im thinking of buying a new digital camera?

Question

pardon my lack of knowledge when it comes to electronic gadgets. what exactly is a megapixel? and what are the differences? why is it that the higher the megapixel, the better the quality of the picture -- what makes it better?

im thinking of investing some money on a digital camera, because after all, i love taking photos. i don't mind spending money, as long as i get what i want. i am torn between 2 cameras that i saw while shopping. one camera has a 12x zoom, and the other one is a sony cybershot t30 (the new one) what i like about the cybershot is that it captures the picture eventhough your hand shakes. (a common problem with me, whenever i press the button). which do you think would be a better investment? the sony t30 is more expensive than the other one. i think they are both 6 megapixels.

Answer 1

the more pixels (a 'megapixel' is a million of them) the higher resolution the image is...generally. But after about 6 to 8 mp, that's all you'll ever need unless you're a pro. So, don't worry to much about the difference between a 5 or 6mp, or a 6 or 7mp. there really isn't that much difference.

I see you're taken with the new breed of mega-zoom cameras. these 12X zoom cameras typically have a focal length range of 37mm to 432mm or thereabouts. Realize that 432mm lens is a HUGE telescope. This is equivalent to a lens on a 35mm camera (in the old days) that is 18" long- so you pretty much need image stabilization for these focal lengths.

If you want to be taking photos of kids soccer games, bird watching, sports, etc. These big zoom cameras are great. The Panasonic FZ7/FZ30 are terrific. As is the Canon S3IS and the Sony H5/H6. You can't go wrong with any of them.

But- since these cameras aren't exactly pocketable, you may want to check out the terrific pocket sized cameras that are out there. They don't have the zoom range- but you're more likely to bring your camera along with you if it's small enough.

If you've got the money, the $450 Canon SD700IS is by all measures an excellent camera. Or, you can forgo the image stabilization and save some money and get the SD630.

But I really like the FujiF30, as it's the only compact camera that has great light sensitivity- so you can take photos indoors without a flash, and avoid that washed out, red-eye flash look. It has top notch image quality, is very responsive and the battery lasts forever (580 shots). They're about $340.

For under $300, you could get the Panasonic FX01. It also takes great pics, has images stabilization built in, and gives you an extra wide 28mm wide angle lens- which I find I use more than a long zoom.

enjoy your search.

Answer 2

Image quality is mostly determined by the quality of the lens. Mega-pixels 'only' determine how big you can print: 6MP and up is plenty to do full page prints.
The Sony you mentioned looks stylish, gets good reviews (http://www.steves-digicams.com/2006_reviews/t30_pg5.html) and it actually has 7 mega-pixels. The down side is that it only has 3x (optical) zoom. This is plenty for most situations, but it does make it a completely different type of camera than anything with 12x optical zoom. (Those mega-zoom cameras usually have image stabilization too, by the way.)
My advice would be to take a step back and first decide how important the zoom is. If you really like to zoom in for candids etc, despite all the good stuff of the Sony it would actually be the wrong choice.

Answer 3

First to help you with the definition of a megapixel- Digital images are made up of thousands of these tiny, tile-like picture elements. The more pixels, the higher the image resolution.

So it is better to have a camera with more megapixels if you want alot of detail.

but because both the cameras have 6 megapixels.

instead of going with the more expensive camera, you could get the cheaper one, and use a "stand" to help deal with your shakey hand problem until you get better at keeping your hand still.

hope this helps