Our on-going survey of digital reflexes

This year starts with the arrival of Deca-megapixels. So, should we be tempted by the Canon EOS 400D, Nikon D80 and D40X, Olympus E-400, Pentax K10D or Sony Alpha 100? Or how about the D40? Is it enough with its 6 million pixels?

[ Renaud Labracherie | Updated: 2008-06-13 ]

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Christmas like summer is one of the most favorable times to buy numeric cameras. In anticipation of this, the main manufacturers in the world of still images have already honed their arsenals to be ready for the end 2006. The new products in this battle are reflexes with 10 million pixels, which we find for around 1000 Euros. These are unbelievable prices, which barely only four years ago, would have gotten us a high end compact. We are therefore witnessing a revolution in prices, as well as in the cameras themselves, which are more or less semi-professional with improved noise control amongst other qualities.

Better image quality

Up until now, we were a little bit skeptical about the (rather unbridled) race in the number of pixels in digital cameras. Increases were rarely accompanied with amazing results and the argument of "more pixels for a better image" had to be verified for each product. However, on new reflexes the transition from sensors with 6 or 7 million pixels to new ones with 10 million photosites has allowed engineers to noticeably improve the quality of images. Overall, they are more precise, color fidelity is better, and noise (presence of pixels with aberrant colors) is managed better.

More ambitious camera bodies

The sensor wasn’t the only element improved upon. Now, all reflexes have a 6.35 cm diagonal LCD screen for increased viewing comfort. Others are equipped with new technology that is intended to simplify the life of the user. For example, Sony and Pentax have added mechanical stabilization (limiting the blurriness due to user movements and allowing better functioning in low light) and an anti-dust system - also a characteristic of the Canon EOS 400D and Olympus E-400. As for Nikon, with their D80, D40X and D40, they have chosen to go with the sure value of solid camera bodies for added comfort (large viewfinder and versatile lens).

Those who already own a few brand name lenses won’t have too many questions; however, newcomers in digital photography may be more hesitant. So come along with us in this product survey and let’s try and get a better picture of the current market.

What are the 10 million pixels for?

10 million pixels in an image surely sound like a good thing, but how about in practice? First of all, this abundance of information can allow large format prints. A definition of 3872 x 2592 pixels enables printing in 32.8 x 22 cm in 300 dpi. By slightly lowering the printing resolution, it’s entirely possible to make nice A3 prints with a photo printer.

The other advantage of this multitude of pixels is the possibility of larger resizing. On a good quality photo, you can seriously reduce framing without losing too much detail. The 10 million pixels therefore play the role of an excellent «numeric zoom», which macro photographers will certainly appreciate.