Expert: Tim Hrabia - 9/7/2009

Question
Hi Tim, I would like to know what is the correct size for an image in a digital camera? I recently printed some pictures, and to my surprise they came out blurried. How can I fix that problem? How can I set up my camera to have the correct format to take good pictures? I already checked on tha manual and it does not say anything. Also, what does KB and MB mean?

Answer
Good morning and sorry for the delay. This is a difficult question to answer as there are several factors to consider. The correct size for an image is any size you want according to the quality of your camera. If you mean what is the best size print to make from your images, it would depend on how many megapixel resolution your camera is capable of and what quality setting you use. Generally speaking, the higher number of megapixels your camera has, the larger print you can make. Most new cameras are 5 to 8 megapixels and will give you a very detailed 4X6 print and a good 8X10 print. If you have an older camera with only 3 megapixels you will still get a good 4X6, but a more grainy 8X10. The other factor is what setting you have your camera set on. Most cameras can be set on normal or high resolution, high gives you a better image, but allows fewer images to be saved on your card.
If the images you printed looked good in the camera, but were blurry when printed, the problem may be with your printer. Take the images to a good photo lab and ask them what the problem could be and they should be able to explain.
I suspect that KB and MB is just referring to kilobytes and megabytes, which is just 1000 or 1,000,000 bits of information stored on a memory device such as a computer hard drive or memory card.
Hope this helped a bit.
Happy shooting
Tim (the husband)