[DomBB]

When I go into the Options of the Camera on my 8320, there is an option to choose what picture size I want my pictures to be. Does this effect the quality of the pictures at all? Or is it just the size. I took a picture of a car last weekend as a 'Large' picture. It was 662KB. Today, I took a picture of another car, but this time as a 'Small' picture. This one was 112KB. The car that was 662KB looks like better quality than the car that was 112KB. Is this how it should be? And when I browse through my pictures and click each one, Small (640x480) pictures seem to look like the same size as Large (1600x1200) pictures.

I have received pictures that are 20-40KB, but when I take a picture, it can be anywhere from 600+KB. Is this because of the Picture Size?

EDIT: I actually have another question as well. Do I need Internet access to use AIM on my BlackBerry? I have unlimited text messaging already, so isn't that enough to use AIM whenever? Cause it was enough on my old RAZR.

[DomBB]

Can anyone answer this?

[Trimix]

That sounds about right. The difference in the size of the picture files is reflective of the size that you set them at. If you are browsing the pictures through your phone, they should look to be about the same size. That's only because your phone screen is only so big. But if you view the pictures on a computer, you should see the difference between the small and large pictures.

[Trimix]

AIM question: I'm under the impression that you do need the internet plan in order to use AIM on your BB. I could be wrong though since I don't use it on mine. Hopefully someone with more experience will chime in on this one.

[DomBB]

Thanks for the reply. That makes sense. But is the quality of the picture reflective of the picture size?

[Snownation]

Not necessarily. But usually, yes. The smaller your pixel size, the lower "quality" your picture is.

Your 2 megapixel camera is only at best "quality" at the highest pixel size. If you do the math, the 1600 x 1200 works out to be a little less than 2 million pixels, which is how the name is derived. It means you have more pixels to display your picture, hence the quality change.

[JSanders]

Set your picture size as described above in Camera options > Pictures Size, and Picture Quality, as both of those affect the pixels gathered. Likewise, if you ZOOM on the camera, less pixels are collected and will make the picture more grainy.

On AIM--the application uses data, not SMS.

[takeshi]

Originally Posted by DomBB

Thanks for the reply. That makes sense. But is the quality of the picture reflective of the picture size?

Technically no. The camera performs the same regardless of resolution. The sensor's light sensitivity and ability to image are not affected by the image size -- nor are the optics affected.

Quality and resolution, despite what MP-fixated digital camera shoppers tend to believe, are really two different things. I have a video camera (720x480 or 0.3MP) that can resolve better quality (but not resolution) images than the 2MP camera on the Curve.

You want higher resolution in cases where you'll crop/enlarge/print/whatever. However, for MMS and other uses a smaller resolution (and therefore small image file size) is desirable. You have to pick based on what you're trying to achieve. There isn't one single setting that is best for all situations and desired outcomes.

Originally Posted by DomBB

I took a picture of a car last weekend as a 'Large' picture. It was 662KB. Today, I took a picture of another car, but this time as a 'Small' picture. This one was 112KB. The car that was 662KB looks like better quality than the car that was 112KB. Is this how it should be? And when I browse through my pictures and click each one, Small (640x480) pictures seem to look like the same size as Large (1600x1200) pictures.

If you really want to compare then take a small picture and immediately take a large picture -- with the same subject, lighting conditions etc. Copy both to your PC. Resize the large picture to the same size as the small one and compare. That takes resolution out of the equation.

[DomBB]

Thank you for the help, everyone!

[gizmoguy]

So does that mean that the picture file size will always change and can never bet set to a certain size regardless of whether you zoom in or out?

[PCgirl]

I have my pictures set to "medium" but when I take pictures, they can be anywhere from maybe 39kb to 2mb in size. And this also happens when taking a series of very similar shots (as in trying to capture the dog looking right at the camera) so it isn't dependent on if they are close-ups or wide shots. I don't want these pics to be huge since I send via email a lot, so is there a way to ensure that they are smaller kb's?

[dleccord]

So can someone sum this one up: will the picture quality be affected by picture sized set?

[rockinb]

Wirelessly posted

Resolution isn't that important till you print the picture. The highest res setting will allow you 2 print a 35mm photo quality picture up to an 11x14 where as pics taken in the lowest quality will look the best when printed as a 3x5 and look crappy as an 11x14.