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Can you see the difference? You can probably tell that the 1 megapixel camera is not as
good for 8x10s. It is still adequate for email or eBay work but not acceptable for taking
quality pictures that will be enlarged. Is 2 megapixels enough? That is up to you: it may
be, if a camera has other features you like. Certainly by the time you get to 3, 4 or 5
megapixels you are going to get quality prints (in my opinion). If you are a person who
will accept nothing but the absolute best quality, spring for a 6 megapixel or greater
camera. You will be pleased with the quality you achieve.
One more thing to consider when considering what megapixel camera to buy: as the
megapixels go up, so do the features found in the camera. Generally the more expensive
the camera, the higher the megapixels, the better the lens and feature set in that camera.
How will you be using the camera?
Low resolution applications:
Posting photos on the internet or viewing them on the computer
Sending photographs by email
Medium Resolution applications
Printing photos on standard paper or making small (4x6” or 5x7”) at the photo kiosk
High resolution applications.
Printing enlargements, including 8x10s
Professional graphics
Zoom: Optical required, Digital only is not acceptable
An optical zoom uses the lens system in the camera to “zoom in” on the subject. The
subject is larger with no loss of resolution or image quality. A digital zoom works by
increasing the subject size digitally. A section of the image is magnified to the full
resolution of the camera. For example: a 3x digital zoom takes 1/9
th
of the image and
converts it to full frame. Since no more megapixels have been added to the CCD,
resolution is lost. Using a 2 megapixel camera with at 3x digital zoom is the same as
using a 0.3 megapixel camera. The image quality will be poor. You will notice a grainy
and blocky picture, as illustrated above. This is no different than taking a un-zoomed
picture into a editing programming and cropping and enlarging it three times. Low cost
cameras often tout their digital zoom without an optical zoom. DO NOT BUY A
CAMERA WITH ONLY A DIGITAL ZOOM.
Most cameras now have an optical zoom. 3x is very common, although some now offer 7
to 10x zooms. For most applications 3x is a good compromise and will work great.
Generally a 3x zoom will be the equivalent of a 35-105 mm lens on a 35mm camera,
which is slightly wide angle to telephoto. It is not a strong enough zoom to get very
distant objects. If your hobby is bird-watching or sports photography, consider a 7 to 10x
zoom.