When we talk about the camera, the megapixel count is the first thing that comes to our mind.
We often decide the quality of the camera by its megapixel count, for an instance a normal person will choose a 20 MP camera over a 12 MP one because what he knows is that greater the megapixels, better the camera quality but it is not how the things works.
There are other parameters such as sensor size, aperture, and image processing which decide the camera quality along with megapixels.
Let's find out, how these parameters add to the image quality of a camera.
We often decide the quality of the camera by its megapixel count, for an instance a normal person will choose a 20 MP camera over a 12 MP one because what he knows is that greater the megapixels, better the camera quality but it is not how the things works.
There are other parameters such as sensor size, aperture, and image processing which decide the camera quality along with megapixels.
Let's find out, how these parameters add to the image quality of a camera.
Megapixel Count
Most of us believe that higher megapixel camera takes a better quality image than the lower megapixel camera. Megapixel count tells about the number of pixels present in the image.
The pictures taken with the higher megapixel camera will have a higher resolution and you can zoom in a lot more without the picture being pixelated as compare to lowers megapixel camera. But there is no such significant difference in the quality of images from both the cameras.
Let's understand why megapixel count does not necessarily improve the camera performance.
Suppose we have two cameras, one of 12MP and other is 20 MP and if the sensor size is same then in 20MP camera the individual pixel size will be small and being large in number they will be cramped into the sensor due to which interference will take place between adjacent pixels, hence the overall image quality will be affected while this will not happen in 12MP camera as there are fewer number of pixels present in the same size sensor.
A 12 MP camera will provide a resolution of 4200*2800 and can print a picture size 16*24 which is more than enough for a smartphone camera considering its sensor size which is small as compared to DSLRs. Going beyond this does not improve the image quality, actually, it does the opposite.
Most of the flagship smartphone from top brand houses a 12 MP camera with large sensor size, larger aperture, good optics, and better image processing.
The aperture also controls the "depth of field" and which varies with the aperture.
The depth of field, in which the subject is kept in focus and the background remains defocused producing Bokeh effect or Shallow depth of field.
Larger the aperture, greater the depth of field. Aperture is generally expressed as "f/number", smaller the number larger the aperture.
Large aperture helps in capturing low light photos with less noise as compared to small aperture lenses.
Most of the mid-range and the budget smartphones have f/2.2 to f/2.0 which offers a decent amount of sharpness in the image.
Most of the flagships have larger aperture such as LG V30 has f/1.6, Samsung Galaxy Note 8 has f/1.7 and Google Pixel 2 has f/1.8 which make these smartphones to perform better in the low-light scenario.
The pictures taken with the higher megapixel camera will have a higher resolution and you can zoom in a lot more without the picture being pixelated as compare to lowers megapixel camera. But there is no such significant difference in the quality of images from both the cameras.
Let's understand why megapixel count does not necessarily improve the camera performance.
Suppose we have two cameras, one of 12MP and other is 20 MP and if the sensor size is same then in 20MP camera the individual pixel size will be small and being large in number they will be cramped into the sensor due to which interference will take place between adjacent pixels, hence the overall image quality will be affected while this will not happen in 12MP camera as there are fewer number of pixels present in the same size sensor.
A 12 MP camera will provide a resolution of 4200*2800 and can print a picture size 16*24 which is more than enough for a smartphone camera considering its sensor size which is small as compared to DSLRs. Going beyond this does not improve the image quality, actually, it does the opposite.
Most of the flagship smartphone from top brand houses a 12 MP camera with large sensor size, larger aperture, good optics, and better image processing.
Sensor Size
The sensor is the core part of the camera and it is responsible for the conversion of optical light into the digital signals or photos.
Greater the sensor size, better the quality of the image captured. For an example, if the sensor size remains constant and the megapixels are increased then the individual pixel size will be different for the different megapixel count. A 12 MP camera will have larger pixel size and a 20 MP camera will have smaller pixel size.
Greater the pixel size more the light they capture and hence sharper the image captured will be.
Here we can conclude that sensor size should be big enough so that the individual pixel size is not too small. The pixel size should be at least 1.25 micron and if it is greater than that it is better.
The Google Pixel 2 & Pixel 2 XL comes with a pixel size of 1.4 microns and we can see the results are just amazing whether it is photos or videos.
Aperture is the opening of the camera lens through which light enters the camera body. Larger the aperture, the more light will passes through the lens and reaches the sensor.Greater the pixel size more the light they capture and hence sharper the image captured will be.
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| Sensor Size |
The Google Pixel 2 & Pixel 2 XL comes with a pixel size of 1.4 microns and we can see the results are just amazing whether it is photos or videos.
Camera Aperture
The aperture also controls the "depth of field" and which varies with the aperture.
The depth of field, in which the subject is kept in focus and the background remains defocused producing Bokeh effect or Shallow depth of field.
Larger the aperture, greater the depth of field. Aperture is generally expressed as "f/number", smaller the number larger the aperture.
Large aperture helps in capturing low light photos with less noise as compared to small aperture lenses.
 |
| Aperture Size |
Most of the mid-range and the budget smartphones have f/2.2 to f/2.0 which offers a decent amount of sharpness in the image.
Most of the flagships have larger aperture such as LG V30 has f/1.6, Samsung Galaxy Note 8 has f/1.7 and Google Pixel 2 has f/1.8 which make these smartphones to perform better in the low-light scenario.
Image Processing
Image processing plays an important role in the overall camera performance. Suppose the two cameras have the same sensor, sensor size, and the aperture but we still see a certain difference in their end results, this is because they both use different image processing techniques. Image processing can make the image to look nice even if the camera hardware is not that great.
For example, last year's Google Pixel used the Sony IMX378 sensor and it was used by Xiaomi in MI5S but one can notice the difference in the images they produce. Google's image processing simply outperforms the Xiaomi's image processing by producing better results.
If you have any question or suggestion then leave them in the comment section below. I'll get back to you.
This is one of the bigges myth about megapixels but you have calrified it all..thank you
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