I'm getting a new camera, but I'm not sure what megapixels and size I should look for?

Question

It'll be for taking normal pics of family, friends and activities.

I have no idea what megapixels are though, and what size memory (or whatever it is lol) I should get.

Would someone mind helping me out.. maybe with some general explanations?

Answer 1

My daughter gets excellent 8X10s from her Fuji 5 megapixel camera and acceptable 11X14s. So much for the higher megapixell the better the quality photo. It's hard to find a 5 MP camera anymore, 6,7, or 8 MP would be just fine. More important, do you want a lot of zoom? 3X and 4X optical is standard.The more zoom, the more money. I suggest get a camera with an image stabilizer for shaky hands. The Canon PowerShot A590 IS fits the bill at about $150- + shipping. 8 megapixels, 4X optical zoom.

The Canon PowerShot A720 IS is also a fine camera, but it's 6X optical zoom, 8 megapixels, and a bit more expensive than the A590 IS.

Answer 2

Sharpness depends more on your photographic skill than the number of megapixels, because most people's sloppy technique or subject motion blurs the image more than the width of a microscopic pixel.

Even when megapixels mattered, there was little visible difference between cameras with seemingly different ratings. For instance, a 3 MP camera pretty much looks the same as a 6 MP camera, even when blown up to 12 x 18" (30x50cm)!

The number of megapixels (MP) a camera has has very little to do with how the image looks. Even worse, plenty of lower MP cameras can make better images than poorer cameras with more MP.

For your needs, I recommend a Canon SD750 with a 2GB SD memory card.

Answer 3

If you are just taking basic pics like you described, I would recommend 7-8 megapixels.  A pixel is basically a tiny dot of color.  When you put them all together you have your picture.  So if you have more pixels, they will be smaller, so your overall picture will look better.

Most digital cameras have external memory slots (i.e., you need a memory card).  I have a 7.1 Megapixel camera, and the pictures are around 400-500 kilobytes.  Therefore, a 512 MB memory card would hold about 1,000 pictures, a 1 GB memory card 2,000 pictures, and so on.

I've had the Canon Powershot SD1000 for a few months now (we just had a baby so we upgraded our camera).  It is really good for our needs of mainly taking pictures of family and stuff.

Answer 4

I have the Canon A-590. It is a 8M.P. with a 4x zoom. They are one of the best under $200 camera's out there. It uses AA batteries,"wich I like." so you will never get stuck with a dead battery,you can by AA's anywere anytime. So buy rechargeable batteries a charger and atleast a 1GB card. You will be right around $200 if you shop around.

Answer 5

Often, higher megapixel levels is actually detrimental to image quality. The more pixel that are fit onto the same size image sensor means that each pixel is smaller. Smaller pixels allow less light to be captured which causes an increase in digital noise, the biggest problem with p&s cameras. Furthermore the higher the megapixels the more likely that user error like vibrations will show up in prints. Anything around 6 megapixels is fine. What really matters is the quality of the lens, making sure you get the zoom range you need (not necessarily the highest zoom range), and the shutter lag (the delay after you press the button until when the picture is finaly taken). You must read reviews to find out which camera will have the best quality, you cannot simply look at the megapixels.

Answer 6

Mega-pixels is basically the amount of pixels (squares of colour put together to make an image). A lower MP camera will produce images of poor quality because there are less pixels to make up the picture, making it look blurred and plain. For the type of thing you need, you should look for a camera with 6-8 Mega-pixels. It should also have a big enough memory for the amount of photos you want to take.

-Tom-

Answer 7

If you are going to a lot vacations you should get the highest Mega Pixels

and 1GB to 2GB storage!But i recommend you buy a camera with a USB  cable in the package so you can drop your photos in your computer and then by deleting them you can get more space on your memory card!If you are not  going to a lot of vacations then you should get 1GB storage  with again a USB cable in the package!I recommend a Canon camera brand!I have one and they are very good!The picture quality is amazing!

Answer 8

Always look for the highest megapixel camera and with the most memory.  Also look for a well known brand that has been around for years and ask to see a sample photo.

Answer 9

1 megapixel is equivalent to 1 million pixels.

For visualization, a pixel is typically the size of a single dot on your screen, like a period ( . )

The more pixels you have, the bigger the image size and quality.

Thus, a 5 megapix camera can take images half the resolution of a 10 megapixel camera.

Sometimes, the megapixel does not really matter, because as the above poster said, you can do away with less megapixels if you have a steady aim with a camera, and also things will look much better with good lighting.

For a regular point-and-shoot camera, you'll want at least 6-8 megapixels. Most digital cams can have expandable memory, you might want to buy a 1 gigabyte memory card (if the one that is bundled is not sufficient).