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Question: What do megapixels do!? And how do they make a picture better!?
I'm thinking about buying a camera, and I don't fully understand megapixels!. I would like to know why it is better to have more megapixels!.Www@QuestionHome@Com


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
This will tell you all you need to know !.!. and it is not necessarily better to have more pixels!. It is a long piece, but worth the read!.

http://www!.kenrockwell!.com/tech/mpmyth!.h!.!.!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

That is a very good article linked by Ace, but I will see if i can break it down to something very simple and quick!. A pixel is like an electronic dot that gathers information!. The finished photo is made up of these "dots"!. So, the more of them there are, the smoother and more detailed the photo can be, and the larger it can be printed before the "dots" or pixels begin to show themselves!. And yes, more is not always better!. The sensor size that contains all these pixels can actually become too crowded!. The pixels have to be smaller and smaller to cram more of them on the sensor!. This gives the most problem with high ISO performance!. High magapixel point and shoot cameras always have ugly low light photos because the pixels are so small!. The manufacturers keep cramming more and more on the tiny sensor because the general public thinks "more is better", and they can sell more cameras!. In reality, 5 to 8 MP is all you need in a point and shoot!.

steveWww@QuestionHome@Com