Digital Camera Resolutions

Before you even start shopping for a Digital Camera and comparing brands and features, you need to figure out the number of Megapixels that you need. As opposed to non-Digital Cameras that use film to capture and store an image, Digital Cameras use an image sensor to store varying degrees of light and brightness onto a grid of photosensitive diodes. When the shutter is opened (meaning that you are taking a picture), each individual diode captures a different intensity and color of light. Each diode assigns a numerical value that can later be translated to hue, color and saturation for the purpose of viewing and printing those pictures. The more diodes you have on this grid (DPI) the higher quality image you will be able to extrapolate and print.

So what does all that mean, you ask? Well the truth is you don't have to worry too much about the technological phenomenon that occurs every single time you snap a photo with your Digital Camera. The important number to use in your research is the number of Megapixels you are looking for, and one Megapixel is equal to one millions pixels. The more Megapixels you have, the higher quality your pictures will be. These days, most "point and shoot" Digital Cameras are between two and five megapixels. Bigger isn't necessarily better in this case, in part because larger images will take up more space on your hard drive and also will take longer to transfer between platforms.

If you intend to print high quality, larger images, and certainly if you ever wish to publish any of your photographs, then you should strongly consider purchasing a Digital Camera with five or more Megapixels. However, if your Digital Camera needs are purely recreational, meaning that you just want something to take on vacation or around town and then email your images to friends and family, then you can get a lot of value out of a great three or four Megapixel Digital Camera. Point and shoot cameras in the 3-4 Megapixel range can be excellent cameras and will usually print beautiful images up to 8 by 10 inches in size, larger than most consumers will need. The next step up from the "point and shoot" is a category of Digital Camera referred to as "prosumer" and are typically between 5 and 6 Megapixels. While these Digital Cameras don't offer an interchangeable lens system, users will have many more creative options.

Professional Digital Cameras generally have between six and twenty megapixels and offer the user complete creative control. These Digital Cameras are designed for photographers who plan to publish or show large format photographs. Professional Digital Cameras are all based on SLR design, so that you can change lenses to suit your needs.