iphone….now I know :) Apple always makes a better product anyway!

Thanks again!

C. S. Robins, posted this comment on Mar 30th, 2009

Intersting..I still don’t get it though. Maybe it is because my mind doesn’t comprehend technology well ha

jayguar, posted this comment on Apr 1st, 2009

Great article, informative and understandable to people who don’t know about cameras. Thanks for sharing.

Joanna Besteiro Barnett, posted this comment on Apr 1st, 2009

Great article. Sometimes, you just can’t beat the quality of lower pixels on great cameras!!!

CutestPrincess, posted this comment on Apr 2nd, 2009

thanks for sharing this, now i know!

Kimberly Moore, posted this comment on Apr 2nd, 2009

Great useful information I wasn’t aware of..Thanks!

Joni Keith, posted this comment on Apr 19th, 2009

Great to know.

EYEAM4ANARCHY, posted this comment on Apr 22nd, 2009

There’s definitely a lot more to camera quality than pixel count.

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