19
18
A high-resolution sensor is
needed for landscapes
There’s no doubt that serious landscape photographers tend to prefer
high-resolution full-frame cameras in the 40-50MP range. But that’s often
because they like to make huge prints, a metre wide or more. If you have
no intention of making anything that large, then even 16MP is enough for a
detailed A3+ print, while 24MP is better still, giving extra scope for cropping.20
More
pixels
give noisier
pictures
Possibly the oldest myth
of digital is the idea that
sensors with more
pixels result in noisier
images. This had more
than a grain of truth
with early, inefficient
image sensors, but it
doesn’t stand up to
scrutiny any more. For
any given sensor size,
a higher-resolution
sensor will show higher
pixel-level noise, simply
because the pixels are
smaller and gather less
light. But when you look
at the image as a whole,
this noise averages
away again, meaning
that a higher-resolution
image won’t look any
worse at any specific
display or print size. But
crucially, it will usually
retain more detail.23
High ISOs mean
unusably noisy images
You’ll always get increased noise at high ISOs, but it’s
crucial to understand that the type of lighting has a
huge impact too. You’ll get much better results with
natural light compared to low colour-temperature
artificial illumination. So don’t be afraid to use high
ISOs indoors in daylight.21
Multi-shot
modes are
like having a high-
resolution sensor
Quite a few cameras
these days have multi-shot
composite modes that claim
to offer resolutions beyond the
sensor’s native pixel count. This
allows cameras like the 16MP
Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II
or 20MP Panasonic Lumix G
to promise resolutions similar
to much more expensive
full-frame models. While such
modes do work, the problem
is that they usually require the
camera to be tripod-mounted,
and give image artefacts with
anything in the frame that
moves. Despite the continual
improvements that have
been made to their image-
processing algorithms, they’re
not yet a practical substitute for
high-resolution sensors.22
Shooting
wide open
means soft edges
Something you’ll see
repeated time and again
is that you should avoid
shooting with your lens
wide open, as the edges
and corners of the frame
will be too soft. But with
modern lens design, this
isn’t necessarily true; for
instance Sigma’s f/1.4 Art
primes are much sharper
wide open than older (and
smaller) lenses. That’s
ignoring the debate
about whether a touch
of softness towards the
edges even matters
much, in aesthetic terms;
when you’re shooting with
fast lenses, the chances
are that those areas of
the frame will be out of
focus anyway.19
Full frame is the Holy Grail
With all the recent buzz around full-frame
mirrorless, it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that
you can’t do serious work with a smaller format. This
is, of course, nonsense. Full-frame systems bring
certain advantages with regard to image quality,
such as lower noise, increased dynamic range, and
shallower depth of field, but this comes at the
expense of increased size, weight and price. On the
other hand smaller sensors require smaller lenses,
which adds up to a lighter and more portable system.
Pick whichever compromise works best for you.
A 16MP sensor
records easily
enough detail to
make an A3 print
Fujifilm X100T, 23mm f/2,
1/105sec at f/8, IS0 200Don’t be afraid to use
high ISOs in low light
Canon E0S 800D, 100mm f/2,
1/160sec at f/2, IS0 4000