What to do, what to do

[Wondercapture]

I have a Minolta X-700 film SLR. It's a great camera. The only problem is that I know I'm not getting as much out of it as I could. So I'm thinking I should buy a digital SLR, perhaps I could get one as a graduation present. That way I could see my photos as I take them, and I'll know how to adjust settings if the photo comes out bad.

(This is in response to rolls of film that have turned out completely black, every picture!)

My question is, how many megapixels would be considered a minimum for a good DSLR?

Any other advice would be great too!

 

[shingfan]

it depends on what you print it on.....how large do you usually print?

for a 300ppi printing setup.....you can print up to 10x8 with a 10MP camera (about 3800 x 2600)

if you only print 4x6....then you only need a 3MP camera

but i think the lowest resolution you get on a DSLR is 6MP......which is enough to print on small size....if you want to print larger format...then get a 10MP.....or just get the 10MP since it is not a lot more expensive than the 6MP.....anything above 10MP would belong to PRO-level in DSLR and they are EXPENSIVE

 

[Big Mike]

My question is, how many megapixels would be considered a minimum for a good DSLR?

.
My first answer is...don't worry about mega pixels. It should be much lower down on your priority list for digital SLR cameras. There are several 6MP cameras that are great...and much better than 8MP non-DSLR cameras.

Yes, more is better...but it should not be you main deciding factor.

Since you have a Minolta film SLR...have a look at the Sony A100 DSLR. Sony bought the photo division of Konica-Minolta...so the Sony DSLR is basically the latest in the Minolta line...and it's compatible with Minolta lenses.

 

[Garbz]

As suggested above the resolution of the camera isn't everything. There is always the problem that if you have a 12mpx camera that a lens with that resolution costs a small fortune.

The sensors on a DSLR are usually much nicer than the equivalent compact cam sensors. I would prefer a 4mpx DSLR over a high res compact camera anyday, and if you need to print larger photos there are always some nicer resizing tools.

 

[fmw]

it depends on what you print it on.....how large do you usually print?

for a 300ppi printing setup.....you can print up to 10x8 with a 10MP camera (about 3800 x 2600)

if you only print 4x6....then you only need a 3MP camera

but i think the lowest resolution you get on a DSLR is 6MP......which is enough to print on small size....if you want to print larger format...then get a 10MP.....or just get the 10MP since it is not a lot more expensive than the 6MP.....anything above 10MP would belong to PRO-level in DSLR and they are EXPENSIVE

Nonsense. I've made perfectly fine 8X10 prints from the output of a 3mp camera.

 

[shingfan]

Nonsense. I've made perfectly fine 8X10 prints from the output of a 3mp camera.

i dont think i'm speaking nonsense here.....i carefully stated that for a 300dpi setting.....typically that is what you need.........of course you can print even 80x100 prints with a 1MP camera......just techincally speaking....that is how the math work....and i do think i make sense this time (i admit that sometimes i make nonsense comments...lol )

8x10 at 300dpi translates to 2400 x 3000 mathematically speaking....with a 1200x1500 resolution picture....you can still print it.....but it would not be as crisp as a 2400x3000 printed on the same size.....because the printer would now need to readjust the printing resolution to 150dpi instead of 300dpi