The ability to capture ultra-high-resolution images for producing extra-large prints or to increase the resolution of lower-resolution cameras – those around the 20-30MP mark – is an enticing prospect for photographers. And with more and more cameras offering in-body image stabilisation (IBIS), a related feature known generally as pixel shift, where a series of images are taken in quick succession as the sensor shifts position, can be used to create ultra-high-resolution raw files.
Pixel shift is a feature that camera manufacturers naturally use as a selling point and on paper, it sounds amazing. But like many multiple exposure-based techniques, it’s certainly not without its downsides: huge file sizes, the necessity to keep the camera locked solid on a heavy tripod, the need for a powerful computer, hefty storage requirements and the potential for ghosting of moving elements in a scene. But what you ultimately have to ask yourself is, are these and the many images that need to be captured worth the result in some cases?
To put
