When Is Enough "Enough"

I'm the first to admit that I could be a MegaPixel (MP) hoarder. In other words, while many of us started with 7 or 10 or 11 MP digital cameras - the "Swan Song" to call even more cash out of our wallets now-a-days is stronger than ever given the industry race to beyond 24, 42, 50 some-odd and recently - even whopping 61 MP full frame sensor (gee - thanks Sony. Not.). So - when is enough enough? Are my 42 MP A7RII or is the 20MP E-M1 MK II "enough"?

That question bugs me, more so as I'm a bit of a contrarian by nature so I've been playing with some what many consider low resolution "flying toys".

Yes, drones. Those silly cameras that fly. While all my "real drones" include exceptional sensors, MP counts, RAW files and cinematic effects (and also "exceptional price tags") and I have a bunch of those that require FAA registration but, how about a "toy" that falls well under those regulatory weights and for that - can be stuffed into a camera bag and can be flown virtually anywhere given their "toy" status? So, what happens when we take and gently process images from those sensors?

Well, here is the answer (for me anyway).  This is from a 2 (yes "two") MP camera attached to a 7.7oz/220gram "toy drone" delivering a less than stellar native 1920x1080 JPG image @ 72 DPI. But - I'm actually intrigued how it handled the early morning haze & colors in an early AM test flight today and scaled to "social media" size? Well, you be the judge - just don't be looking for "shadow or small details" ;). Frankly, it reminds me of the slide film (Velvia) images I was processing & posting to our Arcanum cohort.

So, I guess I'm of the opinion that it's not how many MPs any camera has - but rather - what we choose to do with those limited pixels we've got. In this case - it was a "toy" - and I have to admit - I enjoyed shooting it as much as my "real" cameras and drones - maybe more so? ;)