Digital cameras 101

[Atanu]

I was reading about aspect ratios for digital cameras at this site. Could you name a few cameras which have an option to set aspect ratio so that printing comes well.

http://www.digicamhelp.com/what-is-aspect-ratio/what-is-aspect-ratio.htm


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[ShutterbugGail]

I assume by printing well, you mean taking photos which you do not have to crop to fit standard size photo papers. One of the most popular prints is 4x6," which has an aspect ratio of 3:2, so this reply will address that size.

In researching this question, we reviewed a database of over 100 digital cameras. As expected, few digital cameras at this time offer a 3:2 aspect ratio. Almost all have a ratio of 4:3.

We found a few digital cameras which have a 3:2 aspect ratio. They include some of the Casio EXILIM, Nikon CoolPix and Sony DSC cameras. The Olympus C-5060 also offers 3:2.

In what is sure to become a growing trend, developers such as PhotoAccess.com offer prints in the 4:3 ratio digital image size:

3.75x5"
4.5x6"
6x8"
7.5x10"
9x12"

Please understand that several factors influence how well an image will print such as if it is properly exposed and what resolution and quality settings were used at the time it was taken. Some cropping usually does not degrade print quality if an image was shot at it highest resolution and quality settings.

In addition, if you print images yourself, quality will be influence by the type of printer paper you use.

RELATED Q&A BOARD MESSAGE:

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RELATED READING:

Printers
http://www.digicamhelp.com/inkjet-printers/digital_photo_printing.htm

Paper
http://www.digicamhelp.com/inkjet-supplies/inkjet-paper.htm

[Deb]

Hi,
Digital SLRs (Single Lens Reflex cameras), such as the Nikon D series and the Canon Digital EOS series to mention two, shoot in the 3:2 format.

[admin]

I'm curious.

Does the camera itself do the cropping for a 3:2 aspect ratio? If so, can you tell what the final result will be when looking through the viewfinder? Is the quality just as good as shooting 4:3?

[Deb]

Yes, you select the aspect ratio on the camera and it does the "cropping". If you are using the Nikon 995 (for example), given an aspect ratio of 3:2, the total number of pixels of the image is reduced since you are reducing one of the dimensions of the image. That is, the size in pixels for this camera of a full frame image is 2048x1536 and reduces to 2048x1360. The pixels per inch is the same; no loss of quality. The LCD previews it as a 3:2.

As for the digital SLRs, I'm familiar with the D100. On that camera, the traditional format is 3:2. And again, there is no loss of quality.