The way a digital camera works is that it processes light and color information through its lens and then records this information onto a removable media card. The information stored to this media card consists of digital data that is ultimately represented in digital pixels. A 2 Megapixel (MP) camera can process and record images that consist of 2 million pixels apiece. Similarly, a 5 Megapixel (MP) camera can process and record images that consist of 5 million pixels apiece. Why is this important?

Two reasons. First, the more pixels that can be recorded to an image, the larger the image can be printed. And second, the more pixels an image contains, the more detail will be revealed of the subject matter.

The image above is a composite of two photographs taken by two different digital cameras, a 5 Megapixel camera and 2 Megapixel camera. For comparative purposes, we've magnified these images to be of equal scale. Notice how the difference in detail is very obvious. (Note: if you have a 3 or 4 Megapixel camera your resolution capabilities will fall somewhere in between these examples.)

In addition to the differences between cameras, there are also settings you can make within each camera to render its optimal resolution (image size and quality). The first part of this lesson focuses on the difference of resolution between an Olympus C-5060 Zoom digital camera (5.1 MP) and an Olympus D-520 Zoom digital camera (2.0 MP), and walks through the process of taking an outdoor portrait. The second part focuses on downloading images to your computer, and preparing it for the highest quality print resolution possible.

Basically, there are 2 variables that determine the resolution of an image: Camera Megapixel Size (2 MP, 3 MP, 4 MP, 5 MP, etc.) and the Record Mode Settings (pixel dimensions/compression level). Here, we will take a look at the Record Mode settings of the C-5060 Zoom.

RECORD MODE
ADJUSTING THE IMAGE QUALITY AND THE IMAGE SIZE

The C-5060 Zoom offers a variety of Record mode settings that ascend in both image size and quality. They are:

SQ Standard Quality -
a JPEG setting ideal for web quality images, the only mode in which the number of pixels and the level of compression can be adjusted.
HQ High Quality -
a JPEG setting good for web and some print quality images. This setting offers the maximum pixel count with medium compression.
SHQ Super High Quality -
the least compressed JPEG format, great for both web and print, write time to card is faster than in TIFF or RAW formats. This setting offers the maximum pixel count with a minimum of compression.
TIFF Tagged Image File Format -
this format is designed expressly for print, applies no compression, but images take more time to write to card and file sizes can be quite large.
RAW Olympus Raw Format (.orf) -
because there is no compression applied to an image in this format, Image Quality is optimal and sometimes noticeably better than with the TIFF format, the write time to the card is slightly faster and file size is somewhat smaller than with the TIFF format, but files can only be displayed as images with the Olympus "Viewer" or "Studio" software.

There is also a mode that allows you to shoot in both JPEG and RAW quality settings as well.

The chart below illustrates the differences between these modes.

Chart 1

The next chart illustrates the approximate number of images you can expect to record to a 32MB CompactFlash card at various Record modes.

Chart 2

If you prefer to shoot in the TIFF or SHQ modes, we recommend purchasing larger xD-Picture cards, as you will only be able to record a few images to an empty 32MB card (2 for the optimal TIFF setting and 8 for the Enlarged Size SHQ setting).

To select the Record Mode, activate the Main menu and press the Left arrow button to enter the Record Mode menu. This will bring you to a menu where you can select among the various JPEG modes. Select SHQ press the OK/Menu button twice to exit the menu (figures 1-4).

COMPARISONS
To give you an idea of the size differences between Resolution settings in the D-520 Zoom (2.0 MP), we photographed an apple at the optimal SQ, HQ and SHQ settings and placed the results next to each other. Then we did the same series of shots with the C-5060 Zoom and placed the results next to each other.

As you can see with the D-520 Zoom version, the SHQ version is roughly 3 times the size of the HQ version and 9 times the size of the SQ version. With the C-5060 Zoom, however, the SHQ version is roughly four times the size of the HQ version and 16 times the size of the SQ version (figures 5 & 6).

Notice how the C-5060 Zoom SHQ version of the apple is almost 4 times larger than that of the D-520 Zoom SHQ version. This illustrates the basic difference between a 2 MP image and a 5 MP image.

SHOOTING FOR HIGH QUALITY PRINTS
For this next part of the lesson, we decided to shoot an outside portrait with the Olympus C-5060 Zoom to illustrate how your Record Mode settings will affect your print sizes.

First we set the resolution to its lowest Record Mode setting (SQ) by following the steps in Figures 1-5 and adjusted the White Balance for daylight (for an in-depth look at this process, check out the two lessons, "Using Digital White Balance Indoors" and "Using Digital White Balance Outside").

To demonstrate how easy it is to get great natural lighting, we set up this makeshift portrait studio in an empty car garage. When the garage door is open and the sun is overhead, it serves as a large window light source, perfect for portraits.

Our initial result is quite good. The light on our model's face gradually transitions from light to dark to create a natural sense of depth and the background is nicely out of focus due to our aperture setting of f/3.5. (For a more detailed on how and why to set your aperture and shutter speed manually, check out the lessons, "Controlling Depth Of Field In Outside Portraits" and "Controlling Depth Of Field In Product Photography".) In order to reduce the contrast in a portrait setup, it is common to use a reflector to fill in the shadow areas of the face. To demonstrate this effect, we set up a Photoflex 22" Soft Gold/White LiteDisc on a LiteDisc Holder and LiteStand and positioned it to the right side of our model's face to serve as a "warm fill" light. We then increased the Resolution setting to HQ and took another shot (figures 9 & 10).

The result shows that the shadow side has lightened considerably, and yet there is still a sense of dimension to the face. This classic "main and fill" lighting setup is used often, as it is very flattering to many people's faces. But, remember that when it comes to lighting portraits, there is no "right" way and that it is always good to experiment with different setups. For some people, increasing the contrast may make it more flattering. This is particularly true for men. To illustrate, we simply replaced the Soft Gold LiteDisc with a 22" Black LiteDisc to create a "negative" fill. Lastly, we set the Resolution SHQ and took another shot (figures 11 & 12).

Notice the difference the Black LiteDisc made. The shadow side is much darker now and the angled features of our model are much more pronounced.

Keep in mind, however, that how you choose to light someone is a matter of personal taste. Having a few different LiteDiscs at your disposal allows you to come up with the look you're after.

DOWNLOADING AND PREPARING FOR PRINT
In order to download your new images onto your computer to manipulate, email, or print them, you'll need to install the Camedia software that came with your camera. After you've successfully installed this software onto your computer, you can follow these next sequences.

When you want to import the images onto your computer, there are a couple of ways to do it. One way is to connect the camera directly to your computer using the included USB cable (figures 13 and 14).

Another way is to use a USB media card reader. This allows you a little more freedom with where the camera is situated. For instance, if you have the camera mounted to a tripod and you want to review the images before striking your set, you need to make sure the computer is within the relatively short USB cable distance to the camera. Otherwise, you have to remove the camera from the set to download the images. With a card reader, all you have to do is remove the card from the camera and insert it into the reader. Olympus makes readers for all types of media, including the new xD-Picture reader, and we can't recommend them enough.

Once you've connected your camera or media card reader to your computer, a card icon will appear on your desktop (for Macs) or as an external drive (for PC) allowing you to then view, edit, and save the images onto your computer.

IMPORTANT NOTE:
Keep in mind that if you want to delete any images from the camera's card, it is best to do it while the card is in the camera and not in the Reader. Otherwise the card can become damaged.) Using the Camedia software, you can do many things with your images, including preparing them email and the web, making calendars, postcards, photo albums, and basic printing.

We printed the SQ, HQ and SHQ versions of our model and placed them next to each other. Here, you can see the differences in print sizes from the various Record Mode settings.

Remember, if you don't have C-5060 Zoom, the same size ratio will apply to your digital camera. And you will get a higher quality 8x10" print from the SHQ setting than from the SQ or HQ settings. So before you shoot photos for email, web sites, or prints, remember to set your resolution accordingly.

For tips on how to prepare your images for email using Camedia software, be sure to check out the lesson entitled, Basic Startup With An Olympus C-5060 Zoom Digital Camera.

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