Why are there two numbers and what do they mean?
What Are Effective Pixels?
Digital cameraimage sensorsconsist of a large number of tiny sensors that collect photons.
Using a DSLR camera.Ida Jarosova/Getty Images
The photodiode then converts the photons into an electrical charge.
Each pixel associates with a single photodiode.
Effective pixels are the pixels that capture the image data.
TRyPhoto / Getty Images
They areeffectiveand by definition,effectivemeans “successful in producing the desired effect or intended result.”
These are the pixels that are doing the work of capturing a picture.
Therefore, effective pixels refers to the area of the sensor that the working pixels cover.
What Are Actual Pixels?
These pixels help determine the edges of an image and provide color information.
What Are Interpolated Pixels?
Some cameras interpolate the number of sensor pixels.
For example, a 6MP camera may be able to produce 12MP images.
As a result, the file size increases.
You also get a better image than if you were tointerpolate in image editing softwarebecause the interpolation happensbeforeJPG compression.
However, interpolationcannotcreate data that was not captured in the first place.
The difference in quality with interpolation in the camera is marginal, but not zero.
