Nowadays, every few months there is a new camera in the market that offers you more mega pixels than the last one did, and I see so many amateur photographers jumping on board to buy these cameras. The reason is that the concept of “mega pixels” has been highlighted so much, that most “photographers” do not see past the numbers. Which is why I would like to offer my professional input on the matter, more mega pixels does not certainly mean a higher quality device.

To help you understand the matter, I am going to break it down for you in a way most of you would understand. Mega Pixels are like weight, they measure quantity and not quality. Similarly, as your body weight or shape would not be able to judge the level of health your body is at, the number of mega pixels in your camera will not entirely impact the quality of the images it captures.

The thing is, the quality of the photos you take is based on various things such as, optics, firmware, image sensor design, engineering, and pixels (not the mega pixel count). There is an image sensor in each camera, and it contains an arrangement of pixels, and these pixels collect the photons, for instance light. These image sensors come in various sizes, and the larger the sensor is, the more photons it can collect. This is what allows the image to be clear, and helps reduce the graininess from images.

[pullquote]Which is why I would like to offer my professional input on the matter, more mega pixels does not certainly mean a higher quality device.[/pullquote]

In my professional opinion, I would say most people do not need more than 16 Mega Pixels, actually some of you only need 8 Mega Pixels. The thing is, even if you are a semi-professional photographer and only intend to post your images on the web, and not print them on paper, you do not need more than 16 mega pixels. All you have to do is post your images at 1000 or 2000 pixels, and they will be high resolution images.

The only way a higher mega pixels make sense if you wish to crop the image, and ensure that even small sections are high resolution, or if you wish to print them up in a large size. However, if you are working in an industry that requires such material then you can go for a camera body that offers higher mega pixels, as it will allow you more surface area when retouching images. You can also achieve these results if you pair up a nice lens with a 16 mega pixel camera, but if you do not have access to a nice lens, a camera body with high mega pixels will do the trick.

So when you head out to buy your next camera or lens keep in mind what you will be doing with the camera, and make a decision accordingly. Because there is no need to buy equipment you do not require.