The image above is a composite of two photographs taken by two different digital cameras, an 8.0 megapixel camera and a 2 megapixel camera. For comparative purposes, we’ve magnified these images to be of equal scale. Notice how the difference in detail is obvious.

(Note: if you have a 3, 4, 5, or 6 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 shows the different record (resolution) modes available with the EOS Rebel and how to set the camera for each mode. Then we compare the different results of shooting with a 2 megapixel and an eight megapixel camera. We shot a flower and an indoor portrait for this demonstration.

Lastly, we cover downloading images to your computer, and preparing them for the highest quality print resolution possible.



RECORD MODE

Basically, there are 2 variables that determine the resolution of an image: Camera Megapixel Size (2 MP, 3 MP, 4 MP, 5 MP, 8MP, etc.) and the Record Mode Settings (pixel dimensions/compression level). Here, we will take a look at the Record Mode settings of the EOS Rebel.

ADJUSTING THE IMAGE QUALITY AND THE IMAGE SIZE

The EOS Rebel offers 7 Record Mode settings that ascend in both image size and quality. They are:

• Small 1 & 2: Standard Quality 1, 2 - two JPEG settings ideal for web quality images.
  
• Medium 1 & 2: High Quality - two JPEG settings good for web and some print quality images. This setting offers the maximum pixel count with medium compression.
  
• Large 1 & 2: Super High Quality – two settings with 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.
  
• RAW: Canon Raw Format - 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 Canon “Viewer software. There is also a mode that allows you to shoot in both JPEG and RAW quality settings as well.

To select a Record Mode, press the Menu button on the back of the camera to activate the cameras menu settings (figure 1).

Then press the DOWN button once to activate the Quality settings selections. Next press the RIGHT button to move the cursor to the selections window, then use the UP and/or DOWN buttons to choose the quality setting you wish for your shoot (figures 2 and 3).

COMPARISONS

To give you an idea of the size differences between a 2MP camera and an 8MP camera, we photographed this Gerber daisy at the highest SHQ settings and placed the results next to each other. The examples here demonstrate the size ratio between these results (figures 4 & 5).

In the illustration below, notice how the 8 MP (3264x2448 pixels) results are more than 4 times the size of the 2 MP (1600x1200 pixels) results (figure 6).

As you can see, the size and image quality differences between these two images are huge, particularly when it comes time to making high quality prints.

SHOOTING FOR HIGH QUALITY PRINTS

For this next part of the lesson, we decided to shoot an outside portrait with the Canon EOS Rebel to illustrate how your Record Mode settings will affect your print sizes.

First we set the resolution to its lowest Record Mode setting (Small 2, 1600x1200 pixels) by following the steps in Figures 1, 2, and 3 and adjusted the White Balance for daylight (for an in-depth look at this process, check out the two lessons on this site entitled, "Using Digital White Balance Indoors" and "Using Digital White Balance Outdoors").

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. We created a background quickly by setting up a Photoflex LiteStand and Boom and clipping a sheet of tan muslin cloth to it. We then draped it off to the side to create sweeping folds.

We set the Mode dial to MANUAL, set the aperture to f/3.5 so that we would have a shallow depth of field and the background would be out of focus. We focused on the model’s face and took a shot (figures 7 & 8).

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 lesson on this site entitled, "Controlling Depth Of Field In Outside Portraits".)

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 Record Mode setting to Medium 1 (2592x1944 pixels) 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 Record mode to Large 1 (3264x2448 pixels) 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 Canon software that came with your Rebel 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.

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 card reader. Otherwise the card can become damaged.)

Using the Canon software, you can do many things with your images, including preparing them email and the web, making calendars, postcards, photo albums, and basic printing. Here, we copied the images to our hard drive, loaded our Dye- Sublimation printer tray with Glossy Photo Paper (figure 15) and made prints of each of our portrait result shots.

We printed the Small, Medium and Large versions of our model and placed them next to each other (figure 16). Here, you can see the differences in print sizes from the various Record Mode settings.

Remember, if you don't have the Rebel SLR, the same size ratio will apply to your digital camera. And you will get a higher quality 8x10" print from the Large setting than from the Medium or Small settings. So before you shoot photos for email, web sites, or prints, remember to set your resolution accordingly.