Digital Cameras : A SearchMeSilly Guide

‘Resolution’ is the reproduction of detail captured by a digital camera and is measured in pixels. A pixel is a single dot of light and the more of them there are, the greater quality the digital image will be.

The size of the photograph is represented by how many pixels are captured both horizontally and vertically (i.e. 640x480) and by the total number of pixels it contains. You reach the total number by multiplying both figures (256x256 would be 65536 pixels). The resolution required will depend upon how the image is to be used. If you use a lower resolution, there will be more images stored, they naturally take up less space and less time to transfer between devices.

• You may find resolutions as low as 256x256 in some digital cameras at the cheaper end of the spectrum. The picture quality is however very poor and probably unacceptable for most things.
   
• Most cameras will have a low-end resolution of 640x480. If you take pictures in JPEG format at this resolution, it is ideal for e-mailing direct or displaying on a web page, without the need for modifying the image in any way. No film development or scanning of an image.
   
• If you are planning to print your images, a 1216x912 pixel resolution will provide reasonable results. 1600x1200 pixels is a ‘high resolution’ and will allow images to be printed in larger sizes, such as 8x10 inches, naturally with better results.