2. 14 Million Pixels... For What?

At the risk of repeating ourselves, we should again point out that the final quality of an image does not depend on its resolution. From a purely literal point of view, an image's resolution affects only its size. Quality varies with the performance of the optics, the quality of the sensor, and the coherence of the light/pixel conversion. All these are variables that explain the presence of excellent four-megapixel cameras and poor six-megapixel ones on the market. This means that it's much better to choose a unit with lower resolution but good quality than a poor-quality one with a high resolution.

The issue of resolution, though a familiar one, is hard to avoid with the Kodak DCS Pro SLR/n, since it claims the highest resolution for the entire SLR market. The standard remains six-million pixels, and only the Canon EOS 1Ds offers 11 million pixels, with an extra cost of more than $3,000. The advantage of such high resolution lies in the parallel that can be made with film. Scanned at 4,000 dpi (the upper limit for a professional scan for journalistic purposes), a 24x36 slide produces an image of 4,500 x 3,000 pixels. And the Kodak DSC pro SLR/n delivers a 4,500 x 3,000 pixel image. Of course, hard-core film believers will point out that the grain of the film enters into the picture; but a standard 200 ISO color negative film simply can't produce more detail than the SLR/n. And while a comparison between film and digital is not our purpose here (each technology has its qualities and its faults, and image rendering differs greatly between the systems), this does make one wonder about the future of film. In fact, the question is a legitimate one for professional photographers who are in the habit of scanning images in order to make them available quickly via the Internet, especially since a directly produced digital image represents a huge saving of time and money.

And speaking in terms of prints and enlargements, a 4,500 x 3,000 pixel file represents 25x38 cm at 300 dpi. This means that it's possible to print the image in A3+ size and beyond, without suffering existential angst. But since this is already the case with a simple 8 million pixel bridge camera, one might wonder if 14 million pixels is really worthwhile. It then becomes a matter of film-digital correspondence and professional habits, which is important when you know how photography editors and photo researchers work. Let's just say that nobody will be uncomfortable with the higher resolution capabilities ...