[DigiCam] 4 megapixel ok for 8"x10" prints?

[Adrian Smith]

>I'm thinking of getting my step-son  the 4 megapixel Olympus C-750 
>UZ. I know he will enjoy the longer zoom, lighter weight, and 
>smaller size of the C-750 compared to say the 5 megapixel  Nikon 
>Coolpix 5700 or HP Photosmart 945. OTOH, I know he will sometimes 
>want to make 8"x10" prints and would be disappointed if they are too 
>"grainy". I've made 8"x10" prints from my 5 megapixel Minolta Dimage 
>7i and even with a bit of cropping they look fine. How will 8"x10" 
>prints from a 4 megapixel camera compare?
>
>Thanks.
>


Why not crop some of your pictures from the Minolta to approx 4MP 
size (eg my "4MP" Canon produces files 1704x2272 pixels) and print 
them. That will give you an idea of the theoretical limit of 4MP.

What it won't tell you is how pictures from the Olympus will look at 
8x10, ie there are other factors (eg lens quality, image noise etc) 
that can become limiting at large sizes.

However, I suspect it will be fine - the full page A4s I printed from 
Canon S45 have looked great.


Adrian