Eight megapixel digital camera reviews

GD
Posted By
Grant_Dixon
Apr 21, 2004
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141
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8
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What an exciting day, dpreviews.com just posted reviews for the Canon PowerShot Pro1, Konica Minolta DiMAGE A2, Nikon Coolpix 8700 , Olympus C-8080 Wide Zoom. The had previously posted a review for the Sony DSC-F828. All cameras got a "RECOMMENDED" with the exception of Olympus C-8080 Wide Zoom that got a "HIGHLY RECOMMENDED". and the Sony DSC-F828 received a guarded "RECOMMENDED"

Using dpreview’s information I checked one of the "worst" eight megapixel digital camera against one of the best five megapixel and found that the improvement in image was stunning. True there is more noise at the higher ends but nothing that would effect my style of shooting. So why are the over all reviews not all "HIGHLY RECOMMENDED"? I suspect that there is a skewing of their reviewer’s decision with the introduction of the D70 and the 10D in or about the same entry level cost. In my opinion all five cameras are looking good in.

Check it out at http://www.dpreview.com/

g
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Barbara_Brundage
Apr 22, 2004
over all reviews not all "HIGHLY RECOMMENDED"?

We have gotten so spoiled. In 1999 the Canon Pro70 was offering a whopping 1.6 MP for about the price of these cameras.
JB
John_Burnett_(JNB)
Apr 23, 2004
RE: Recommended but not HIGHLY. I haven’t looked at the reviews, but I would guess that it’s because they have just performed a ‘more or less’ apples to apples comparison, and they clearly felt one camera deserved more recognition than the others. Could we see ‘highly recommended’, ‘MORE highly recommended’ and ‘MOST highly recommended’ in future? 🙂

I also seem to recall that they don’t often go back to older reviews and revise their rating. So you could quite easily see a 5mp with a ‘HIGHLY recommended’ rating and a superior 8mp with just a ‘recommended’. As usual, context is everything.
GD
Grant_Dixon
Apr 23, 2004
John

You are quite right! I guess it hadn’t dawned on me that they were judging cameras based on megapixels and not an absolute value. In any event it was a bit naive of me.

Grant
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Bert_Bigelow
Apr 23, 2004
Grant,
Your comment on comparative image quality of the 8 vs. 5 megapixel cameras is intriguing. I wonder how they compare to the 6.3 megapixel Nikon D70 and Canon 300D. Those cameras are in the same price ballpark, but are SLR’s, of course.
Bert
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Bert_Bigelow
Apr 23, 2004
One more point: All the new 8 MP cameras use the 2/3" sensor, which is 8.8 x 6.6 mm, about 58 sq mm. The new DSLR’s use sensors around 15 x 20 mm, over five times larger. I have read that the larger pixel areas result in lower noise levels. Those are really TINY pixels!
Bert
GD
Grant_Dixon
Apr 23, 2004
Bert

I did compare the 6 meg dSLR against the new 8 meg Prosumers. The 8 meg did show better resolution but appeared to be softer in focus compared to the dSLRs. I am not sure why this is as I would have expected the dSLRs to be softer, I guess I will have to do some more looking into that. The dSLRS were head and shoulders above the 8 meg when it came to noise although both behave reasonable well at ISO 200 or less.

I should point out that the differences between the dSLR and the 8 meg were not as striking as the differenced between the 8 meg and the 5 meg cameras. At a two to three hundred dollars difference the 8 meg was a very positive step up from an 5 meg camera. On the other hand the difference in image quality of the 8 megs and the dSLR would not be a deciding consideration in my purchasing of a camera.

Of course all this should be taken with grains of salt as it is only how my eyes see these image and what would influence my spending habits. If I were in the market for a camera devoted to making 8"x10" prints or larger I seriously consider moving up to a dSLR or an 8 meg camera. If I was shooting for the web or prints of 5"x7" and the occasional 8"x10" then I would not consider the move.

g.
DS
Dick_Smith
Apr 23, 2004
"Of course all this should be taken with grains of salt as it is only how my eyes see these image and what would influence my spending habits. If I werein the market for a camera devoted to making 8"x10" prints or larger I seriously consider moving up to a dSLR or an 8 meg camera. If I was shooting for the web or prints of 5"x7" and the occasional 8"x10" then I would not consider the move."

Grant,

You make an excellent point. What seems to hold true, as ever, is that you really need to consider what you are going to do and buy the tool appropriate to the job.

Dick
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Bert_Bigelow
Apr 23, 2004
My first digital camera was a Nikon CP950…2 megapixels. I made some surprisingly good 8x10s with it. But I agree that more pixels is better. I suspect the lenses on the DSLR’s are superior to the rangefinder cameras. But it depends on what lens you put on it…
Bert

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