Pixels? Mega!

Our ability to snap photos on a whim is something that most of us, with high quality cameras on the smartphones we carry everywhere, take for granted. Even over the course of the last decade or so, our phone cameras have gone from something only suitable for catching the very most candid of moments, to a level of fidelity enabling amateur filmmakers to record entire movies using only a smartphone. Does this mean then that phones have overtaken dedicated cameras? How many megapixels do you need before you can retire your bulky Canon, Nikon or Pentax? Well as it turns out, there’s quite a bit more to it than that.

First of all, what even is a megapixel? A megapixel is a unit of measurement used to describe the resolution of a digital image, and typically touted as a metric for which to judge a camera’s quality. One megapixel is equal to one million pixels, which are tiny dots that make up a digital image. Generally speaking, more megapixels means better image quality. There are however a few other factors to consider when we talk about digital photography equipment. One of these is sensor size, which is how much light-sensing area with which you have to capture an image. A very small sensor with a high number pixels will result in poor low light performance, as each pixel’s tiny size will hamper its ability to gather light effectively. The more light a pixel can gather, the more information it can obtain from whatever you’re pointing your camera at.

The size of this sensor is our first difference when we talk about comparing phone cameras to dedicated digital cameras. The average sensor inside a smartphone’s camera is just a fraction of an inch across, but employs a high pixel count in addition to some software tricks to return, nowadays, a high quality image suitable for display on another phone or tablet. My iPhone 14 Pro, for example, has a sensor which is 9.8 x 7.3mm, with 48 megapixels. My camera on the other hand, a FujiFilm X-T4, has a sensor which is 23.5 x 15.6mm and 26 megapixels. I can tell you, while my iPhone takes perfectly adequate photos, that there’s no comparison in quality. For something which fits neatly into my pocket though? Modern phones are amazing photography tools.

Another factor when we’re talking about how good or bad a camera is, is the lens. Much like our eyes, a camera needs something to focus the light onto the part which actually senses the image. With a phone, or really any other portable device, we need to factor size into whatever decision is being made for components. Phones with multiple lenses, allowing differing levels of zoom, are now commonplace as once again you can rely on digital manipulation to make those lenses behave like one, much larger, dedicated element. You reach a point with this digital trickery though, where the image is blurry and unusable much sooner than you would with even an entry level handheld camera.

The answer here I think is twofold. Firstly, it’s important to have the right tool for the job. Quick snaps of your loved ones, or for capturing memories you’d simply like visual reminders of? Your phone is likely to perform great for that. Need something which you’d like a large print of, or for more important occasions? Perhaps an actual camera would serve you better. Secondly, while I think it’s handy to understand what makes a camera good or bad, let’s remember that the only thing which truly matters, is what we’re pointing it at.