Newbie Pixel problem

[badgutrob]

I'm using a Nikon P6ooo set at 'Fine' image quality, 13m ((4224x3168) Image size with 'Standard' Picture control and my file sizes are below 6 mega pixels. What am I doing wrong??
Thanks

[dhyravy]

That image size works out to 13.4 mega pixels. What size are your files?

[another view]

4224 pixels X 3168 pixels = 13.381 megapixels

Do you mean that the file has a 6mb (megabyte) file size? File size and resolution aren't always directly related, that sounds right for a jpeg of that size. If you want a larger (and higher quality) file, switch from Standard to Fine - which I'd recommend.

[badgutrob]

Files are all in the 5.6 to 5.9 range. Some smaller, very few over 6.

[badgutrob]

My image quality is set to fine, do I have to go the NRW (RAW) + Fine
to get the full 13 Megapixels?

[SmartWombat]

You still have 13 megapixels in the smaller JPG file size, but the file is compressed and it may lose some detail.
You don't need NRW+Fine, just NRW would get the full resolution without compression.

NRW+Fine will save a raw file and a JPG file so will use up your memory card quicker.
The only reason for doing that would be to have a JPG that you can view without processing, as well as the NRW file that requires conversion from raw to jpg for printing.
But for just viewing a NRW+Basic setting may be better as it uses less memory card space saving a 18:1 compressed JPG image that is suitable for the web, not printing.

I would prefer to have a NRW raw file and use Lightroom for initial adjustment and then Photoshop or Elements for editing.

[EOSThree]

Like Another View said, Megapixels do not equal Megabytes. Are you mixing the two? Megapixels measure resolution: how many dots there are by how many dots there are. Megabytes measure file size: how much space does this file take up on a disc. When you view your photo on your computer, megapixels are irrelevant, if your photo is recorded at maximum resolution it's recording 13 megapixels, but the file size may be only 6 megabytes. Your computer could really care less about megapixels, it's worried about disc space.

JPEGs are compressed quite a bit and the files sizes may be quite small. RAW is compressed too although the compression is lossless, RAW files will be quite a bit larger in size. RAW, however, allows for much more manipulation because the manipulating isn't damaging to the file. TIFF files are even larger, and are also lossless. Convert a RAW file into a TIFF and it will be a huge file.

[badgutrob]

Thanks for the posts, I was comparing a moose to a horse!
Much appreciated.

[another view]

Sounds like we're OK.

Another way to look at it: If you take a shot of a clear blue sky with nothing else in the frame, you'll have about the smallest file size you can get based on how the camera is set up. Leave the settings and take a shot with a lot of detail and different colors (lots of examples, maybe urban stuff for one) and the file size will be a lot bigger. This is how jpeg compression works - the first shot in my example has a lot of redundant information (most of it, as a matter of fact) so it culls that from the file. The second shot doesn't have redundant much information so it'll be bigger. This is why you have different file (megabyte) sizes, but they're both the same pixel size.