Hi,

I am interested to buy a digital camera (considering Canon A50 & Fujifilm 1700Zoon)and I have a few questions.

1. For almost all digital cameras, we select the size (pixs) and mode (fine, normal, etc). From my understanding, the latter refers to the compression ration of JPEG. My question is, does all manufacturers use the same compression ratio when they refer to fine or normal?

2. For a 1280 x 960 pixs, what is the max size we can printout with an acceptable quality? I supposed it also has something to do with the mode (fine, normal, etc). Can anyone elaborate?

Thanks.

-- Thomas Yong (yongms@letterbox.com), November 16, 1999

Answers

Thomas, choosing the number of pixels in the original image is actually determining the resoultion, not size. Size is an output function. It can get rather complicated, but the images resolution (pixels) divided by the output resolution (pixels/inch) gives the size. At any given image resolution, the higher the output resolution, the smaller the output size.

Manufacturers do not all use the same compression ratios, however they will be similar. Check the cameras specifications to compare various models.

Question number 2 is difficult to answer. It depends on what is acceptable to an individual. Since 300 dpi is generally the best quality modern inkjet printers can print, an image resolution of 1280 X 960, yeilds a finished size of 4.3" X 3.2". Don't confuse a printers dpi (1440, 720, etc.) with the actual capability of output. This is another very confusing topic. You don't always need 300 dpi to achieve acceptable results. You may be very satisfied with 150 dpi, which gives twice as large a print. The choice is yours at the time you print the image. Only you can make the final choice on what is acceptable to you.

-- Steve (milwaukeechrome@aol.com), November 16, 1999.