Considering Megapixels When Purchasing a Digital Camera
February 22, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
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What are megapixels and how can an understanding of megapixels help you in the purchase of a digital camera? Let’s start with the pixel. A pixel is one dot of information in a digital image. Digital images are made up of millions of tiny pixels. So, for example, an 8 megapixel image contains 8 million pixels.
Is a camera rated at 8 megapixels necessarily better than one ratesd at 6 megapixels? The main difference is file size. An 8 megapixel camera will create a larger digital file than a 6 megapixel camera. And a larger file size means you will need additional space to store the image, and it will take longer to send via email and file upload.
The advantage will come when printing larger photos. If you print an 11×14 photo created by both an 8 megapixel camera and a 6 megapixel camera, the 6 megapixel photo will not look as sharp as the 8 megapixel photo. If you plan to make large prints, then seriously consider the megapixel ratings of digital cameras when you compare them . If you intend to print 4×6 photos and e-mail them, then there is no need to spend more money on a higher megapixel camera.
