Why a 16MP camera is better than 12MP

[Mooncatt]

True, but when switching to 16:9 on the V20, it crops the top and bottom of the sensor, giving you the reduced 12MP count. I think that's what Ninja was getting at above.

 

[flyingkytez]

Like I said, 16MP would be great if everything else was adjusted to compensate for the increased resolution. 16MP while retaining the same pixel size amongst other upgrades is an upgrade, but megapixel count has never been a sore point for phones over the past few years as very few people utilize a crop zoom.


Sony phones up until recently were a prime example of why more MP =/= better camera.

The hardware is phenomenal, and not because of the MP count. It's just that post-Lollipop, the software processing has taken a huge downturn, turning a ton of things into an oversharpened, watercolor mess

Too much reliance on software processing.. the iPhone X is a perfect example.. yeah sure it looks nice but colors pop way too much.

 

[D13H4RD2L1V3]

Too much reliance on software processing.. the iPhone X is a perfect example.. yeah sure it looks nice but colors pop way too much.

Software processing is not just about colors.

Noise reduction, sharpening, and others all count too.

 

[flyingkytez]

https://www.techforanyone.com/megapixels-dont-matter-cameras/

Conclusion, it really depends what you use the camera for. Yes, there will be sacrifices such as low-light performance, but larger megapixels can be sharper. So if you're a landscape guy like me, maybe higher MP is ideal (the Galaxy S7 was horrible for outdoor photography, however great for fast or low-light shots). People who plan to print big posters should opt for higher MP.

 

[Mooncatt]

People who plan to print big posters should opt for higher MP.

Even that can be debatable. Unless you're planning to pixel peep the poster up close, chances are you will be viewing it from far enough away that you can get away with a lower resolution. For example, on the extreme end, billboards and city posters are made from 6MP images with as little as 50PPI.

 

[D13H4RD2L1V3]

Even that can be debatable. Unless you're planning to pixel peep the poster up close, chances are you will be viewing it from far enough away that you can get away with a lower resolution. For example, on the extreme end, billboards and city posters are made from 6MP images with as little as 50PPI.

That's the thing.

Bigger prints tend to be viewed from further back. Unless it's like a mega billboard, even an a7S will suffice.

 

[Mike Dee]

Give me a lens that captures more light and a larger sensor and I'll be all set

 

[flyingkytez]

That's the thing.

Bigger prints tend to be viewed from further back. Unless it's like a mega billboard, even an a7S will suffice.

Again, cropping the picture. Example of scenario: taking a picture of a license plate down the highway.. Or taking pictures of the Moon.

 

[D13H4RD2L1V3]

Again, cropping the picture. Example of scenario: taking a picture of a license plate down the highway.. Or taking pictures of the Moon.

True, but that's not a case scenario that can be considered widespread enough for many people.

 

[Mooncatt]

Or taking pictures of the Moon.

A longer longer length to optically zoom in to the moon would do more than 4 extra megapixels would. Even at 16 MP, the V20 shots don't do the moon justice. Either it's over exposed and you lose detail, or exposed properly but appears much much smaller (due to lack of flaring that over exposing would've given you), and thus crop zooming wouldn't resolve any detail either.

 

[Almeuit]

So the justification for 16 MP versus 12 MP is to take pictures of the moon?

Wow .. lol ;P. I mean cool if that's what you do but manufacturers go with what the majority do.. and the the majority isn't sitting there taking constant photos to crop of the moon on their smartphones.

 

[flyingkytez]

True, but that's not a case scenario that can be considered widespread enough for many people.

People crop pictures all the time.. Instagram forces you to..

 

[D13H4RD2L1V3]

People crop pictures all the time.. Instagram forces you to..

Not anymore since a couple of years ago.

You can upload full 4:3/16:9 shots on Instagram for ages already. Plus, the crop isn’t severe, especially on 4:3

 

[flyingkytez]

So the justification for 16 MP versus 12 MP is to take pictures of the moon?

Wow .. lol ;P. I mean cool if that's what you do but manufacturers go with what the majority do.. and the the majority isn't sitting there taking constant photos to crop of the moon on their smartphones.

Cropping images and capturing small details from far away (birds, street signs, landscape, etc), moon was over exaggeration example.

 

[Almeuit]

Cropping images and capturing small details from far away (birds, street signs, landscape, etc), moon was over exaggeration example.

Still.. what you are saying isn't what normal people do with their phones. People that do this stuff / hobby have real cameras.. not their smartphones.

 

[flyingkytez]

Still.. what you are saying isn't what normal people do with their phones. People that do this stuff / hobby have real cameras.. not their smartphones.

Taking pictures of landscape and outdoors.. seems normal to me.. if they reduced the camera to 6MP seems like you would be okay with it.

 

[Almeuit]

Taking pictures of landscape and outdoors.. seems normal to me.. if they reduced the camera to 6MP seems like you would be okay with it.

It sure is normal -- but not for cropping like you're talking about. Most take a picture and share it online. You're talking about taking pictures of landscapes, birds, moons --- then cropping them --- then sharing.

Step 2, 3 aren't normal for most people. Most people who try and get really good landscape / bird shots / etc. have real cameras.

Did I say I would be okay with it being 6 MP? Nope never did . Let's not try and change the context of the conversation here from what you think is the norm for smartphone usage to what you *think* I want.

I said I am fine with 12 MP and how they execute it right now. You aren't since you want to snapshot the moon with a smartphone .. Sorry .. Manufactures aren't gearing towards your usage.

 

[Hawkeberry]

I was at a business meeting.. there were notes written on the white board.. I had an idea of using my phones to zoom in with the camera to see it better.. the Galaxy S8+ with the 12MP camera couldn't make up the texts on the board due to lower resolution. The V20 in the other hand was able to see the text thanks to the higher res 16MP.

You are doing something wrong. Never had a problem taking notes from a white board with my previous phone S7. I'd say if we ignore the wide angle lens, V30 is a step back for me from S7 when it comes to camera. It scores heavily in other areas though

 

[LeoRex]

And I'll also add that I've taken some incredible landscape shots with my 6P, XL and 2XL... Those phones' vastly superior processing leads to detail approaching higher resolution cameras, but with substantially better dynamic range.

 

[Aquila]

You are doing something wrong. Never had a problem taking notes from a white board with my previous phone S7. I'd say if we ignore the wide angle lens, V30 is a step back for me from S7 when it comes to camera. It scores heavily in other areas though

What he's doing wrong is assuming that more MP = better camera and then allowing anecdotal preconceptions to cloud any sort of objective understanding of the effectiveness of various photography strategies in mobile devices. It's confirmation bias to the extreme, which includes the fact that there is no actual factual basis for the bias to exist and there is no external evidence that actually supports any of the pre-determined conclusions. Flat out, MP and quality of images, INCLUDING ZOOM/CROP, have less to do with MP than with almost every other major category of image quality differentiation.