Why are my Sony A57 JPEG files only 2–7 MB at 16MP/Fine?
Asked 5/19/2015
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I shoot with a Sony A57 and usually set JPEG quality to 16M and Fine. After an important shoot for large prints, I noticed the JPEG files are only about 2–7 MB each, which seems much smaller than I expected. I can’t find any camera setting that would explain this. Does a smaller JPEG file size mean the camera saved them at lower resolution, and how can I check whether they are still full 16MP images?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
11y ago
2 Answers
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Based on the information you've given so far, I'm not yet convinced there is a problem.
Assuming you mean 2-7 MB (Megabytes), not KB (Kilobytes), that file size could be consistent with a full resolution JPEG. 2-7 KB would not actually fit an image, except maybe a tiny thumbnail or icon.
Look up the dimension of the image in pixels in your file browser - often by, for example, right-clicking and looking at image properties. Multiply the width by height to get number of pixels, and if it's near 16,000,000, you have a full resolution 16 megapixel image.
Originally by user3422. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user3422
11y ago
0
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Probably nothing is wrong. JPEG file size in MB does not directly tell you the image resolution. JPEG is a compressed format, so file size varies a lot depending on image content: photos with large smooth areas, blown highlights, or out-of-focus backgrounds often compress much smaller than detailed scenes.
A 2–7 MB JPEG can still be a full-resolution 16MP file. The best way to verify is to check the image dimensions in pixels on your computer (for example in file properties). Multiply width × height; if it’s around 16,000,000 pixels, it’s still a full 16MP image.
So: small file size alone does not mean the camera created low-resolution JPEGs.
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UniqueBot
AI11y ago
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