Question for the Photographers

[Peter Morris]

I have recently purchased a new Canon S90 which on all reviews etc is meant to be a fantastic bit of gear.

The small amount of images I have taken so far seem very nice.

Question is : Prior to this I had a Canon A2000IS which was a 10MP camera also and had a super fine shooting mode.
The file size of a photo taken would be around 4.00megabytes.

The Canon S90 is also a 10MP camera and the highest quality shooting mode is 'fine' and I have it set at 10MP setting to achieve the best quality and prints to A2 size if necessary.
However the avergage file size is around 2.00 megabytes..............In comparison to my old one which was at 4MB.

Does a larger file size E.G 4.5MB mean better photo quality....

Thanks for any help,

Pete

[David Noble]

Hi Peter,

I have the S90 also and am very happy with my decision to choose it.  I would have thought we'd be able to get larger files than 2MB.  It shoots RAW so they will be big files.  I have been using it for web and some print also. 
Glad you've raised the point now, it will give me a reason to find out!!  I'm still playing around with various settings, auto and manual modes etc...  I haven't had any trips of late to try out the underwater housing but looking forward to having this set up onboard during trips.

Cheers David

[Peter Morris]

Cheers Dave,

I read where you mentioned you had the S90 also.

Yeah I found it strange that I can only get around 1.5 - 2.0 MB files.....

I havent shot any in RAW mode yet....

Pete

[Andrew Poulos]

Your RAW files will be substantially larger....I use a Canon G10 and my RAW pics are up to 20MB from what I have just checked, and my JPEGs are up to 6MB.....Do you have all the settings up for high quality, eg superfine etc...

[Colin P]

Hi Peter,

I have the Canon D10 (waterproof compact) - it's 12MP and produces JPEGs around 2MB. Not the same camera as yours but in the same bracket.

I shouldn't worry too much about file size if you are happy with the images you're getting and can get the size of print you want.  By way of illustration, here's a shot of a bonefish I was playing - only 1.9MB but ok for posting on forums and for 4x6 prints.





If you are looking for better quality images/bigger files and you're enough of an enthusiast to develop your own images, you should shoot RAW (unfortunately my compact doesn't have that option). I've yet to find a camera that can produce a JPEG as good as the one I can produce from a RAW file. I spent hours playing with my early Canon DSLRs, shooting RAW+JPEG at the same time, before I reached this conclusion!!

Colin

[Callan Wallace]

As far as I understand the difference between megabytes is a jpeg compression algorithm. I would not worry about it too much as these are all point and shoot cameras. Colin is dead on with his comment. Just shoot away and when you decide you need something better move up to a DSLR.
Cheers
Callan

[Peter Morris]

Thnaks for the replies .

After a little more research on the topic......it seems that if you have added 'noise'  (which you dont want) in a photo under a higher compression this will make a bigger file size anyway.

Be interested to here though the avergae file size with shots taken on the Canon G series....

Pete

[Callan Wallace]

I have a G10 and the compressed JPEG is about 4.9MB and when opened in Photoshop CS4 is about 41.8 MB. I say about because it depends on the amount of info in the photo. My 5D JPEG is 5.1 MB and 36.4 MB in Photoshop. Hope this helps and doesn't just confuse. We use the G10 in a underwater housing for out on the boat. The images are great and it also shoots video. Canon just came out with the new G11 and it shoots a 10MP image that is cleaner than the G10.
Cheers
Callan

[Aaron Concord]

Peter,

A digital camera that is capable of shooting RAW files will have a file size similar to or slightly higher than its megapixel rating.
i.e a 10Mp camera will supply 10-12 megabyte files.

If the camera shoots JPEG only then the JPEG compression will generally produce half the size of the Megapixel rating
i.e a 10Mp camera set at JPEG superfine/large will produce 5mb sized files.

There should be a JPEG superfine or large file size that should give you, with your camera, files around 4-5mb in sunny conditions........file size changes with the amount of light that is absorbed by the camera sensor when the shot is made.

This is ala rough guide only as each camera's JPEG algorithm and also your post-processing program on your computer may affect the results.

Aaron.

[Peter Morris]

Thanks Aaron,

Had more of a play around today with the S90.

In auto mode on the highest possible settings.....it produced a shot at file size 2.5 MB
In RAW mode it produced the same shot at 11.5 MB.

Pete

[Scott Maybury]

Ok for posting? Colin that is a lovely shot of the bonefish, the shine on those scales is amazing

[Andrew Poulos]

Love digital cameras !! You can get great shots and keep experimenting. I used to use macro on my film SLR but this is a lot easier now for trial and error.....

This is bonnie teeth up close on  G10.

[Colin P]

Ok for posting? Colin that is a lovely shot of the bonefish, the shine on those scales is amazing

Thanks Scott - I can't pretend I knew a little flash would produce such a result. But as Andrew says, keep experimenting - sometimes good things happen!