Resolving Power
Category: Technology
The ability of an optical system to render fine structures separately – often stated in line pairs per millimetre (MTF).
Resolving power describes how finely a system of lens and sensor can still distinguish adjacent detail. It is often measured in line pairs per millimetre or via the modulation transfer function (MTF), which describes contrast against detail fineness.
It makes clear that real detail does not depend on the megapixel count alone: a limiting lens or diffraction caps what can actually be resolved. In gigapixel photography high resolution is achieved through many individual frames each with good resolving power.
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