Digital Camera Megapixels Defined
Megapixels is the most common feature used to market and price digital cameras.
A pixel is basically one of the many tiny squares or dots that are grouped together to create a picture. This is very simialr to the tiles on a kitchen floor. Mega is 1 million so megapixels means one million pixels. A higher megapixel camera can produce a more detailed photo.
When you turn on a TV program or read the local paper, you'll see retail companies advertise MEGAPIXELS in bold letters. Pay close attention and you'll notice that the higher the megapixel, the more expensive the camera. This leads me to the next topic...
How Many Megapixels Do You Really Need?
It all depends on what you want to do with the camera. Let's say you want to take basic pictures to post on your personal web page, email lots of photos to friends and family, take basic snap shots with ease.
Then 2 to 2.9 megapixels is the best choice. Check out this great selection under $200 .
Most consumers would do just fine with these types of cameras. They're cheap, light weight, and easy to use... just point and shoot!
When You Need More Megapixels
Now let's say you want real "pictures" and want to see nice 4x6, 5x7, and 8x10 prints. Then you'll definitely need more megapixels. It's cool to look at the photos from your laptop or pc, but I think good old fashioned prints on Kodak paper is better. I'm surprised at how many digital camera owners never print their images since it's so easy. I'll show you how a bit later on.
I have a 3 megapixel Minolta Dimage that I purchased many years ago and it takes very nice 8x10's. I used it frequently to go on vacations and trips since it was so light weight and compact. After I bought a 5 megapixel Nikon Coolpix 5700 , the Minolta became an excellent backup.
Get More Options With 6 Megapixels and Higher
Who would want a camera with so many megapixels? A photographer, graphic artist, professional, or anyone who pays close attention to detail. These cameras produce huge files which make breath taking prints. Another term used to refer to the size is "resolution".
Take a look at these 6 Megapixel cameras.
There's a downside to high resolution digital cameras. Have you ever received vacation photos in your email or visited a website where the pictures literally took minutes to load? To add to your aggravation, when the pictures finally appeared you thought, "I waited all that time for that @%#@. What a waste!"
That's because someone used file sizes that were too big for the web. Personally I always take photos at the highest resolution. I like the option of making prints of my favorite pictures. More importantly, I can do lots of creative things with Adobe Elements. I can easily recolor, crop, edit,and more; however, when I email pictures or add them to a web page, I always reduce the resolution which decreases the load time. Some pictures are worth the wait, but since I don't photograph nude celebrities, I speed it up!
Knowing the type of audience that require higher megapixels , manufacturers also add lots of advance features that improve the quality of the image. There are many factors which determine the quality of the picture and the megapixels is a small piece of the puzzle. For example, a 4 megapixel camera with a great lens will produce better images than a 6 megapixel with a mediocre lens. Read about the next feature, optical and digital zoom.
