Menu Position MENU --> 
1 --> Image Size
What it Does Dictates the pixel dimensions of the captured image – you can choose from Large (24 MP), Medium (10 MP), or Small (6 MP) images
Recommended Setting L:24M (the largest the camera can capture)
Constraints Not selectable when shooting RAW only or in Movie mode
There may be times when you won’t necessarily want to shoot large and very detailed images. (Posting product images to Ebay, for example, where 24 MP is quite simply overkill.) And so your A6300 allows you to take pictures that have about the same number of pixels as the Alpha 700 (12 megapixels) or the Konica Minolta 7D (about 6 megapixels, assuming your 7D hasn’t been stricken by the famed First Frame Black problem :-) ). And then you can switch back to high-resolution whenever you want – quite versatile!
The three options that are available to you are:
Setting |
Pixel Dimensions |
Large enough to print (at 300 dpi) |
Approx. file size produced on your memory card (your mileage may vary) |
L:24M (Large; 24 Megapixels) |
6000 pixels (horizontal) by 4000 pixels (vertical) |
20” x 13.3” |
Standard: 6.3 MB Fine: 7.78 MB RAW: 24 MB |
M:12M (Medium; 12 Megapixels) |
4240 pixels (horizontal) by 2832 pixels (vertical) |
14.1” x 9.4” |
Standard: 4.3 MB Fine: 3.9 MB RAW: 24 MB |
S:6 M (Small; 6 Megapixels) |
3008 pixels (horizontal) by 2000 pixels (vertical) |
10” x 6.7” |
Standard: 4.2 MB Fine: 2.2 MB RAW: 24 MB |
TIP: A person who had more memory than time would shoot RAW+JPG and keep the Image Size set to “S”; that way they could quickly upload their .jpgs to social media sites / friends and family; but keep the large RAW files for making prints from later. (Kind of like keeping your negatives…) On the other hand, these cameras give you the option of making files smaller when you transfer them to your smartphone via Wi-Fi (see previous chapter), so now you have two good options. |
Note also that this function only affects the sizes of .jpg files. If you’re shooting in RAW (or RAW+JPG), the RAW files produced will always be the largest size possible. (In fact, when you shoot in RAW only mode, the image size option is grayed out – you can’t change it.) Furthermore, the image sizes listed (24 MP, 12 MP, 6 MP) don’t correspond to the file sizes the camera produces on your memory card. The file sizes are smaller because every file type (yes, including RAW) involves some sort of image compression.
Other variables that control file and image sizes are Aspect Ratio and Quality (next two sections).
TIP: If Aspect Ratio (next section) is set to 16:9, then the Image Size options change to L:20M, M:10M, and S:5.1M. But keep in mind that the RAW file sizes won’t change. |