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What is your minimum acceptable megapixel count ?

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I agree with your 16mpx. I have read other posts about this that said 5, 6, 8 and 12 megapixels. It might depend on the emulsion and what you are shooting. The scans of 35mm from my lab give me anywhere from 3.5 mpx to 8 mpx depending on the scene.

I used to sell up to 20x30 in. prints made from Fuji ISO 800 film that still looked very good.
 
gary0319 said:
I’m surprised, with today’s hi resolution cameras, at how many folks are in the 12mpx or less camp. Maybe there is difference between buying a camera and actually using it for the required results…… marketing perhaps?
Click to expand...
I don't think that's only marketing (though the hunt for the latest and best gear will always be down to marketing for amateurs) ; but people making very large prints or wildlife shooters will always enjoy more resolution, that is for sure.

E.g. I wish I had a 45 or 60 MP camera, but at the same time I know I have no real need for it, and even more importantly, it would force me into a corner regarding processing and disk space. I already have terabytes of pictures when my highest resolution camera is 24 MP, I dread to think what would become of me with a 60MP one (and I already pay something like $40/month for redundant and secure online backups).

Regarding prints, I have made one large print in my life, and it was a collage full of 24MP images that I had to downscale because the shop found the file too big...
 
For me, it is 24mp. Basically a 13x19" print at 300dpi. I see no need to go lower in 2024. It’s always better to be able to print large with detail than not be able to do it…

--
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Instagram = @johngellings0
 
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As many has said previously, it depends...
But ideally I would have enough pixels to be able to
  1. downsample the bayer image to compensate for the fact that a Bayer sensor does not truly capture all colors in a pixel, as we know
  2. zoom in on interesting parts of the image
  3. crop later in processing
  4. watch my photos in 20 years on the best screens(TV:s) available
As of now I have cameras that captures all from 12MP to 26MP, even though the iPhone 14 Pro Max captures 48MP RAW with surprisingly good pixel quality.
Ideally thinking of I would like to have a 102 MP camera but that is outside my budget and camera size. So for now I find 26MP "good enough"
 
Around 5 or 6 for most general use. Of course if only to be shared on the web, that is overkill as most posted images are closer to 2 mp or less. I still have a 16x20 on my wall taken with my 2.7mp Nikon D1h.
 
Back in 1995, without any reviews to judge from, I purchased a Kodak DC50 1MP. Although a new concept -digital, I saw right away, it was not ready for prime time. I have no saved images from that experiment but this below is typical of the results from DC50

This is not my picture I took, just as typical dc50 example
This is not my picture I took, just as typical dc50 example

A few years past and I found dpreview 's article on the Nikon 950. 2MP and this got me started in recording images from life around me -People, places, events.

0062051c9cc54c25995d72ec4cdb4a84.jpg

Nikon 950 is able to produce amazing -to me- quality images. A few more years and next was the Fuji S2 (then S3) 6MP with dual photo-diode sensor (extending the dynamic range quite nicely.

6151516e0be048ce8566a7b9875a93f1.jpg

Next after some more years was (still own and use) was Nikon D3s 12 MP.

1244334ecfba4ad3be9eebeaba1fc2f2.jpg

Finally, because it was on 'sale' at $2500, the Nikon D850. I find this actually does take images that have a noticeable depth in color and of course higher resolution for cropping. The low iso can be useful for the color depth. Below is iso 64.

cde7442e333e4399ab97ac0875f842d5.jpg

To me, all the cameras above (minus the DC50) have been perfectly usable to me and I've been happy with them all.
 
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"E.g. I wish I had a 45 or 60 MP camera, but at the same time I know I have no real need for it, and even more importantly, it would force me into a corner regarding processing and disk space."

A very sensible approach and the one that I also use. I don't have need for anything more than 24 mpx. Most of my cropping is done in camera.
 
Philip Eihuyar said:
Finally, because it was on 'sale' at $2500, the Nikon D850. I find this actually does take images that have a noticeable depth in color and of course higher resolution for cropping. The low iso can be useful for the color depth. Below is iso 64.

cde7442e333e4399ab97ac0875f842d5.jpg
Click to expand...
6116e9d4a4f743bda6b9f5ed307a9d5a.jpg
 
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My mistake! Thanks for catching that , , ,

Here is an ISO 64 image:

31b226af81304b7a8c6c178e25d153f6.jpg
 
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Brian Chichester said:
Those wanting 45MP and upwards are often basing their choice on not framing properly and discarding a lot of the megapixels that they captured.
Click to expand...
Or they use all of those megapixels to get better results in post, like:
  • sharpening and similar, like "clarity"
  • rotating
  • perspective correction
  • haze removal
  • local contrast adjustment
  • removing purple and green fringing
  • dust spot removal
  • cloning and healing
  • noise reduction
 
Brian Chichester said:
Interesting that there are two schools of thought here, both fairly well defined. My current cameras are 8, 12 and 16 MP so You can probably guess which side I am on.

I would say 8MP is my minimum, though up to 12 doesn't hurt.

Those wanting 45MP and upwards are often basing their choice on not framing properly and discarding a lot of the megapixels that they captured.
Click to expand...
People want more megapixels in order to print large with fine detail. Despite what people think, you cannot control viewing distance in a gallery space. People do get up close and personal. If you have a lot of fine details, megapixels help. 45mp is simply a 18x27” print at 300dpi. It’s not that big really. Heavy cropping is what bad amateurs do with megapixels.
Brian Chichester said:
Not saying it's wrong, but as someone who shot slide film for a long time, getting the framing right was one of the basics for me.
Click to expand...
Yeah I agree. That doesn’t mean having a high resolution camera is an excuse for sloppiness.
 
Hans Z said:
As many has said previously, it depends...
But ideally I would have enough pixels to be able to
  1. downsample the bayer image to compensate for the fact that a Bayer sensor does not truly capture all colors in a pixel, as we know
  2. zoom in on interesting parts of the image
  3. crop later in processing
  4. watch my photos in 20 years on the best screens(TV:s) available
As of now I have cameras that captures all from 12MP to 26MP, even though the iPhone 14 Pro Max captures 48MP RAW with surprisingly good pixel quality.
Ideally thinking of I would like to have a 102 MP camera but that is outside my budget and camera size. So for now I find 26MP "good enough"
Click to expand...
Agree! In the past I’ve used 16mp files for printing A2. Maybe just “good enough”, but not comparable to prints from higher mp cameras. Certainly not after (serious) cropping. To me, the more megapixels the better.
 
John Gellings said:
Brian Chichester said:
Interesting that there are two schools of thought here, both fairly well defined. My current cameras are 8, 12 and 16 MP so You can probably guess which side I am on.

I would say 8MP is my minimum, though up to 12 doesn't hurt.

Those wanting 45MP and upwards are often basing their choice on not framing properly and discarding a lot of the megapixels that they captured.
Click to expand...
People want more megapixels in order to print large with fine detail. Despite what people think, you cannot control viewing distance in a gallery space. People do get up close and personal. If you have a lot of fine details, megapixels help. 45mp is simply a 18x27” print at 300dpi. It’s not that big really. Heavy cropping is what bad amateurs do with megapixels.
John Gellings said:
Not saying it's wrong, but as someone who shot slide film for a long time, getting the framing right was one of the basics for me.
Click to expand...
Yeah I agree. That doesn’t mean having a high resolution camera is an excuse for sloppiness.
Click to expand...
With respect, I would guess that over 90% of the people using a dedicated camera today don't even print, much less print at 18"x27". So, those that have the need for 45mp is really a pretty small niche.
 
gary0319 said:
John Gellings said:
Brian Chichester said:
Interesting that there are two schools of thought here, both fairly well defined. My current cameras are 8, 12 and 16 MP so You can probably guess which side I am on.

I would say 8MP is my minimum, though up to 12 doesn't hurt.

Those wanting 45MP and upwards are often basing their choice on not framing properly and discarding a lot of the megapixels that they captured.
Click to expand...
People want more megapixels in order to print large with fine detail. Despite what people think, you cannot control viewing distance in a gallery space. People do get up close and personal. If you have a lot of fine details, megapixels help. 45mp is simply a 18x27” print at 300dpi. It’s not that big really. Heavy cropping is what bad amateurs do with megapixels.
gary0319 said:
Not saying it's wrong, but as someone who shot slide film for a long time, getting the framing right was one of the basics for me.
Click to expand...
Yeah I agree. That doesn’t mean having a high resolution camera is an excuse for sloppiness.
Click to expand...
With respect, I would guess that over 90% of the people using a dedicated camera today don't even print, much less print at 18"x27". So, those that have the need for 45mp is really a pretty small niche.
Click to expand...
With respect, camera manufacturers make cameras for those who will use them to their full potential and then it trickles down to those who won’t. Photography is full of so many different types of users, I think it’s hard to make generalizations. 10% would still be a lot of people.
 
If we are future-proofing, I vote for enough pixels that when cropped for 16x9, will fill an 8K TV or monitor. Family photos in particular are often displayed in a slideshow on a TV at any major family gathering.
 
I'll just add to the chorus:

My current camera is [X] megapixels, I declare by fiat that [X] is the correct answer for everyone. I further declare (by fiat, of course) that the only reasons anyone would ever need more than [X] megapixels is for cropping in post (which is lazy), or making large prints. I don't do either, thus nobody else really does, and they are kidding themselves when they buy a camera with more than [X] megapixels.

I have spoken.
 
MediaArchivist said:
I'll just add to the chorus:

My current camera is [X] megapixels, I declare by fiat that [X] is the correct answer for everyone. I further declare (by fiat, of course) that the only reasons anyone would ever need more than [X] megapixels is for cropping in post (which is lazy), or making large prints. I don't do either, thus nobody else really does, and they are kidding themselves when they buy a camera with more than [X] megapixels.

I have spoken.
Click to expand...
 
MediaArchivist said:
I'll just add to the chorus:

My current camera is [X] megapixels, I declare by fiat that [X] is the correct answer for everyone. I further declare (by fiat, of course) that the only reasons anyone would ever need more than [X] megapixels is for cropping in post (which is lazy), or making large prints. I don't do either, thus nobody else really does, and they are kidding themselves when they buy a camera with more than [X] megapixels.

I have spoken.
Click to expand...
 
With respect, camera manufacturers make cameras depending upon what buyers want, regardless of if they use all the features.

Most people today print from their cellphone.
 
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