Does lower resolution mean less noise in the dark?
Wednesday 18 August 2021, 20:40 by Elja Trum | 4,352 views | 1 commentThis article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.
The common assumption is that a lower-resolution sensor has larger pixels and can therefore take better photos in low light. In practice, however, this turns out not to be true. This DP Review video explains why.
The point being made is as follows: when you compare a high-resolution file with a low-resolution file at 100 per cent magnification on your screen, you will certainly see a difference, and the lower-resolution sensor wins.
But 100 per cent of a lower-resolution sensor gives you much less detail, the crop is simply larger, than a high-resolution sensor.
So if you viewed the photo full-screen, or printed both photos at the same size, the higher-resolution sensor would win.
You can also read all the details in this article on DP Review.
About the author
Elja Trum is the founder of Photofacts and online photography course website Photofacts Academy. He has been writing about photography since 2006. Elja is also the author of (Dutch) books on composition, black-and-white photography, flash photography and portrait photography.
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1 comment
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Herman Coumans wrote on Tuesday 24 August 2021 at 14:16 | replyHi Elja,
Translated from Dutch.
The story is not entirely correct. The test of printing the photos from the different sensors in large format will mainly show the effect of the different pixel sizes, and to a lesser extent the noise.
The claim that a larger pixel size in the sensor produces less noise is based on the physical properties of the chip technology: a sensor that is twice as large has 1.41 x less noise ("square root of two"
. The calculation is somewhat more complex, but this is the eventual result.
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Would you like to take better photos and keep up with what is happening in photography? Photofacts publishes articles that teach you something about photography — from a product announcement to a practical shooting tip or a look at a website. Photofacts covers photography every day and is a hobby project of Elja Trum's that got out of hand. The articles are written by a team of volunteer authors. If you would enjoy writing one or more articles for Photofacts, do get in touch.More about PhotofactsPhotofacts is made possible in part by
