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Information on Megapixels

Thursday, October 15, 2009
Related Tags: megapixels | camera | etymology | 1921-2002 | pixels
 

Instructions

History

  • Step 1:
    Frederic Billingsley (1921-2002), an engineer who helped develop computerized image processing, published the term "pixel" in 1965. He took the word from another engineer who had no idea where the word originated.

Etymology

  • Step 1:
    "Pixel" is a combination of the words "picture" and "element." An early incarnation of "pixel" is the word "pix," which was used as an abbreviation for movies as early as 1932.

Association

  • Step 1:
    Megapixels are commonly associated with digital cameras. The more megapixels a digital camera has, the better the image resolution. Buying a camera with too few megapixels causes pixelation, which happens when pixels are rendered as small, single-colored, square display elements visible to the eye.

Combination With Other Factors

  • Step 1:
    Although megapixels are related to the quality of a camera's pictures and printouts, this is not the only factor. Good lighting, proper focus and the optical quality of the lens are other elements that make a difference.

Determining Megapixels

  • Step 1:
    Deciding on the number of a camera's megapixels can depend on the print size you plan to make for your pictures as well as the amount of editing you plan to do.

Resources


Information on Megapixels Provided by eHow.com
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