Is megapixel really important?

i agree. more megapixels does not automatically convert to better images. sometimes when you take pictures with such cameras they turn out a little grainy . it is better to take a camera which suits you rather than one with way too many megapixels and other technical applications which might just end up confusing you if you don't know how to operate it (this happened to my dad. :D)

The megapixel count is important, but there is no simple answer: it depends on the type of sensor, the size of the sensor and the quality of the lens. Very few lenses can resolve as much detail as a 12 megapixel sensor can record, so extra pixels are pointless unless you are using very good glass. You do not get that sort of lens on consumer cameras, only on high quality pro-sumer and SLR cameras... and most of the lenses on those expensive cameras can't use all the data from a 12 MP sensor. There are several types of sensor in cameras. CCD sensors are the most common, a few cameras have Foveon sensors that put the red, blue and green sensitive pixels on different layers, and CMOS sensors are available on some high-end cameras. CMOS sensors have noise -reducing components at every sensor site on the sensor. The Foveon and CMOS sensors can handle more pixels than CCDSs without degrading the images, so higher pixel densities are worth considering if you own a camera of this type. The major issue, though, is the size of the sensor. Photo sensors generate electrical charges and heat. the more you pack into the same space, the smaller you have to make them, and the closer you have to put them together. That increases the heat and electrical interference between them, and generates "noise" which breaks up the images. Computer algorithms built into the camera to reduce this ugly grainyness smear the picture slightly, losing even more detail. Also, smaller pixels collect less light, so these problems get worse in low light. Increasing the ISO to compensate increases the noise even more. Phone cameras have tiny sensors. Anything above about 5 megapixels degrades the image. Compact point-and-shoot cameras seem to go OK up to about 9 Mp, but not if you want to shoot above 200ISO. The sensors in SLR cameras are twice the area of standard compacts and many have CMOS sensors. They produce lovely images up to 15Mp (although the CCD ones like Nikon D60 start to have problems above 10 Mp and 400ISO is their limit for quality pictures; compared with the Nikon D300 with a CMOS sensor, which takes lovely pics at 6400 ISO and above)). Full frame cameras like the Canon 5 series handle 21 Mp with ease, and large format cameras have no issue with Mp count. Short version: too many pixels degrade the image. Avoid compact cameras with more than 7Mp if you want to print you photos or shoot in low light or with flash. If you are never going to do anything with your photos but put them on the screen, then the poor quality will not be quite so obvious, but you are never going to sell one.

Thanks for opening a important topic here. I have recently bought a Sony DSC H-10 camera - it's 8 mp. I would like to know more about details of a digital cameras. I thing MP is an important parametre, because determines the clarity of the image. But at the same time compatibility of other parmetres is also important.

megapixel is also something important, since it makes the image crispier but according to my professor (which I also believe in) good photographers make great pictures no matter what camera they use. It just depends on what angle they are.. :)

well i think it is important for me atleast. sometimes if you got a camera with lower mp or say it is just a vga camera yuor clearity wont be that well to get a clear perfect picture where as if you have a good percent of mega pixel then possibly your photos are clearer in images and they got the shaper images. you dont need to edit the photos for them to be clear though. otherwise you need to edit them if you got a low mp camera. though i got a 6 megapixel camera but i am planning to get a 10 mp one soon happy mylotting

haha! yesterday we were talking about this in photography class yea more megapixels means basically theres more detail captured, so when u zoom ur image, it doesnt blur that much, like if u wanna make it ur desktop wallpaper or something, the more the megapixels, the clearer the image

My answer is yes.If megapixel is low,the photoes and videos will be hard to attract people,especially when people have seen the high megapixel works.

Hello there and welcome to the site - hope you enjoy using it. I agree, most people who use their camera only to capture general images on holiday, family occasions etc do not need a huge number of megapixels! I have a 7 megapixel camera that I bought around 2 years ago and it is more than enough for me.

Hi, papapao, welcome to myLot !! I totally agree with you, more pixel doesn't mean better image, I think good photo not necessarily taken by top class equipments. I believe in 'feel' the photo, the photo may not need to be sharply focus, correctly exposed, accurate color balance, fine grain, large number of pixel which can be print as wall paper (not the one on your pc desktop!), I think a good photo is one can tell a story or can show the characteristic of the object in the photo. Happy myLotting !!