If you have ever shopped for a digital camera, you have noticed that every camera includes a prominent notation of the number of megapixels it uses. While you have likely realized that more is better, you may not know what a megapixel actually is and what it means for your pictures. Read on for a definition and background information.
Identification
Before considering the megapixel, you'll need to consider the pixel. In digital images, the pixel is the smallest component of the image and exists as a tiny square dot. Think of it like the atom of a digital image. An image is formed from millions of these tiny little square dots. A megapixel is a unit composed of one million pixels.
Function
Resolution is defined by the number of megapixels that a camera uses. Resolution is viewed as a formula such as 1600 x 1200. This equation relates to the number of pixels on the horizontal axis and vertical axis and when the numbers are multiplied it will equate to the number of megapixels on the camera. If you do the math in this equation, you'll get 1,920,000 or 1.92 megapixels, which is rounded up and considered a 2 megapixel camera.
Significance
The more pixels that are in an image, the higher the resolution of the picture and the better it will look. This is why a camera that has more megapixels is considered to be higher quality. Megapixels also determine the size of a picture that you can print while maintaining a quality, realistic image. Follow the second link for a chart of suggested megapixels/resolutions for picture sizes. If you choose a camera with too little megapixels/too low resolution, you'll get a fuzzy, poor quality image when trying to print larger photos.
Considerations
Although instinct may tell you to buy the camera with the most megapixels that you can afford, extra megapixels may not be necessary. If you don't intend to print large photos, the extra megapixels may be a wasteful expense, especially if you will be primarily using your computer to view photos.
Potential
Pixels are not just used for digital cameras but also digital devices that display images. Your computer screen monitor uses a number of megapixels to display the images that you view on screen as does a digital television.
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