Panasonic FZ50 Aspect Ratio question

[TEMPA]

Good day all,

I have recently bought a Panasonic FZ50 camera and have a question re the choice of aspect ratio that this camera presents you with.

I have the choice of 4:3 at a maximum of 10MP or 3:2 (which is meant to be the same as 35mm film according to the manual) but this drops the resolution to 8.5MP. I also have the option of 16:9 but am not interested in that for general picture taking although I will be using it for video.

Now, is there a particular preference in the wider camera community as to which aspect ratio I should be using? And should I be concerned about the drop from 10MP at 4:3 to 8.5MP at 3:2?

I appreciate any assistance that can be given.

Thanks,

TEMPA

[David Metsky]

All the drop in resolution means is the camera is cutting off the top and bottom of the image to make the right aspect ratio. You can do the same thing in post processing. There's no loss in quality.

[JLV]

If you plan to make 4 X 6 prints, the 3 X 2 allows you to print without cropping.

[genece]

I almost always end up at the 3:2 ratio as thats what my DSLRs are but I shoot at 4:3 and crop when P.P.