Q: “ Do I need more megapixels? I‘m in the market for a new camera. Since I’m retired, I want to buy a good camera but not the most expensive one. Do I need a 10 megapixel camera or will one with seven megapixels suffice?” — Curtis Penick, Cincinnati, OH

A: Curtis, do the math. Ten megapixels, for example, over seven megapixels is a 30% gain - is that worth the extra money? Maybe…

photo: ligia cuevas’johnson

The extra pixels give you two advantages - the ability to make larger prints and the ability to crop tighter while maintaining some image quality. Are these abilities worth the extra money you’ll spend for more megapixels?

“Pixel,” by the way, is short for “picture element.” Digital photographers use the word to describe the number of pixels a digital camera’s image-sensor element can capture – 10 megapixels, for example, is 10 million pixels.

Before choosing a digital camera, decide if if you’re going to make prints, what size prints and, of course, how much money you want to spend for a camera because they all interrelate.

Remember, too,that today, many people email their photos instead of printing them. Email requires substantially fewer megapixels than printmaking. A five or six megapixel camera is okay for email and for making standard size prints, say 4 x 6 in.

If you plan to make larger prints, determine what’s the largest print size you’ll want – 8 x 10 in. or 11 x 14 in. enlargements? Larger prints need more megapixels, so look for a 10 to 12 megapixel camera.

Next question — do you tend to crop your photos? If you do, you’ll want more megapixels, so that your cropped images hold their detail. If you love snapshots and don’t crop, you can buy a camera with less megapixels.

Ask yourself, too, about your camera-buying budget. Are you prepared to spend more money for more pixels – those you may not need? Just because a car’s speedometer is marked for 100mph doesn’t mean you’ll drive that fast.

Remember, too, that expending your budget for the camera may prevent you from buying such camera accessories as an adjustable flash. Also, photos shot with more megapixels require more memory, another added cost.

Do this: Before buying, search the Internet for camera reviews, to see if a less popular (and less expensive) brand that fits your needs has received strong reviews. Check more than one source. Also, if lesser megapixels will work for you, look on the sale table for last year’s camera models.

Once you have considered these points and asked yourself a few critical questions, you’re on your way to determining whether you do, or do not, need more megapixels.

Darek Johnson/Ligia Cuevas’Johnson

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