Does Size Matter?

The image above was taken with a 36.3mp camera. That is as big a sensor I have ever owned. By modern standards, that’s a middle of the road sized sensor, given that many top end full frame cameras are at 61mp and medium format cameras at 100mp. I bought the camera partly on reputation and also that it was a very good deal. The 36.3 mega pixels, allow me to crop my image quite considerably and still retain a decent file size. The question is though, does it make for better quality images than say a 12.8mp camera from the same manufacturer?

I have Nikon cameras ranging in sensor size from 12 to 36 and I’m not entirely sure that the number of pixels, determines the quality of image. There doesn’t seem to be an exponential growth in quality, the more mega pixels my camera has. I have more scope to crop with a bigger sensor but do I lose anything at the same time. My Nikon d700 (that took this image above) is a very interesting camera in the Nikon pantheon of cameras. Nearly every modern digital sensor is made by Sony by way back when Nikon designed the d700 and d3 cameras, they went to Matsushita (a branch of Panasonic) to supply the sensors. This resulted in two models that render light and colour very differently to most other digital cameras. It’s a big heavy camera that is a professional grade camera and a joy to use.

The image above is from a Nikon d750. This is a 24mp DSLR and 24 is often described as the sweet spot of pixels and full frame sensor format. It has more in common with my 36mp Nikon d810 but is smaller and marginally lighter. It handles low light as well as both of the others and is rugged and a pleasure to use. The delight of these Nikon cameras, is that they are all very reasonable and professional grade gear. They do create slightly different looks but none have a particular edge over the other. The lack of megapixels in the d700 is made up for with an extraordinary filmic quality of its images. The d810 produces highly detailed images that allow the photographer to crop at pleasure. I like to use a 5:4 crop (pretending it’s a medium format image I subconsciously assume ?) .

I like to have several bodies that I can use for different purposes. I like the option rather than doing everything on one body. I’ve recently sold all my Panasonic gear and got a very cheap Nikon z6, to use mainly for street photography. For my photo shoots, I’ll probably use the d810 and d750 as they are good for portraits and in low light. The d700 is my indulgence. I love it because it does something the others don’t.

Does size matter then? Not really is my conclusion obtained from not very exhaustive research. I’m happy using Nikon cameras, lenses and that seems to be the common denominator. I can share batteries among 3 cameras, lenses over all 4 and a menu system common to all. It makes life simpler and easier to switch from model to model. How many megapixels is not my primary thought but having a range does help.