how do camera lenses have a “resolution” and a mega pixel count?

Question

I get details can be blurry on a bad lens but how is this like pixel resolution?

CCTV lenses are often 1-5 megapixel lenses. How can a lens have a mega pixel count?

What does it mean for a lens to “resolve” more detail? Is this just about sharpness?

Also when buying DSLR lenses how can you tell what their resolution will be?

Thanks 🙂

In: 0

Answer 1

>I get details can be blurry on a bad lens but how is this like pixel resolution?

Well, these are two separate things. If you consider the camera system as being a lens in front of a sensor, this is kind of like your eye. The lens in the front of the eye focuses the light onto your retina, which is like the camera’s sensor.

>CCTV lenses are often 1-5 megapixel lenses. How can a lens have a mega pixel count?

It can’t. Lenses do not have megapixel counts. The camera sensor does.

>What does it mean for a lens to “resolve” more detail? Is this just about sharpness?

Yes, it’s about sharpness. Different quality lenses will achieve different levels of sharpness due to their design.

>Also when buying DSLR lenses how can you tell what their resolution will be?

This can actually be measured, if you want to get into the technical details of the lens specs. The simple/practical answer would be to read lens reviews or to watch youtube review videos where they test the lenses.