Though a digital camera's megapixel count
does remain the most important specification-- it however
isn't the only one. You need to start with pixels, but you
also need to ensure a few other important things when selecting
a digital camera.
A digital camera's megapixel rating
is just another way to express its resolution. In simple terms,
a higher megapixel number means a higher resolution. In general,
high-resolution cameras produce larger and better quality
prints. A 2-megapixel digital camera can produce images of
about 1600 x 1200 pixels, allowing high-quality 5x7 prints.
A 3-megapixel camera can produce images of around 2048x1536
pixels, allowing for sharp 8x10 prints. However, higher-resolution
images take up more space on the memory card, so one may be
able to take a fewer number of shots before they have to be
downloaded to your PC. Of course, the solution, is to purchase
a larger-capacity memory card.
If you are interested in producing mostly
small snapshots or images to send via email or post on the
Internet, you probably won't need anything better than a 2-megapixel
camera. If you would want to create larger copies of your
masterworks, you might want a digital camera that captures
4 megapixels or more.
