Why am I so Anal about How Many Pixels I Have

[BenjaminKanarek]

You know, I've been observing my images and thinking about the stuff I have shot with my Canon 10D, Canon 20D, Canon 1Ds Mkll and my Pentax K10D's and K20D's.  I have also shot with pretty much every Medium Format camera and digital back available.

I JUST DON'T SEE ANY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ANY OF THEM WHEN PRINTED TO A LARGER THAN STANDARD MAGAZINE FORMAT!!!  That being around A3. Perhaps color nuance and some grain differences when I shot at 400 or 800 iso.

I have been published with all of the above camera's. All of the magazine's I have been published in are very high grade Trendy Press book quality magazines. The output out of all of the above camera's were more than adequate for my needs.

My point is this. In terms of resolving power and for most support that most of us would imagine being published in,  pretty much all of the newer DSLR's out today could be used for professional application, if you know their limitations.

In fact my last shoot I did with the Pentax K20D was over kill considering the size of the support i.e. about 8x10 inches. In fact I had to reduce the image size to get down to 300 dpi for Pre Press.  I would have been quite comfortable with a 8-10 mega pixel DSLR. The only grain I see when published with a 10 mega pixel camera in double page landscape format is the "tram" grain of the printing press of around 133 dpi.

Why do I bring all of this up...Pixel Peeping is a total waste of time.

Go out and enjoy your toy and use it to express who and what you are.

http://www.benjaminkanarekblog.com/vnx

[Christoph C. Feldhaim]

Its always good to have one or two backup pixels ...

[degrub]

on average.

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

Always carry a spare battery, a spare memory card, and a spare pixel.

[ChrisS]

Nice post, Benjamin. Perhaps focusing on pixels saves thinking about anything more important, like what they represent?

[bill t.]

But what happens when some bumpkin in the graphics department decides to take a head crop out of a loosly framed full body shot, and then conspicuously credits you for it?  It can happen.

I just love pixels, huge endless swarms of 'em for my pano murals.  Also like pixel-sharp lenses.

[BenjaminKanarek]

If you know what the tool you are using is capable of and to what end, you are half way there.  In 90 percent of the time 10 megapixels have worked for me. On the other 10 percent of the occasions the client will rent 

[Christoph C. Feldhaim]

If you know what the tool you are using is capable of and to what end, you are half way there.  In 90 percent of the time 10 megapixels have worked for me. On the other 10 percent of the occasions the client will rent 

I'd rather say 90% is mind related problems if an image fails. 10 % let be technique/equipment.
People always underestimate the mind aspect (which includes feelings, of course).
But I'd never miss keeping my spare pixel with me .

[BFoto]

Which is why the manufacturers are less focused on pixels and more focused on what they can get out of those pixels (ie:noise).

[bill t.]

The problem with matching tools and ends is that ends are moving targets.  Ends are also quite prone to inflation particularly when the art director, agency head, and the client and his wife arrive on the scene 2 hours after the shoot has started.  On commercial shoots, bring your big guns.

[Christoph C. Feldhaim]

I'll build a black and gold painted shoebox around my Canon S 95 and apply for high rated jobs now ... 

[ChrisS]

I guess it depends on what you're photographing for - if it's for people that want to see lots of pixels, then you need kit that produces lots of pixels. I suppose you have to keep them happy if they're paying. If you're fortunate enough to determine for yourself how many pixels is enough, then what some director thinks doesn't matter jack xxxx.

[Christoph C. Feldhaim]

I'm always reading Benjamins fashion politics blog, just to justify why I didn't become a professional photographer.
Not my world ... I'd go nuts after 2 weeks or kill someone ...  
But I enjoy reading it. Really - no joke!

[KevinA]

Pixel quantity is getting less and less important. We have an iPad generation coming up, you don't need much res for a screen and screens wether in your bag or on a wall are becoming the new printed media. Look how sales of the Kindel are booming, I can see the day of the printed book/magazine being like a roll of film. And your pictures will be expected to do more than just sit on a page. Boring 'ol still images will be out of date sooner than we might think.

Kevin.