Taking larger pictures help..

[dependencies]

I notice on my new (Nikon point & shoot) there's an option to take larger pictures,
it goes from normal 'postcard' size we all use normally, right up to 4000 x 3000,

Don't image they'd be much use,
but I was wondering how I'd actually get them from camera onto computer & how do I store them,

normally use Iphoto or picassa, neither of which though seem to offer a larger file storage option


any advice guys?

[stomachmonkey]

iPhoto won't care about file size.

Higher resolution equals better quality.

Just depends on what you will do with them. For large prints you want them as big as possible, for web, 4000 is overkill

You'll get less shots per SD card but those things are cheap so get a couple extra and a nice big external HD

[dependencies]

Got it

Best quality,
Size irrelevant

[wdfifteen]

What he said.
If you never expect to see a hard copy of the picture, 4kX3k is overkill. If there is a chance you will ever need/want a hard copy, shoot at the higher resolution.
We reject a LOT of photos because are shot at low res. It's a shame. A guy will document a restoration with beautiful photos and send them to me for a story and the photos are 256k - useless for print.

[dependencies]

by higher resolution, I guess you mean the 1028mm?

beyond that I can control only the ISO which I'm experimenting right now.

I have NO say in aperture or focus sadly

[wdfifteen]

Rule of thumb with ISO is use the lowest you can for the amount of light available. The higher the ISO the "grainier" the color in the photo.
Not sure exactly what 1028mm means. They use all kinds of size measurements, which all boil down to the same thing: The camera captures light and color data. The bigger the final file size, the more data it has captured and recorded. The more data it has captured and recorded, the more options you have for using it. Small files are OK for video screen viewing because monitors are relatively crude reproduction devices and can't exhibit high detail or nuanced color. Large files are required for making good hard copies because printers can reproduce much higher detail and a wider range of color.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by dependencies

I have NO say in aperture or focus sadly

If you are trying to learn photography, you are in the right place. The less you have to screw around with the camera the more you can focus your attention on subject and composition.

[dependencies]

I bought one of these, If think it worth it next year I'll buy a grown-up instead

anyway the 'image mode' offers:
4000x3000
3264x2448
2592x1944
2048x1536
1024x768
I guessed mm as thats 5"x 3" print size isn't it

At school I was keen on film photography and wondered if the interest was still there later on using digital medium

[wdfifteen]

There is a "lomography" movement afoot that is pretty interesting. They emphasis the art of the photograph over the technical. My stepson ( Jesper McIlroy | Fashion Photographer ) uses a plastic Holga film camera a lot.
Holga

[dependencies]

Oh don't get me wrong,
although I love toys, the image and composition is part of it that I especially enjoy,
all it is, I'd like the hardware to capture my ideas properly,
and in the unlikely event I'm in the right place/right time,


fast enough to capture

[spuggy]

Originally Posted by dependencies

right up to 4000 x 3000,

Don't image they'd be much use,

Don't forget that you can crop a portion out of 4000x3000 image, or resize to any resolution you want afterwards. You can't add resoultion, but it's easy to throw it away...

Also, if you shoot at full resolution and zoom into a small area, it should have enough resolution to stand being blown up to "regular" size without pixelation.