Is Megapixel Mania the right way to go?
Tuesday 28 Oct 2008
People outside the photography industry are prone to think that the higher the megapixel count, the better the pictures will be. However, analysts are now warning handset manufacturers that isn’t the case and that a continually increasing megapixel count could result in a lower picture quality.
Ovum analyst Adam Leach said: “It’s pretty much known in the industry that pixel count doesn’t mean quality.
“That said, consumers have seen an evolution in pixels at the same time as camera quality and capability have increased, so it’s easy for them to compare phones on the amount of pixels.
“The image quality from these phones is good and I can’t see the need to go any further; it wouldn’t make sense to continue this megapixel race.
“LG and Samsung like to be first, but the sensors in the cameras are so small, quality is going to start to deteriorate.”
Camera maker Kodak, which has recently been working with partners including Motorola to produce cameraphones, is wary of the megapixel race and believes there are better things to concentrate on.
“We’re going to give the consumer a camera phone that’s as good or better than any device out there,” said Kodak Mobile general manager Brian Marks.
“For example, we’ve included a lot of algorithmic software to get the most out of a camera.
“Our research shows 80 per cent of pictures taken using phones are in low light. With megapixels, a higher number doesn’t necessarily mean better pictures.
“With a 5-megapixel camera, compared with an eight, the sensors are bigger so more light can be captured and better pictures can be produced in low light, despite a lower pixel count.
“But a large amount of pixels isn’t always a bad thing – if you don’t have an optical zoom, due to the real estate constraints of a phone, a high number is important for zooming.”
Although it may not make much of an impact on picture quality, the networks have recognised that the number of megapixels is an easy way to convince customers that a product is at top-end handset.
According to Samsung, its
i8510, the first 8-megapixel phone to market in Europe, is out-selling the company’s forecasts by a third.
The consensus appears to be as long as consumers associate megapixels with quality, manufacturers will continue to push that technology.
As technology develops, more and more manufacturers are jumping on the gravy train when it comes to increasing megapixels with Samsung leading the way. Samsung have more than double its competitors when it comes to camera phones with 5 megapixels or more. Their range includes the Samsung Tocco (5MP), G600 (5MP), G800 (5MP), G810 (5MP),
i8510 (8MP) and the i900 Omnia (5MP).
The only other 8MP camera phones currently available are the
LG Renoir and the
Sony Ericsson C905.