Railfan Technology > Minimum Megapixels for Publication?

I'm familiar with dpi etc., on images but think I recall Railroad Model Craftsman specifying the use of a camera with at least 8 Megapixels for publication of photos. My camera shoots 5 megapixels so I was thinking I'm out though my Nikon Coolpix can still provide at least 600 dpi so thought that was insane. Has anyone else seen such a qualifier based on your camera???

You should probably read this thread so you understand the relationship and differences between 'dpi' and 'ppi', and how to properly understand them in relation to print publishing.

http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?9,1315869

I understand that. That's why I don't understand whey someone would require minimum Megapixels for a camera spec.

The publication is trying to dumb it down for people who don't understand the concept of pixels-per-inch. A lot of pubs do this. It's best to contact them and get exact or minimum image specifications from someone in the production department. People in editorial and advertising are usually clueless about such things.

I won't speak for the editorial staff at RMC but I can assure you that they know what requirements are needed for publication. Give Chris a call and ask exactly what they need, he knows (973) 383-3355.

John

It's pretty simple. Low resolution combined with a high PPI setting will yield a very small printed image. By requiring a certain number of megapixels, you assure enough resolution for printing. As 'trainjunkie' alludes to above, DPI and PPI are often used interchangeably, though they're not the same. DPI refers solely to output resolution - usually the capabilities of a printer or monitor. Your camera doesn't do anything with DPI. Even if it records at 600 PPI, that means nothing without the pixel dimensions because PPI is merely a ratio (600 pixels : 1 inch). 2400x1800 at 600 PPI will yield a printed image of 4x3 inches. At 300 PPI it will be twice the size - 8x6 inches. That's why the actual resolution is the important thing. In this case 8 megapixels, which is roughly 3500x2300 pixels.

-James
http://www.steamtrainvideos.com