The future is megapixels
Just as with point and shoot cameras, the future of digital SLRs points to more and more megapixels. Will the thrilling per-pixel quality of the Nikon D3 be forgotten in the haze of megapixel envy in the full-frame DSLR wars? Time will tell, but this photographer often picks up the 12.2-megapixel Nikon D3 in preference to the 21.1-megapixel Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III for all-around shooting, a personal preference which will be explained in the near future in more detail.
Sony’s 24.7 megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor
Sony’s announcement of its full-frame 24.7-megapixel-image CMOS sensor suggests that full-frame DSLRs are headed for the mainstream within a year or so, with competition likely to drive full-frame camera pricing into the sub-$2000 range. That’s wonderful, but it should not be forgotten that key features like durability/weather sealing and bright high-magnification viewfinders don’t get any cheaper—there will still be reasons to go with “pro” bodies.
With 12-bit imaging (vs the 14-bit seen with the latest Canon and Nikon DSLRs), Sony’s sensor does not seem destined for the high end. However, pixel quality depends on more than just 12 vs 14 bits, so we all must keep an open mind until real cameras appear utilizing the Sony sensor. And who wouldn’t be thrilled with the option of an $1800 full-frame Nikon D400, even if it were “only” 12-bit? Certainly that would be a nice option for an infrared conversion. For that matter, a compact point and shoot with a full-frame Live View sensor and fixed 35/1.4 lens would be tasty indeed.
One downside of 25 megapixels is the small pixel size of 5.9 microns. While the Nikon D2x uses even smaller 5.5 micron pixels, those are all inside the “sweet spot”—the central 2/3 area of the frame. Testing in D2x vs EOS shows that optical quality is hit-and-miss at that pixel size, with technical excellence required to exploit the sensor and diffraction a constant threat. Mitigating that are new lens designs, such as Nikon’s 24-70/2.8 and 14-24/2.8, both designed for high performance across a full frame. And of course the Zeiss ZF series should perform well to even 30 megapixels, as previous prediction that should be testable in a few years.
