Originally posted by lenn11 i had a discussion about how much ...Mpx you need for a 2020 quality portrait.
i own a 16 Mpx dslr, i don't need or want more i am convinced that a amateur don't need more
unlike my friends they shoot full frame 24 Mpx or higher, i cannot convince them that 15 year ago you can shoot good enough quality like today.
so i made a challenge for my self, i'm trying to proof that 6 Mpx is enough for portrait photography, like 15 year ago
step 1. buy a 6 Mpx pentax k100d,
DONE
step 2. buy the correct lens for portrait, (i'm thinking SMC Pentax 50 mm 1:1.7)
PLEASE ADVICE
step 3. get a model in and start shooting
step 4. share on pentaxforums.com
step 5. ask your opinion if i met the challenge
i will share my progression from time to time.
thanks for tips/comments
Leendert from Warsaw
Welcome to the forum!
6mp is quite enough resolution for portraits. In fact, razor sharpness is often not especially desirable anyway for such use. Having every skin pore in vivid detail is frequently not flattering. So just good sharpness is good enough, along with a lens of appropriate focal length that also is capable of good background bokeh, which is the out-of-focus smoothness.
The other consideration regarding 6mp camera models is they are of the earliest DSLR technology. One other factor than resolution, is dynamic range. This is the camera's ability to reveal detail in shadow areas while not blowing out the highlights. I shot with a K100D for quite a while, and liked it. When I got my K200D, I liked it much better. But the next generation K-5 was quite an advancement in many ways. The K200D, however, is still very worthy. It does tend to underexpose compared to the K100D (easy to compensate) although sometimes that is a good thing when using flash, especially indoors. I liked it very much with flash. And it features controls for DR as well.
I recommend the "F" or the "FA" 50mm f/1.7 which is sharp (but not razor sharp) even at wide open aperture. Fine for portraits. It becomes very sharp at mid-apertures. It is an autofocus lens and usually can be found at a reasonable price in fine condition. Just be patient and get a good one. The manual-focus one you mention is ok too, but if you go for this type, get the "A" version which allows more functions from your camera, and more accurate metering.
And do use flash, even with outdoor daylight shots. This will reduce harsh shadows and put a little catchlight in the eyes. Even the built-in flash will work for this kind of fill flash at short distances, but you might need to turn it up with the camera's flash comp control for outdoor daylight use, because the flash meter will probably reduce output when detecting a lot of bright daylight.