A photograph's detail is an integral part of its appeal. Many photographers spend a great deal of time, energy and money acquiring equipment to make sharp images. Back in the film era, if 35mm didn't satisfy them, they invested in medium format, 4x5, 8x10, or larger. (I know two who use 8x20 inch cameras.) The digital versus film debate is now mostly settled (2007), but there is still some debate over the relationship between the number of megapixels and image quality. I love sharpness and detail, but I take my camera gear on long hikes, so I prefer to carry lightweight equipment. I need to know what it can achieve, how to get the most out of it and what I'm trading off by not going to a larger format, apart from saving my back. That's what motivated this study.