While film cameras retain its drama, it’s difficult to think about going back to loading film rolls and letting a developer take charge of your pictures. Digital camera has been a basic imaging tool that everyone wants to have. 

Shopping for one can be overwhelming though. You may feel drenched with tons of features and specifications each model has. Without prior knowledge, you may end up paying for an expensive camera with features you may not even use.

One of the most important considerations when buying a digital camera is the megapixels. Hence, you’ll often see this highlighted in every digicam unit. Knowing what megapixels are and how it can affect your pictures should be on top of your guides as this will determine the quality of your images. 

A megapixel means a million of pixels which is the gauge of image resolution. Once your picture is shot, you cannot edit this. Typically, more megapixels mean better image quality but you should not be lured to getting more than what you need.

More often, you’ll only need a 3 - 5 megapixel camera to produce quality prints of 8 x 10 inches. So if you’re not up to some large scale printing or professional photography, this should work for you. Higher end cameras with over 5 megapixels are definitely more expensive and best to use if you are going to do a lot of digital editing. On the other hand, an imaging tool with 2 megapixels or less should be limited for webcams and wallet sized photos.

Keep in mind that pixel count is an essential factor in getting quality prints but printer specifications, lighting and other settings when the photo was taken also affect the final print out.

Posted in: Imaging