I'm confused on pixel size

[BelchFire]

Can you tell who got a new digital camera for Christmas? A Panasonic LUMIX, DMC-ZL2. I'm clueless to some of the stuff that you guys have known all along. I need a laymans's explanation of the relationship of pixels to display size, pixels to print size, and pixels to file size. I know some of these issues are settings at the printer level, and scanner level, but I'm not confortable with my limited knowledge of all this.

My experience is limited to using a scanner (HP 5470), and converting files that I've received from others (Adobe Photoshop, and a few cheap copies). I use an older 17" monitor, so my screen at home and at work is set to 800x600. I like pictures that display inside "one screen" if you will, and don't require me to pan side/side and up/down.

File size doesn't bother me, as file space is becoming cheap. I've got a 64MB, 256MB, and 1GB, SD card as well as a 40GB hard drive, and a plethora of older hard drives I could slave or network beginning at 6GB, 3GB, and down. Then there's a drawer full of jumpdrives. Well, you get the idea; large files aren't a problem.

Can someone, please give me a primer on pixel settings that I should use to get the highest quality (dense concentration?) of pixels, yet a physical picture size that prints to 8 1/2 x 11 or less, and displays under one screen wide? Please....

 

[JoeG52]

I always shoot in the highest quality available. You can always crop & shrink picture size later but you can’t add what isn’t there. Most cameras give you some image viewer software that will automatically scale the picture to fit on your screen for viewing without really editing the picture.
Joe

 

[Lan-Lord]

I shoot at the max resolution in order to get the highest pixel density as possible. That is what will allow you to print larger prints, and get better quality of prints. I dont do anything special to this original file in order to print it. (some photoshop enhancements or sharpening possibly, but nothing that "gives" you more pixels or data)

Now, for displaying on your desktop (or posting on the web) you will need to resize that large image file. So basically I end up with several copies. One of the original, and a couple of resized versions ( eg 640 px wide for posting on the web, 1024 px wide if I want it as a desktop wallpaper, etc)

does that help? post up some pics from your cam, I'd like to see them.