Thinking About Buying A High Megapixel Camera? Before You Do, Here Are A Few Things To Consider

So...

You're thinking about buying one of the new high megapixel digital mirrorless cameras like the newly introduced 100mp Fujifilm GFX 100s, 50mp Sony A1 or the earlier introduced 60mp Sony A7RIV.  You are awestruck by the specs and you can afford one.  Maybe you just want one.  Nothing wrong with that.  You want to experience the "wow factor" of seeing incredible detail as you zoom deeply into your image files.  For a change, you want ultimate image quality and are tired of settling for second or third best or even having a camera from a generation or two ago.  You want to be able to crop into your image without sacrificing major image quality.  Also, you want to forego having to buy a long telephoto lens because you can now crop in to correctly compose those far away subjects.  Hey!  You've convinced yourself that you'll save money by not having to buy that long lens!

Before you place your order, you might want to consider some of these things.

Be prepared to most likely pay more for a camera body than you ever had in the past.  The Fujifilm body mentioned is $6000 US and the Sony A1 is $6500 US.  I don't care how you explain it, that is a lot of money for most of us.

Because of all of those pixels crammed onto the sensor, certain factors may occur that weren't problematic with your current camera.  For example, if you want to actually have the benefit of all of those extra pixels, you most likely won’t be able to handhold your new camera.  The slightest hand or camera movement or vibration can negate as many as half of the pixels for which you paid dearly.  Handholding your camera may not be possible if you want to take advantage of all of the pixels.  If you handhold it, you may lose as much as half the resolution.  Then, again, you may not if you are really, really good and conditions are perfect.

Any camera movement is amplified as a smaller amount of movement will alter a light ray and it may land on an adjacent photosite causing blur.  With a sensor with larger pixels, there has to be a bit more movement before causing blur.

Higher shutter speeds may be required as compared to a camera with larger photosites (fewer pixels/area).  Higher shutter speeds help capture your images in a shorter time frame so as to reduce opportunity for various causes of blur.  Higher shutter speeds mean either a larger aperture or higher ISO will need to be used, all things being equal.  Higher ISOs means less dynamic range and more digital noise.

It might be necessary for you to buy a new tripod and head as only the sturdiest tripods will ensure a rock solid platform to eliminate even the minutest camera movement or vibration from wind, etc., which would not be an issue with a camera with fewer pixels.  This translates to having to spend more money and now having to also lug around that big, heavy tripod and head.

There will be more digital noise as the photosites are much smaller than in your current camera.  Smaller photosites equal more noise.

More precise focus must be done.  There is no room for even a little focus error.  That again, translates to tripod use.

Dynamic range will suffer with all those photosites crammed onto the sensor. 

Diffraction softening of the images becomes more of an issue at larger apertures than it would with sensor with fewer pixels.  So, to fully leverage all those pixels, you might not be able to use some of the smaller apertures you currently use.

You'll now have to buy the best lenses or more aberrations will be apparent with cheaper lenses and less expensive lenses may not fully resolve all those pixels.  That translates to, again, higher costs.

The image files are huge.  Maybe 300mb or more.  That means more hard drive storage required on your computer.  More money.

You'll also need larger hard drives for backup.  Another item that will cost you.

You'll also probably want some memory cards with a lot more capacity as the huge files will fill the smaller ones up quickly.  

You will probably also experience slower editing on your current computer with those huge image files.

After you've considered the potential for any or all of these things occurring and you still want that high megapixel camera, I say go ahead and buy it.  After all, the photo and computer industries need your money and we want them to stay in business.  But buying one of those cameras is not all champagne and roses.  There is no free ride.  There are hidden costs involved with most everything and I just wanted you to consider those costs before being surprised later.

Join me over at my website, https://www.dennismook.com.  

Thanks for looking. Enjoy!  

Dennis A. Mook  

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