How Many Pixels Should My Digital Camera Have?
Learn how to use pixel counts and image resolution to find the right digital camera.
When shopping for a digital camera, your most important buying consideration should be image quality. Higher pixel counts usually mean better-looking photographs, but bigger isn't always better. Large, high-resolution images require more time to store in the camera after you snap the shutter, and they take longer to transfer to a PC. Most important, a megapixel difference in maximum resolution can sometimes double the price of a camera. Buying a model that shoots at a higher resolution than you need can be as big a mistake as buying one that's too low. By learning the differences between pixel counts, you can ensure that your digital camera purchase will be a smart one.
Submegapixel
- Typical Resolution: 640 x 480
- Uncompressed File Size: 900K
- Average JPEG-Compressed File Size: 60K
- Biggest Optimal Printout Size (Inches): 3x5 to 4x5 1 megapixel
- Typical Resolution: 1,280 x 960
- Uncompressed File Size: 3.6MB
- Average JPEG-Compressed File Size: 225K
- Biggest Optimal Printout Size (Inches): 5x7 2 megapixels
- Typical Resolution: 1,600 x 1,200
- Uncompressed File Size: 5.6MB
- Average JPEG-Compressed File Size: 350K
- Biggest Optimal Printout Size (Inches): 8x10 3 megapixels
- Typical Resolution: 2,048 x 1,536
- Uncompressed File Size: 9.2MB
- Average JPEG-Compressed File Size: 575K
- Biggest Optimal Printout Size (Inches): 11x14
