Possible camera upgrade, will I notice?

[Temple Meads]

So, I'm considering upgrading from my current 5.0 megapixel camera, to a nice branded 12.0 megapixel jobbie, but the question is, will there be obviously better quality (less motion blur, clearer images) pictures from the higher pixel camera?
Cheers, Tim.

 

[Aictos]

I don't know much about cameras but surely if your new camera has twice as many megapixels then your old camera then yes there should be a difference.

Your photos should be more sharper and also have a vastly improved resolution.

 

[GB]

Its impossible to say without knowing the new and old camera specs. Don't be fooled though into thinking higher MP automatically means better quality images as its not always the case and not that simple. Quality of the lenses is just as important as the camera body aswell.

 

[rail-britain]

It depends on what dimensions of photos you are taking
Typically with increased MP the dimensions also increase

The advantage is then when you want to crop these images and resize
There is then less loss of resolution, compared to the previous one
I often use this if I cannot read a train number, at higher MP I can then zoom in and read the number!

 

[142094]

MP doesn't really correlate to photo quality too much, just means a higher MP level means you can print bigger pictures.

 

[Matt Taylor]

The quality of the image sensor will play a big part in this, I get far better quality from images taken on a Canon D30 (introduced in October 2000) with a 3.1MP sensor than on my iPhone4 which has a 5MP sensor. And if you are talking about a DSLR a lot will depend on the quality of the lens you use.

 

[507 001]

So, I'm considering upgrading from my current 5.0 megapixel camera, to a nice branded 12.0 megapixel jobbie, but the question is, will there be obviously better quality (less motion blur, clearer images) pictures from the higher pixel camera?
Cheers, Tim.

It would help if we knew the model that you have and are thinking of upgrading to.

An increase of 7 megapixels will likely bring a noticeable iprovement in resolution, but not necessarily quality.

What does bring an improvemnt in quality is the size of the sensor, for example a camera phone such as an Iphone will have a sensor that is miniscule, probably around the size of your little finger nail, therefore the photosites (which make up the pixels) have to be smaller and more tightly packed.
Every time you move up a level in terms of intended market for a camera the sensor usually gets bigger, up until medium format which is the largest (for digital) now these things have huge sensors, usually around 4x5inches.

Each time you increase the size of the sensor the pixel density is reduced, which means things like less digital noise etc. Thats why most D-SLR's are around 12-16mp.

one thing that higher megapixels won't cure is motion blur. That is due to the camera (or user) selecting a shutter speed that is too low to freeze any motion in the scene.
Incidentally newer more modern cameras can shoot at higher ISO speeds (basically you can adjust how sensitive to light the sensor is. This however comes with added digital noise, or grain) without noise being a problem, so you could say that buying your new camera would help to cure a motion blur problem, however again, it depends on the size of the sensor being used.

Sorry If I've gone a bit too technical.

 

[dangie]

Really not meaning to be condesending here, but the biggest improvement to your pictures, or indeed anyone's pictures, is not the camera, but the photographer. Understanding the basic principles of how a camera works will enable you to get the pictures you are after. There are basically only two things that affect the picture. Namely shutter speed and lens aperture. All cameras, from the most basic compact to the professional SLR use these two parameters to give the desired picture. Learn these basics and you'll never look back. If necessary use the scene modes on your camera to freeze motion or to give increased area in focus etc. Remember, modern cameras are technically excellent, but they are thick. Only you know the picture you are after.

 

[richw]

as said above megapixels is mainly to do with how big you can blow things up, not a lot to do with quality. I have a couple of 12mp cameras, one of them being cheap and doesnt focus well, produces terrible quality images, the other is ok, focuses alright, gives a decent picture for what it is. I also have a canon Eos 550d for more formal stuff, but that is in a different league.

 

[gazthomas]

If you want to take photos of trains moving quickly then you really need a camera capable of a fast response, at least 1/1000th of a second shutter speed. Most point and click cameras simply aren't up to the job - an SLR is your only option then.

 

[Crossover]

I upgraded my camera last Christmas from a Pentax to a FujiFilm S80EXR (though this is now a discontinued model) and have found this to be pretty good.

It has the option of fully manual controls as well as auto modes, which together combine to give a good range of options for photo taking. It is also fairly quick and is ready to go in an instant.
Essentially it can be used as a point and click (with pretty good results) or for more complex shots, helped by having 10x optical zoom (ignore digital zoom)

I don;t use it on max settings MP wise and generally don't use flash or the auto-focus light (you aren't allowed them on the railway anyway)

Below is a shot I took (in auto mode IIRC) on one of the forum meets as an example. Shot was taken at Cleethorpes station
View attachment 7589

Despite having had the camera for over 9 months, I am still getting to grips with the settings and experimenting using different options

 

[dangie]

....I don't use it on max settings MP wise...

If I may be allowed to give a small piece of advice. Always use the maximum resolution and quality setting on your camera. True, cutting down the resolution enables more pictures to be fitted onto the memory card, but memory cards and computer hard drives are pretty damn cheap nowadays so lack of memory shouldn't be an issue.

What can be an issue though, is that should you be fortunate enough to take that once in a lifetime picture, the one you want enlarged to poster size and hung on the lounge wall, if the original picture resolution isn't high enough then no amount of digital manipulation will make a silk purse out of a sow's ear so to speak. Always take at maximum.