Anyone dial down their camera resolution when taking pictures?

Question: Anyone dial down their camera resolution when taking pictures!?

In other words, you have an 8 mp camera, and you dial it down to 5 mp!. You still keep the same compression!. This allows for a smaller size file!. I do this all the time!. Files produced at 8 mp adds up quickly especially when you take hundreds of photos weekly!. Www@QuestionHome@Com

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:

I have a 12mp camera and shoot about a thousand images a week!.

The memory cards I use are 8GB and 4GB cards and they are copied to my desktop computer with 1!.5TB of hard drive ASAP after my shoots!. I also burn those files after I have appended the EXIF data on all of them with my copyright notice, contact information, subject information and keywords!.

I cannot imagine why I would have purchased a camera with a 12 mp sensor just to shoot at smaller resolutions that a much less expensive camera with a 6mp sensor could produce!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

No!. Hard drive space is (relatively) cheap!. I want the maximum resolution, since I do print at 13x19 and up!. If you're only printing 4x6 or 5x7, and you know you never will need to print bigger and know you won't need to crop, then sure!. With a 500GB external hard drive going for around $120 these days, at a rate of only a couple hundred photos weekly, it'll take you well over a year to fill that sucker up!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

I don't!. This ability is just another unnecessary gimmick that manufacturers have added to digital cameras because the marketing guys have told them it is a 'good idea' It's just like sepia or black and white modes!. Anything of this nature, including 'downsizing' for web or email, is best done in an editing program!. Always take the best shots you can, in RAW mode if possible!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Never first time you take a picture and find out it's to small to print full size!. Or you wish you only had a little more room to chop you will learn :)

I buy 8gb flash cards for 20 bucks off ebay room isn't a problem :)Www@QuestionHome@Com

Once, when I was first learning about digital I made the mistake of doing this and had a bunch of pixelated images!.Never did it again!.Www@QuestionHome@Com