Almost every digital camera is measured by the megapixel count or by the resolution of the sensor used. iPhones and other smartphones also use this standard. Today’s document cameras are no exception. They typically use CMOS sensors and the resolution matters. It is important to remember that resolution or megapixel count alone do not determine how good the camera is. The number of colors, color fidelity, size of the sensor, optics, and other aspects of the sensor are also important. Megapixel count is most frequently used as a quality indicator because it is the easiest metric for consumers to understand.
Full Sensor Resolution
This is the total number of pixels in a sensor. Five million pixels equals five megapixels or 5MP, which is the resolution of HoverCam T5 and Solo 5.. 8MP is the sensor resolution of HoverCam Solo 8 and the HoverCam Ultra 8. The HoverCam range have an 8 megapixel sensor resolution and a 4:3 aspect ratio that is equivalent to the new 4K Ultra HD standard.
Effective Sensor Resolution
This is the actual maximum number of pixels used by the camera. For example, some cameras have a spec sheet stating “3.0 MegaPixel Effective Resolution” using a 5.0 Megapixels sensor. That means 2.0 megapixels have been cropped or scaled out. The 5.0 megapixel spec used is a misleading number.
In many cases, “Effective Resolution” is only the still image capture resolution, with video resolution even lower. It is almost an indicator of how ineffective some camera resolutions can be.
The HoverCam range (Solo 8 and Ultra 8) have an 8.0 megapixel full sensor resolution and effective resolution of 8.0 megapixel.
Video Display Resolution
This is the maximum number of pixels used by the camera. For example, some document cameras have a spec sheet stating “3.0 MegaPixel Effective Resolution” using a 5.0 megapixel sensor, which means 2.0 megapixels have been cropped or scaled out. The 5.0 megapixel specification used in this case is misleading. Further, in many cases, “Effective Resolution” only takes into account still images, while the resolution for video is even lower. “Effective Resolution” is almost an indicator of how “ineffective” some cameras are if you read the fine print.
The HoverCam Solo 8 and Ultra 8 have an 8.0 megapixel sensor with an effective resolution of 8.0 megapixels.
Still Image Capture Resolution
This is the number of pixels in a still image you can capture with a document camera. Some cameras claim a sensor resolution of 5.0 megapixel but only allow you to capture a 3.0 megapixel still image.
HoverCam Solo 8 and Ultra 8 allows you to capture true 8.0 megapixel still images using a 8.0MP sensor.