This post is going to get a lot of people riled up, I know, because in THEORY, you should be able to see a difference. But you can’t.
And I’m hoping this little test can save you some bucks the next time you’re shopping for a camera.
Pogue’s Posts - Technology - New York Times Blog
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Saved by 8 people (-6 private), first by anonymouse user on 2006-11-22
- Alexeya on 2008-02-03 - Tags photography
- Philcuddy on 2008-01-09 - Tags camera , cameras , delicious , megapixels , photo , photography
- Aggtaa on 2007-11-25 - Tags photo , art , fun , technology , megapixels
- Piggex on 2006-11-22 - Tags Apps , & , gadgets
- Shahid on 2006-11-22 - Tags digital_cameras
Public Sticky notes
We blew up a photograph to 16 x 24 inches at a professional photo lab. One print had 13-megapixel resolution; one had 8; the third had 5. Same exact photo, down-rezzed twice, all three printed at the same poster size. I wanted to hang them all on a wall in Times Square and challenge passersby to see if they could tell the difference.
Highlighted by kl75214
About 95 percent of the volunteers gave up, announcing that there was no possible way to tell the difference, even when mashing their faces right up against the prints.
Highlighted by kl75214
I’m telling you, there was NO DIFFERENCE.
Highlighted by kl75214
“I don’t get it,” wrote one. “A ten-megapixel camera produces photos about 3640 pixels wide–enough to make a 12-inch print at 300 dpi (dots per inch) on a good printer. Sure, you can go lower, but quality is sacrificed; you can’t make an 11×14 print, let alone anything bigger.”
I have to say, the math sounds right. But I also have to say that he’s wrong.
Highlighted by kl75214
On the show, we did a test. We blew up a photograph to 16 x 24 inches at a professional photo lab. One print had 13-megapixel resolution; one had 8; the third had 5. Same exact photo, down-rezzed twice, all three printed at the same poster size. I wanted to hang them all on a wall in Times Square and challenge passersby to see if they could tell the difference.
... About 95 percent of the volunteers gave up, announcing that there was no possible way to tell the difference, even when mashing their faces right up against the prints. A handful of them attempted guesses—but were wrong. Only one person correctly ranked the prints in megapixel order, although (a) she was a photography professor, and (b) I believe she just got lucky.
I’m telling you, there was NO DIFFERENCE.
Highlighted by piggex
On the show, we did a test. We blew up a photograph to 16 x 24 inches at a professional photo lab. One print had 13-megapixel resolution; one had 8; the third had 5. Same exact photo, down-rezzed twice, all three printed at the same poster size. I wanted to hang them all on a wall in Times Square and challenge passersby to see if they could tell the difference.
... About 95 percent of the volunteers gave up, announcing that there was no possible way to tell the difference, even when mashing their faces right up against the prints. A handful of them attempted guesses—but were wrong. Only one person correctly ranked the prints in megapixel order, although (a) she was a photography professor, and (b) I believe she just got lucky.
I’m telling you, there was NO DIFFERENCE.
Highlighted by piggex
Public Comment