How many Megapixels does the Sony A850 have?

The Sony Alpha A850 is equipped with a a full frame sensor that offers an image resolution of 24.4 megapixels (MP), or 24.4 million pixels. With its native aspect ratio of 3:2, the sensor has 6 048 horizontal pixels and 4 032 vertical pixels.

A 35mm film slide or negative contains 5-15 MP of useful detail, so that the Sony A850 can be considered to be a high-resolution camera that outresolves any 35mm film camera.

A high megapixel count makes it possible to crop any captured image substantially or to make very large prints from the image file. On the downside, large megapixel files are slower to transfer and take up more storage space on the computer harddisk. Also, high-resolution imaging requires sharper, more expensive lenses than low-res picture taking.

How large can I print with 24.4 MP?

The maximum print size of the Sony A850 for good quality output (200 dots per inch) amounts to 30.2 x 20.2 inches or 76.8 x 51.2 cm, for very good quality (250 dpi) 24.2 x 16.1 inches or 61.4 x 41 cm, and for excellent quality (300 dpi) 20.2 x 13.4 inches or 51.2 x 34.1 cm. Few people actually print their images that large on a regular basis, but it is nice to have the option to make very large prints of exceptional shots. Also, as mentioned earlier, a key advantage of high-MP cameras is that it is possible to crop an image ex-post and thereby, for example, change the composition of the capture or zoom in on some detail.

Sensor specs and performance

The table below compares the sensor specs of the Sony A850 to those of several similar cameras. In addition to sensor class and megapixel count, DXO values are reported as indicators of the sensor's imaging quality (higher is better). Three aspects are covered: color depth (DXO Portrait), dynamic range (DXO Landscape), and high-ISO noise (DXO Sports). Larger sensor cameras tend to outperform cameras of the same generation that are equipped with a smaller imager. On the other hand, larger sensors are more expensive and require bigger and heavier lenses than smaller light receptors.

Sensor Characteristics

		Camera Model	Sensor Class	Resolution (MP)	Horiz. Pixels	Vert. Pixels	Video Format	DXO Portrait	DXO Landscape	DXO Sports	DXO Overall
1.		Sony A850	Full Frame	24.4	6048	4032	none	23.8	12.2	1415	79
2.		Nikon D750	Full Frame	24.2	6016	4016	1080/60p	24.8	14.5	2956	93
3.		Sony A7	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	24.8	14.2	2248	90
4.		Sony A7 II	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	24.9	13.6	2449	90
5.		Sony A7 III	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	4K/30p	25.0	14.7	3730	96
6.		Sony A7C	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	4K/30p	25.0	14.7	3407	95
7.		Sony A9	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	4K/30p	24.9	13.3	3517	92
8.		Sony A77	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	24.0	13.2	801	78
9.		Sony A99	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	25.0	14.0	1555	89
10.		Sony A99 II	Full Frame	42.2	7952	5304	4K/30p	25.4	13.4	2317	92
11.		Sony A900	Full Frame	24.4	6048	4032	none	23.7	12.3	1431	79

In the United States, the A850 was initially launched in August 2009 at a price of $1,999.

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Camera to camera comparisons

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