10.1 Mega Pixel vs. Film Camera?

Question

I just purchased a 10.1 mp camera, My wife and I are in disagreement too which one is better, a 10.1 mp camera or a film camera in **picture quality**

Answer 1

The real determination is in the printing. If the photo is printed on high density paper using high quality pigments, both will come out fantastic.

What you see is the result of "dots (pixels) per inch". The more dots per inch, the higher the definition and higher the clarity.

So, your 10.1 megapixel camera will have more information to work with than the average film camera but if you print them both using a low definition print (basic wal-mart processing), you won't be able to tell the difference.

Answer 2

It all depends on which film is used, most professionals still like fujifilms velvia 35mm. Which has always had the best representation of colour scenes. As for the megapixels, it really depends on the resolution of the film scanner you're going to use. if you can scan a film at 1200dpi you're bound to get an image well into the 16mbp range. If you're looking to decide between film and digital, there are pros and cons with both. Film is expensive to develop and you have to be prepared to waste shots to get the photo you want, but as far as the tonal range and sharpness it's still better than most mid range digital cameras. Digital cameras only get good in the canon 7D or nikon d3s range. Digital sensors also tend to cut off or crop most of the image, where as in film what you see is exactly what you get. Hope this was helpful.

Answer 3

10.1 deff. Film picture quality is not in mp its just however many pixels it takes to make it look good. 10.1 mp is 10,100,000 pixels that make the picture. The picture quality film is not even close to thet. You cant even see 10.1 megapixels, you can only see less than 1mp, how it works is the more pixels, the better that pic looks whn you make it large. Your video wont look even near as good when you make it the size of say a poster.

Answer 4

I agree with Ara57. Since this is an opportunity to show off, here are a couple of my own images from a 10 MP Nikon D200. Just click on "All Sizes" and you'll see about what an 8x10 print would look like. Feel free to download and print (but not sell) at 300 dpi. I think they compare quite favorably with film.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7189769@N04/408446616/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7189769@N04/409564890/

Answer 5

In a normal size print, (up to an 8x10) you will be hard pressed to tell the difference between 35mm and 10mp. Larger format film, however, exceeds 10mp in terms of resolution, but maybe not sharpness.
I find it is harder for Joe Consumer to get a good digital print than it is to get a good film print. There are more variables and things to consider in digital photography.
Also, a well done film print has a quality that is hard to define, but there none-the-less.
Short answer, you can get a great image from either one.