Ivo
Established Member
Does a cameraphone really need 41 megapixels?
I really can't see the point in any camera having anywhere near this many pixels in a shot. I tend to use a setting of 2M on my camera, although now I've transferred most of its photos to my laptop I have just reset it to 6 (it is capable of 12). On the other hand, my phone cannot even take photos; after all, a phone is for calling people on!
Nokia obviously disagree with me, but most enthusiasts don't - as shown in the link embedded in the quote (replicated from the BBC article, which also includes said link, to the New York Times).
Thoughts?
The launch of a new cameraphone boasting 41 megapixels has caused a stir on its launch. But how many megapixels do people need?
Nokia's 808 Pureview has dramatically upped the ante on the number of megapixels on a cameraphone. Many smartphones today, like the iPhone 4S, have an 8MP camera.
Now Nokia has blown that standard out of the water. But are megapixels the key thing for consumers to focus on?
Photography enthusiasts have been warning about the "megapixel myth" for some time. In the myth, more megapixels means a better camera and a better photograph.
But that's not necessarily the case.
Damien Demolder, editor of Amateur Photographer, says that at first glance 41MP seems "ridiculous". Professionals doing billboard photography use 25MP cameras. For people wanting to share holiday snaps online, 8MP is more than enough.
But Nokia says people are missing the point. It is the way the pixels are used that is the real "quantum leap", a spokeswoman says.
The information from up to seven pixels is combined to create a new, single, better pixel, in a process termed "oversampling". The company likens it to how compact discs decode more data than needed so they can retain better quality data or information.
I really can't see the point in any camera having anywhere near this many pixels in a shot. I tend to use a setting of 2M on my camera, although now I've transferred most of its photos to my laptop I have just reset it to 6 (it is capable of 12). On the other hand, my phone cannot even take photos; after all, a phone is for calling people on!
Nokia obviously disagree with me, but most enthusiasts don't - as shown in the link embedded in the quote (replicated from the BBC article, which also includes said link, to the New York Times).
Thoughts?