[SteveJobs]

Hi,
I currently look into getting a digital camera and I have found the Sony DSC P-100 which seems to fit my needs, but all sites say it can only save to JPEG. While this is enough for blogs and websites; is this enough for printing? I don't need posters, but I may need photos for some magazines I am writing for and the pictures might be full-size-size. Will this be enough? Is JPEG enough here or has the camera to save into TIFF or RAW? And is 5 Megapixels enough or should I wait for the DSC P-150 with 2 more Megapixels? Has anyone experience with this cam or can anyone recommend another with similar specs and a similar price tag?

Thanks in advance,
Steve

[tooki]

There's nothing wrong with JPEG. JPEG was designed for newspaper reporters who needed to send big images over slow connections.

It is perfectly adequate for print.

Raw mode is not the same as TIFF -- Raw is a "raw dump" of the CCD image sensor, with no image processing applied. This gives you the ability to do certain adjustments (like white balance) after the picture is taken. But I can say with confidence that if you are asking about JPEG, using Raw mode is something far more advanced than your current level (and I don't mean this in a bad way: most people have nothing to gain, and much to lose, by using Raw mode).

As for megapixels... remember that it's not linear -- to double the actual print resolution, you need to quadruple the number of pixels.

Also remember that as megapixels increase, the quality of the optics needs to increase as well -- otherwise, you get into the situation of most cheap 5MP cameras: the extra pixels serve only to show off flaws in the optics. I'd stick with a 4 of 5MP camera, choosing instead a model with the best optics possible.

tooki

[Back up 15 and punt]

Originally posted by tooki:
There's nothing wrong with JPEG. JPEG was designed for newspaper reporters who needed to send big images over slow connections.

It is perfectly adequate for print.

Raw mode is not the same as TIFF -- Raw is a "raw dump" of the CCD image sensor, with no image processing applied. This gives you the ability to do certain adjustments (like white balance) after the picture is taken. But I can say with confidence that if you are asking about JPEG, using Raw mode is something far more advanced than your current level (and I don't mean this in a bad way: most people have nothing to gain, and much to lose, by using Raw mode).

As for megapixels... remember that it's not linear -- to double the actual print resolution, you need to quadruple the number of pixels.

Also remember that as megapixels increase, the quality of the optics needs to increase as well -- otherwise, you get into the situation of most cheap 5MP cameras: the extra pixels serve only to show off flaws in the optics. I'd stick with a 4 of 5MP camera, choosing instead a model with the best optics possible.

tooki

I agree with tooki on this one but I would also add that not all pixels are created equal. There is no standard in the industry for pixel size. This means that some higher resolution cameras won't take as good a picture as some so called lower resolution cameras. Find a decent camera with the best glass and I believe you will be very happy.