Megapixel Quantity versus Sensor Quality

[devermb]

I am a photographer who's ready to take the leap into choosing a high megapixel camera, the Sony AR 7 II 42 megapixel, or a 24 MP camera with a very high quality sensor. I want to be able to crop and edit photos that will still be detailed as I can do with the Sony 42 MP that I've already tried out, but I am intrigued by the possibility of getting a Leica M that has a high quality sensor but only 24 MP. Will I be able get the same detailed photos from a Leica with 24 MP if I crop?

 

[cherylynne1]

For the most part, megapixels are just hype, and the number is largely irrelevant for most photographers in most situations. The time that this is not the case is if you intend to crop heavily (more than half the photo) and make large prints. If you want to crop heavily and only publish online, you're fine with 24 pixels. Same if you don't plan to print larger than 8x10. But if you want to crop more than half the picture and print it at something like 16x24 on a regular basis, then it's important to look at the cameras with more megapixels.

Honestly, though, those two cameras are so different that megapixels should be the least of your concerns. I had a family member make a 16x24 canvas print of a picture I took for them, and the picture had been moderately cropped from a 16mp camera. The canvas looked perfect (though, to be fair, canvas is a fairly forgiving medium for that kind of thing.) The point is, unless you regularly plan to make 100% crops, don't worry about megapixels.

 

[devermb]

Many thanks for this very useful answer. I like your lucidity. I'd like to ask you some more questions:

Using film cameras, is there ever a problem with fuzziness, vagueness, etc., in a picture when it is enlarged?

I like to look at my pictures on a large computer screen: would I run into a problem looking at a photo taken with a 24MP camera?

Is there some quality in a Leica camera (e.g. sensor, lens etc.) that makes it special?

Another reason why I attracted to a Leica is because they are built with a lot of metal that will help it withstand bumps and bruises as I travel a lot.

 

[KmH]

Using film cameras, is there ever a problem with fuzziness, vagueness, etc., in a picture when it is enlarged?

Yes. The film speed and the size of the silver halide crystals is often the limiting factor with the faster films being more problematic.

I like to look at my pictures on a large computer screen: would I run into a problem looking at a photo taken with a 24MP camera?

Maybe - depending on the type of display your computer display uses and the display's specifications.

I can't help with your Leica questions.

 

[greybeard]

Increasing MP start to have diminishing returns once you hit 24MP. That is because few lenses can resolve much more than what 24MP can record. I have been comparing the images from my Nikon APS-C D7000 with those of my new FF D750. The D7000 is 16 MP and D750 is 24MP. At ISO 100 unless the images are heavily cropped, I can see no difference. However, the D750 is cleaner at ISO 1600 than the D7000 is a ISO 400. What I think you might gain with the Leica is lens quality. From what I have read, they are the best that money can buy. I don't think that Leica's sensors are any better than those made by Sony.

 

[KmH]

And not all pixels are create equal.
Key properties to look at are the well capacity, shot & read noise levels, and dynamic range.

Probably the best image sensors made today are Sony's Exmor image sensors.
The 24.3 MP Sony Exmor sensors are only available in Nikon (D3300, D5300, D5500, D5600) and Sony cameras (a5100, a6000, a6300, a6500).

 

[Derrel]

One of the most critical aspects the Leica will lack is the ability to do good macro images, or to do longer-range photos with 300 millimeter and up lenses. In many types of Photography it is the lens that is the deciding factor, for example the 150 to 600 millimeter third-party zooms that are now available for Nikon and Canon-- those are not available for the Leica. A second factor: unless focus is absolutely dead on, 36 million or 42 million pixels can easily be reduced to the detail level of a 6 to 10 megapixel camera from over a decade ago. Focus, focus, focus has become the new battle cry. Yes, even at 24-MP on FX, focusing and DOF are critical.

 

[Peeb]

Subscribed!

 

[chuasam]

Here's a shot I did with a Sony P&S camera with the 42MP sensor

here's a 100% crop on the same image

 

[beagle100]

"not all pixels are create equal"

yes, it's obvious - large pixels, small pixels and everything in-between

 

[fmw]

Many thanks for this very useful answer. I like your lucidity. I'd like to ask you some more questions:

Using film cameras, is there ever a problem with fuzziness, vagueness, etc., in a picture when it is enlarged?

Of course. Film cameras dealt with poor focus, inadequate depth of field and motion blur just like digital cameras. These problems result mostly from the way the camera is used, not what kind of camera it is.

I like to look at my pictures on a large computer screen: would I run into a problem looking at a photo taken with a 24MP camera?

You would likely have no problem with a 5mp camera. Remember that the greater the pixel density, the smaller the pixels. We are past the point where adding more pixels accomplishes anything meaningful. The trick now is to make the sensor larger so that we can have more pixels and larger pixels.

Is there some quality in a Leica camera (e.g. sensor, lens etc.) that makes it special?

No. I can't imagine that Leica is in the semiconductor business. Likely hey buy sensors from a semiconductor manufacturer.

Another reason why I attracted to a Leica is because they are built with a lot of metal that will help it withstand bumps and bruises as I travel a lot.

Metal bodied cameras are available from most brands. If you want a Leica, buy a Leica. Just don't get hung up on pixel density. It stopped mattering quite a while ago.

 

[chuasam]

Many thanks for this very useful answer. I like your lucidity. I'd like to ask you some more questions:

Using film cameras, is there ever a problem with fuzziness, vagueness, etc., in a picture when it is enlarged?

Of course. Film cameras dealt with poor focus, inadequate depth of field and motion blur just like digital cameras. These problems result mostly from the way the camera is used, not what kind of camera it is.

I like to look at my pictures on a large computer screen: would I run into a problem looking at a photo taken with a 24MP camera?

You would likely have no problem with a 5mp camera. Remember that the greater the pixel density, the smaller the pixels. We are past the point where adding more pixels accomplishes anything meaningful. The trick now is to make the sensor larger so that we can have more pixels and larger pixels.

Is there some quality in a Leica camera (e.g. sensor, lens etc.) that makes it special?

No. I can't imagine that Leica is in the semiconductor business. Likely hey buy sensors from a semiconductor manufacturer.

Another reason why I attracted to a Leica is because they are built with a lot of metal that will help it withstand bumps and bruises as I travel a lot.

Metal bodied cameras are available from most brands. If you want a Leica, buy a Leica. Just don't get hung up on pixel density. It stopped mattering quite a while ago.

for the price of one Leica, I could buy a TON of better cameras which are no less robust.

 

[dasmith232]

Only because the question came up, Leica released a camera with a monochrome sensor (the Leica M). Why? On a "normal" sensor, there's a smattering of red-sensitive, green-sensitive and blue-sensitive pixels. It actually takes multiple physical pixels to generate a "full color" pixel in the RAW image.

Leica's approach on this was that if you eliminated all the "color stuff" then every pixel would be dedicated to black/white and each adjacent pixel on the sensor would correspond to a pixel in the image file, meaning higher resolution.

I don't know how clear that explanation is, but consider this: (1) it's Leica, and (2) it's not a mainstream camera. But then I'm repeating myself.

 

[mcap1972]

If you are planning to print huge poster that you will need as much of resolution as possible otherwise focus on quality of the sensor.

 

[greybeard]

To the OP: If you place any stock in DxO, the Sony A7R ii with Zeiss lenses is what you are probably looking for.

Sony A7R II vs Leica M Typ 240 | DxOMark