Nikon SLR Cameras

DSLR Photo Resolution/Laptop Resolution?

Cody
28.09.2015
Cody

I have a Nikon D3200, and it's photo resolution is 6016 x 4000 pixels. My Laptops resolution is 1920 x 1080 pixels. When I go to the photo playback on my Nikon D3200 and zoom in on the photos, the photo still looks really clear. But when I go to the photo playback on my laptop and I zoom in on the photo It looks really blurry and the pixels look really big… I don't wanna confuse anyone, and I know the answer we all know seems obvious. But with modern technology being all so very complicated. The answer doesn't sound quite as obvious… So does this mean that I just need to purchase a laptop with 4K Resolution? Or is there some other very deep and complicated answers as to why the photo looks bad on my laptop vs my Nikon D3200?

AlCapone
30.09.2015
AlCapone

You didn't say what program you are using to view your photos. Some viewing programs downsize the photo to fit the screen. The most accurate way to view your photos would be with an editing program such as Photoshop or Photoshop Elements. Since these are editing programs and not simple viewing programs, they don't change the resolution or quality of the photos.

Frank
30.09.2015
Frank

The reason is that you like the images best on your Nikon is that the LCD screen is so small, where as on the laptop it's relatively huge. The image must be enlarged to fit the larger screen and therefore will show more defects of the image. As opposed to the tiny LCD screen which is so small any image looks good, even those from smartphones.

fhotoace
30.09.2015
fhotoace

I do not know of any photographer who thinks it is necessary to view their images on a screen at 100%. Since that is impossible to do and still see the whole image, it is a good thing that this is not at the top of a photographers list their monitor has to do.

The reason for such high resolution has NOTHING to do with viewing the image an a computer monitor, but is necessary if you want to make large prints, like 2 x 3 feet or larger.

You seem to have a misconception when it comes to "zooming" in. Actually in Photoshop, you are actually just enlarging the image to inspect the file for flaws or things in the image you did not notice when you took the shot.

IF you are NOT holding your camera at arm's length (like a P&S camera), are using a fast enough shutter speed to prevent blur caused by camera movement AND you have good sharp focus on your subject (and not shooting with the lenses aperture wide open), your images should look just fine when you enlarge specific parts of the image on your computers screed (Photoshop zoom)

Nahum
30.09.2015
Nahum

Complete nonsense.

The display on your camera is of much lower quality than a monitor. About the only things it is good for are confirming you took a shot, using menus, and reading the histogram (which is a more objective measure). On some models, the pixels are even arranged differently, and may not have enough bitdepth to show you the image's true quality. Besides, you're not going to share these photos by handing people your camera.

The laptop monitor is giving you a more accurate rendition. The 4K monitor would merely show you more of the flaws at once.

You don't mention what lens you used, or what conditions you were shooting under, which matter very much. More likely you didn't have enough light to take a clear, fast shot. If you didn't use a tripod, your grip may also be causing some slight motion blur. Every edge that was not at the exact focus distance will be slightly blurry, no matter what camera you use.

If you're not going to share the image online at full resolution, you have nothing to worry about-once scaled down, the finer flaws will be obliterated. Same goes for printing, which is mostly inferior to viewing on a monitor.