How Many More Megapixels Do You Need?

There's a ton of confusion (also known as marketing hype) around megapixels, and many people truly believe that megapixels have to do with image qualitythe higher the number of megapixels, the better the quality. Unfortunately, that's not true. So, if you were using that as an excuse to buy a new camera, that's not going to float with me (although your spouse may buy that line). Here's what megapixels really mean: how large can I print my final photograph? That's it. If you're not going to print anything larger than 8x10", then a 5-megapixel camera is absolutely all you need. In fact, it's really more than you need, but since 5 megapixels is about as few megapixels as you can buy these days, we'll leave it at that. If you want to routinely print 13x19" color prints, then you only need a 6-megapixel camera (I know, this is hard to swallow after years of thinking you needed 10 megapixels or more). So, what are today's 10- and 12-megapixel cameras for? Suckers. (Okay, not really, but you knew I was going to say that.) Actually, 10- and 12-megapixel cameras are for pros who need to print 24x36" poster-sized prints. If that's you, then it's time to pony up, but if you're not routinely printing poster-sized prints, a 6-megapixel camera is all most people will really ever need, so put away your checkbook. Hey, don't blame me. I'm trying to save you some money so you can buy some decent lenses and a fancy tripod.