Following the announcement of the new 20MP Nikon Z50 II (Z50 Mark II, Z50II), Nikon’s newest mirrorless camera, Nigel Danson has published a video looking at whether 20MP is still enough in 2024, and compared it to a 45MP full-frame camera, during an Autumn photo shoot in the Peak District.
In the video above, Nigel takes a number of landscape photos with the Nikon Z50II with a 20MP APS-C sensor, and the 16-50mm kit lens (amongst other lenses), and prints them at different sizes including A2 and A3. You can also watch sample video recorded with the camera in the video.
Nigel, when talking about whether 20MP is enough, goes on to say that “The reality is that most people post things on social media, and print at A2 or A3.” He then compares the results from the 20MP Z50II, with a 45MP Nikon Z8. He goes on to say that it’s more important to go out and shoot photos, rather than worry too much about megapixels.
We would agree, if you simply want to share your images on social media, or print up to A3 in size (and view from a distance), then 20MP is enough, and unless you’re cropping into the photos, then megapixels don’t matter as much as some people think.
This question often comes up when people talk about cameras from the Micro Four Thirds system, as these tend to offer 20MP sensors (or up to 25MP sensors in Panasonic cameras). However, a lot of the Micro Four Thirds cameras also offer an extremely effective multi-shot high-res mode that enable much higher resolution shots (up to 100MP) for those that do want more resolution, unlike the Nikon Z50II (and Z50), which doesn’t offer this.
Of course, megapixels are just one part of the equation when it comes to image quality, with colour reproduction, ISO performance, dynamic range, autofocus and continuous focus being other important factors in getting great images. There’s also the range of lenses available, for example, you won’t be able to take macro photos if there isn’t a compatible macro lens available for the camera system. Luckily, Nikon has you covered with a wide range of Z-mount lenses, albeit still only a small range of affordable DX (APS-C) lenses, but no premium DX lenses.
Related reading
- Can we stop going on about megapixels?
- APS-C vs Full-frame vs MFT – Does sensor size matter?
- Why are we so obsessed by full-frame sensor size?
