The camera industry promotes megapixel ratings as though they are a measure of photo quality, and lots of customers fall for it. Every time a manufacturer brings out a higher megapixel camera, some people just have to have it!
Megapixels measure the maximum size of each photo. For example, a six-megapixel camera captures pictures made up of six million tiny dots, a 12-megapixel is made up of 12 million dots - and so on.
In reality, there are really bad twelve-megapixel images, just as there are fantastic six-megapixel shots.
And of course, more megapixels means you have to buy bigger, more expensive memory cards to hold them!
Megapixels are something to consider only in a couple of circumstances:
a) when you want to make giant prints (20-by-30-inch posters, for example)
b)when you want the facility to crop out a large part of a photograph to isolate the main subject, while still leaving enough pixels to make reasonably sized prints.
But if you don't edit your shots and don't need them bigger than A4, there's no need to go megapixal crazy. Six megapixels will do the job really well.
It's worth noting that large files take a long time to download, so photos intended purely for display on the computer (the Web, e-mail, slideshows) - need very few pixels.
So, before you rush out to buy the very latest all-singing, all-dancing digital camera, take a moment or two and really ask yourself what your needs are. If it's gallery quality prints, then go for the highest megapixel you can. But if you are taking product shots for Ebay, save yourself a bundle and keep it simple!
Steve Thompson is a professional photographer based on Dartmoor in Devon. He contributes to leading UK agencies, magazines and local businesses, as well as running a successful website http://www.focus-on-dartmoor-in-devon.com
Steve also runs 1/2 day and 1 day courses for beginners to landscape photography.
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