Need help regarding megapixels...

[WhoCares]

Hello,
Alright, this might be dumb question, but I'm going to get my first digital camera .
You know when you go get your pictures developed in normal size (4x6") taken with a 'normal' camera... well, can you print the same kind of photo (4x6") that has been taken with a digital camera that has 3 to 4MP? What about greater than 4MP? For instance, if I have a camera that has... say 5MP, and I decide I just want to print a 4x6" photo, is it going to be blurry? Just wondering...

So, what's the recommended Megapixel rating for printing photos at sizes of 4x6" and/or 5x7"? What about 8x10"?

Thanks a lot!

[another view]

You can make any print size from any camera. The subjective thing comes in with the quality that you think is acceptable. You can take an 8mp camera and make a 4x6, and I've seen good 8x10's from 2mp cameras but that's stretching it a little. If you plan to make prints up to 8x10 fairly often, 3 or 4mp is plenty.

Some people will say that you have to have 300dpi to get a good print. Look at the maximum resolution of the camera, divide both the height and width numbers (say 2560 x 1920) by 300 and you'll get that answer. But in reality you'll likely be just as happy with 180dpi, maybe even less. In other words, you can make bigger prints than you think!

[Michael Fanelli]

Some people will say that you have to have 300dpi to get a good print. Look at the maximum resolution of the camera, divide both the height and width numbers (say 2560 x 1920) by 300 and you'll get that answer. But in reality you'll likely be just as happy with 180dpi, maybe even less. In other words, you can make bigger prints than you think!

This ignores interpolation. Although interpolation often gets a bad rap because so many people abuse it, it is a valid mathematical way to "add" pixels successfully.

My old 3 MP Canon G1 can produce 8x10s that are every bit as good as 35mm film.

[WhoCares]

Thank you so much! ;)

[Photo-John]

I've been selling images from a 4 megapixel camera that get enlarged anywhere from 8.5x11 to 6 feet high. More resolution is always nice. But a good lens, clean processing, and good post processing are more important than the number of pixels.

And - more pixels means more money spent on memory cards and storage. That's something most people new to digital don't think about.