What determines the resolution of a digital camera?

• A. Image sensor
• B. Shutter speed
• C. Lens focal length
• D. ISO setting

Answer: (A)

The amount of detail a digital image can show—its resolution—comes from how many discrete picture elements the sensor can record. The image sensor is the part that captures light and translates it into digital signals, with each pixel representing a sample of brightness (and color, through color filtering). More pixels on the sensor mean more samples and higher potential detail in the final image, assuming the optics and processing can preserve that detail.

Shutter speed mainly affects exposure and motion, influencing whether moving subjects blur or freeze, but it doesn’t change how many pixels the sensor records. Lens focal length changes the field of view and magnification, which can affect how much detail appears in a frame, but the actual resolution ceiling is set by the sensor’s pixel count. ISO setting changes sensitivity and noise levels; higher ISO can makegrainier images, reducing perceived clarity, but it doesn’t increase the number of samples the sensor captures.