Canon XSI images only 72dpi?

[PhotoMaster]

I just realized something, and I'm not sure quite to make of it.. My Canon SD850 IS is 180 dpi, The Nikon D40x is 300 dpi and so the D300. For the first time I checked the dpi of my xsi images and the are only 72dpi? Less than half of my compact canon? Why is that?. Thanks

[TheWengler]

I think that depends on the size that the image is restrained to.

[cdifoto]

That number is pointless, irrelevant, to be ignored. You can plug any number in there you want...Canon chose to use 72 for XSi, 180 for the SD850, and Nikon chose to use 300 for the D40 and D300.

[David Metsky]

What cdifoto said. DPI means nothing for an image in the computer. It only has meaning when printing. DPI is the relationship between image size in pixels and the printed size. In your computer, or more particularly in the photo viewing program, that number is used to determine how big to display the photo on your screen, but you can change it all you want with no affect on the image itself.