With the holidays soon here a lot of people will be wishing for and getting a new digital camera. A question we get often in our classes is: How many megapixels do I need?

The answer might surprise you – not as many as you think.

When we talk about megapixels we are talking about the resolution of the camera – how fine a detail a camera can capture. A lot more goes into getting a good, clear picture for your layouts than just the resolution. Things like how good the lens is, proper exposure, no camera shake, being in focus – all help or hurt getting a good clear picture. Strangely enough, the more you enlarge a picture (go from an 8×10 print to a 16×20) the less resolution you need. As you look at bigger size prints you move further away – so you actually are too far away to see a lot of detail.

Here’s an eye opener: Have you admired those great plasma HDTV’s that every one raves looks so good? A 720i display is a one-megapixel display; a 1080i is about a two megapixel.

So you don’t need to spend the money on a high megapixel camera. In our experience a six megapixel model from a good manufacturer like Canon, Nikon, Fuji, or Kodak is great. Look instead for other features – how big a optical zoom, does it have image stabilization, different shooting modes, battery life – and you’ll keep a little more money in your pocket this holiday season!

Happy shopping and have a great Holiday!

Stan White is the DaddyKitty at ScrapKitty Design. He is a 27 year veteran of the photo industry and teaches digital imaging and Photoshop to our customers. Have a question? Contact Stan here or post a comment.