Tutorial Needed

[1andyw]

I need to better understand the digital camera. My G10 has a 14.7 mp max capacity. The print choices run from large to small and there are 3 compression levels. I wish to determine the best use of the sensor. At what settings do I optimize the pizel density for the sharpest return? What effect will a smaller image have on output vs a larger given the same compression?

Will you direct me to a tutorial explaining the interaction of these various elements?

Thanks, again.

Andy W

[ziggy53]

... I wish to determine the best use of the sensor. ...

That's easy, shoot RAW and process to the largest standard image size. Those other settings are for JPG and by definition will not have the same capabilities, including potential sharpness.

[1andyw]

Sounds good. Thanks.

[cmason]

Sounds good. Thanks.

You should be aware that when you shoot RAW, you MUST process those images on the computer, including white balance, saturation and sharpening. They will not look very good coming out of the camera, because unlike JPEG, they have not been processed.

[Ekaj]

You never gain anything by shooting at a lower quality/resolution except for more card space.

[1andyw]

You never gain anything by shooting at a lower quality/resolution except for more card space.
That is why I was looking for an explaination/tutorial down at my level. It would seem that I could shoot at a lower resolution and have an improved pizel to sensor ratio. I really get lost with physics of it all.

Shooting raw seems best except I will then lose many of the benefits of the technology that is built into the camera. This is appropriate for an arist/purist but I am still at the point and shoot level.

I think I am asking for the moon. I want results like you pros are producing without doing the requisite years of study. That ain't gonna happen.

I will go with the raw for a while and try to manage the workflow and see what happens.

Thanks to all.

AndyW

[Scott_Quier]

Welcome to DGrin:wave

That is why I was looking for an explaination/tutorial down at my level. It would seem that I could shoot at a lower resolution and have an improved pizel to sensor ratio. I really get lost with physics of it all.
No, you want to get as much resolution out of your camera as you can. You can always toss data later, but once gone, it's gone.
Shooting raw seems best except I will then lose many of the benefits of the technology that is built into the camera. This is appropriate for an arist/purist but I am still at the point and shoot level.
Shooting JPG allows the camera to make decisions for you. It also allows you take images straight out of the camera and deliver them to the image consumer (a web-page, a printer, whatever). But, you kinda get whatever the designers of the camera think is a good photo -which may not be to your taste. Shooting RAW adds a few more steps to the process of getting a print/image, but it puts all the control into your hands.
I think I am asking for the moon. I want results like you pros are producing without doing the requisite years of study. That ain't gonna happen.
Not years of study. It really doesn't take much more than a couple of hours to get the basics down. And the basics are all that is needed to do better than the camera can - really!
I will go with the raw for a while and try to manage the workflow and see what happens.

Thanks to all.

AndyW
If you have any questions - please drop a note and let one of the many very nice people here give you a hand. It's a lot of fun to share information and techniques with others.

[1andyw]

Very practical post, Scott. Thank you.

t=83750 is an excellent source I will use.

AndyW