Megapixels and such

[woollybear]

OK, I have some questions for folks...

I've followed the discussions on MP's and was wondering. If an image is framed the same and the print size is, say 8 x 10, and the image is not cropped, what is the advantage of high MP's versus not so high MP's. Or put another way when do the image MP's exceed the printer's ability to take advantage them? I've been taught that 300ppi is about the limit of printers (at least the one's I can access) so 8 x 10 x (300 x 300) = 7.2 MP.

I must be missing something, but I don't know what it is :-\

Yes, I am a rookie!!

 

[Kernuak]

There will always be increase in detail levels, but at that size, you'd have to look very hard to see the differences I would think, especially if the printer can't keep up and most people probably wouldn't notice, unless they got an eyeglass out. The biggest advantage though, would be the ability to crop, but if you're using a telephoto and the subject is that far away you need to crop significantly, then there is also a chance that detail could be lost from compression of the pollutants in the atmosphere. It's always better to be as close to a subject as possible (within reason and depending on the type of photography of course).

 

[Loswr]

In that scenario, the benefit of more MP would be less noise apparent in the print for a give ISO. As you point out, current cameras are more than sufficient for small prints (and 8x10" is small, relatively speaking).