This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

What's a Megapixel and Why Does It Matter?

A few thoughts on cameras and why not to be too focused on the equipment you use.

"You need to learn to see and compose. The more time you waste worrying about your equipment the less time you'll have to put into creating great images. Worry about your images, not your equipment." - Ken Rockwell - Your Camera Does Not Matter, 2005

Whenever I’m out shooting pictures, I have people want to talk about the equipment I’m using.  Rarely does anyone want to talk about about what I see through the viewfinder.

I chuckle at the current trend in photography posts where the photographer lists the type of camera, lens selection and other shooting information for each picture posted.  So much of this information is either meaningless or obvious to the viewer who takes the time to examine the image.

Find out what's happening in Healdsburgwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The type of camera has very little, if anything, to do with the end result. I’ve seen wonderful mages taken with a pin hole camera made from an old oatmeal box. With that said, one needs to understand how to use a camera and how different lenses will alter the image.  We’ll discuss those topics in later posts.   

One of the most common questions I get is what type of camera to buy.  I usually start by asking the person what they want to take pictures of.  There are many very good camera manufacturers currently on the market.  It’s hard to go wrong if you choose any of the major brands.  The cameras and lenses I use are specifically related to what I’m shooting and the images I need to create.

Find out what's happening in Healdsburgwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

For the casual shooter, mainly interested in family snap shots and vacation memories, a digital rangefinder cameras such as Nikon’s CoolPix or Cannon’s Power Shot series (among many others) offer great image quality and ease of use.

For someone who wants to get a little more serious, I recommend a Digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR) camera.  The main advantage with a DSLR is the ability to change lenses.  This opens up opportunities to broaden the scope of your photography.  However, new camera offerings are changing the need to have a large DSLR.

For me the most important thing is to find a camera that feels good in your hands, has controls that you can easily operate and understand and fits within your budget.  Try not to get wrapped up with any specific brand name.  Nikon, Canon, Sony, Pentax and the others all make good cameras.

I wouldn’t truly worry about the camera brand unless you see yourself getting serious about photography.  The quality of the lenses you buy matters just as much, if not more, as the camera bodies.  For serious folks I recommend either Nikon or Canon because of the lenses that are available.

The next decision with cameras is the size of the image array chip.  How many megapixels?  A pixel (picture element) is the individual light sensitive portion of the image array that converts the light into an electrical signal so it can be stored digitally.  The rating is in millions of pixels on the array.  Thus a 6 MP camera has an array with 6,000,000 pixels.  But what does that really matter? 

More pixels generally means a better quality image.  But again, what do you plan on doing with the pictures once you take them?  I’ve made very good, award-winning, 16” x 20” prints from a 6 MP camera. 

Most folks will never print a picture larger than 8” x 10”.  Now, if you are shooting sports or other subjects where you need to crop out a large portion of the image, then more pixels makes a difference. 

Anywhere between 5-10 MP will fit the needs of most picture-takers.  If you think you’ll get more serious, then feel free to look at the 12-16 MP models.  Don’t look for any higher unless you plan on making a living with the camera, or just have more money than you know what to do with.   

Photographers get wrapped up in the megapixel battles without understanding how imager size affects the quality of their pictures.  The camera doesn’t create the picture, the photographer does. Buying an expensive camera won’t automatically make you take better pictures. 

There are other camera considerations when dealing with specific photographic environments.  Sports generally require a faster frame rate (pictures per second). Low light situations (night sports or live theater) require better performance at high ISO rating.

If you plan on shooting in these situations, then you need to spend little more time deciding what camera and lenses to buy. We'll cover these topics in a later post.

You need to pay careful attention to the details of what you photograph and practice by going out and taking pictures.  Spend your time worrying about the images you capture, not your equipment.

Bottom line, really think about what you want to do with your camera.  Don’t let a camera salesman or friend sell you more camera than you think you need but don’t think too small, you may want to expand your photographic realm.  Find a camera that feels good and is easy for you to operate.  Just because I use a Nikon D7000 doesn’t mean you should. 

In the next posts, I’ll start explaining how a camera works.  

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?