Pixel Count

edited January 2015 Posted in » Nikon D3200 Forum
I am new to digital cameras so bear with me. I have set my camera to fine & large jpg, but get 12.4 mg rather than the 24 mg> Do I have to change my setting to raw to get the full 24 mg? I am satisfied with picture quality, but can it be better?

Comments

  • You may be confusing your photo's file size (measured in megabytes) with your photo's resolution (measured in megapixels).
    Right click the file and then go to "Properties" if you use Windows or "Details" if you use OSX. The resolution of file should be 6016 x 4016 which is about 24MP.
  • edited January 2015

    If you are actually not getting a 6016 x 4000 image, either your settings are wrong, or your image reader is altering them, assuming the camera is working right. The image size should be shown on the camera's playback display at the lower right. The size and compression settings will show on the LCD display in the upper right when that display is lit.

    The D3200 should give you the full 6016 x 4000 at either Raw or JPG large in any JPG quality. None of the settings give you 12.4 megapixels. Medium gives 13.5 and small gives 6. Do not confuse file size with pixel count. JPG makes much smaller files than Raw owing to compression, but the image size is the same at any compression level.

    File size will vary with what is in the image, a simpler image with fewer colors and larger monochromatic areas being smaller. In general, though, a Raw file will run around 18-21 megabytes, a large fine JPG around half that. A large "normal" JPG will be down under 2, but all will be the same image size.
  • edited January 2015
    Thanks so much for the prompt replies and education.
  • Re Pixels "Right click the file..." What file?
  • "What file" in this case is the image file you see in Windows Explorer. If you download your images to a computer, they will be saved in a form like "DSC139.NEF" or "DSC139.JPG" in the folder where they're put. If you use the right hand mouse button, you'll get a menu including "properties," and within that, if you go to the tab marked "details" it will show the pixel dimensions and also some of the other EXIF information for the image.

    I don't know exactly what the equivalent is on an Apple. but I'm pretty sure the same information can be found somehow there too.
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