Megapixel

Digital cameras capture images as pixel elements, known as pixels. A megapixel is equal to one million pixels.

Digital images are made up of thousands of pixels. The more pixels, the higher the image resolution. Resolution relates mainly to print size and the amount of detail an image has when viewed on a computer monitor at 100%.

The number of megapixels is only one feature relating to the quality of a zoom camera, or the actual quality of a photo it is capable of producing. Factors such as camera sensor and the optical quality of a lens are also important.

If you buy a digital zoom camera with too few megapixels for your printing and editing needs, photos may be degraded. A photo made into a poster sized print from a zoom camera with a low megapixel count will look fuzzy. So will a digital image that is cropped to much.

Resolution

The number of pixels in a digital image is sometimes referred to as resolution and refers to the number of pixels per inch (ppi)both vertically and horizontally. Multiplying the vertical ppi by the horizontal ppi gives you the number of megapixels. More megapixels means higher resolution. Resolution relates primarily to print size and amount of detail in an image when viewed on a computer monitor at 100%.

A digital camera with a high megapixel count doesn't guarantee it will produce better looking images. Many factors influence image quality including the quality of the optical lens and camera sensor. High resolution gives you more editing options and enables you to print larger sized photos.

The importance of the megapixel has become overstated by many digital camera suppliers. Buy a digital camera because it has the features you want, not just because it has the most megapixels.

So, how many megapixels?
One of the best ways to decide how many megapixels you need is to consider the largest size prints you make. Get a digital camera with the number of megapixels that will yield the best print results for that size.

For the suggested number of megapixels for the best prints based on print size, refer to the table below.

Megapixel and print size

Suggested number of megapixels for high quality prints
If you print large photos with lots of fine detail, set your camera to it's highest megapixel and quality setting.

Here are the recommended number of megapixel based on print size. If you edit and do a lot of cropping then increase the minimum suggested megapixel.

Max Print Size (Minimum MP) Resolution
4 x 6" (2 megapixel) 1600 x 1200
5 x 7" (3 megapixel) 2048 x 1536
8 x 10" (5 megapixel) 2560 x 1920
11 x 14" (6 megapixel) 2816 x 2112
16 x 20" (8+ megapixel) 3264 x 2468

Print quality also depends on a number of other factors, such as the quality of the original image or the type of printer and paper used. If an image is dark or blurry, resulting prints will be poor. If you do your own printing, a photo printer and high quality photo paper yield the best results.

Each zoom camera featured on this site are capable of more than 8 megapixel. Click on the a zoom camera image below to see a full features list and complete technical details for that camera together with latest prices.

Best Selling Zoom Cameras

Sitemap