When buying a new digital camera, what is more imprtant Mega Pixels or Zoom options ?

Question

I dont want a super expensive camera but I do need something thats actually good and reliable so, what is more importat to have more pixels or more zoom ? Also something thats antishake to avoid blurry or moved pics.. Anything good in mind or that i could go for ? and the best brands ? Sony, Nikon or Canon ?

Answer 1

You can't just isolate one specification and say that one camera is better than another. A 10 MP camera with a tiny sensor will not have as good an image as a 5 MP camera with a good sized sensor. If you have a great image, you can crop to get an effect similar to a lot of zoom, so this is also debatable. You need to just get a good camera and work with what you got.

Consumer Reports for November 2006 has ranked the Canon Powershot A620 as the best compact digital camera. It is becoming almost a legend for longevity at the top of various consumer lists. It looks like this model has been replaced by the A630, which I would expect to be just as popular. The A640 appears quite similar and shares the "600" series numbering, so I guess it's just another upgraded version of the now-classic A620. It looks pretty much the same except for baing a 10 MP camera. The continuous drive is a little slower, but the files are larger, so that's no surprise. I own a few Nikon DSLR's and I'd buy the Canon A630 or A640 for myself.

With this camera, you will find the memory card is a cute little token of thanks from Canon, but not much more. Buy a 1 GB Sandisk Ultra II or Extreme III card. You will NEED the increased capacity and write speed to fully realize the benefits of your camera.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare_post.asp?method=sidebyside&cameras=canon_a620%2Ccanon_a630%2Ccanon_a640&show=all

If you want to trim the budget a little, the Canon Powershot A430, A530 or A540, are all great choices. You will need a decent memory card, though. I'd say get at least 512 MB.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare_post.asp?method=sidebyside&cameras=canon_a430%2Ccanon_a530%2Ccanon_a540&show=all

Answer 2

Sometimes both sometimes one. Megapixels are needed for printing mainly. Example, if ou have a need for printing high quality pictures for large size then you must get a better mega pixel camera. Believe it or not, on an average a 3-4 MP camera is more than enough for a normal user. Not just for photography but also for printing an A4 size picture of a high quality. You might have observed while viewing the pics on your computer/laptop that you have to reduce the picture size by the tools provided by IE ( if you open the pics in IE) always try to view the picture in 100% view and you will get an idea if you really need that size. 5-6 MP size is for a Poster size picture.

Zoom is again optional in terms of your usage. I would go for a better zoom camera if I get a choice between these two. I know that a 3-4 MP will solve my purpose in size and quality but zoom I might need for a better picture when I am on mountains. :-)

Answer 3

Neither! A 2mp camera can outdo a 5mp camera in picture quality. The camera must be looked at as a whole system. Lens and sensor quality outweigh mere mega-pixels. Do some comparison and feature shopping by looking at www.steves-digicams.com and www.dpreview.com. Once you have an idea of what it all means go to a local store and hold the camera. Does it "feel" right, is it easy to use, is there a small shutter lag. Check out steves best camera section for some quick pointers and recommendations. You can see actual picture samples from the camera reviewed.

Answer 4

well it really depends on what you will need in the camera. with as low as 3.2 megapixels you can take a nice picture and are able to blow it up to 8x11 without making the picture look blurry. in a 4x6 picture (which is the size that everbody prints, it very rare that you blow up your picture any bigger), you can not tell the difference between a 3.2 and a 6 megapixal pic. now for the zoom, it doesn't matter, i like nature pics, or are taking a trip to africa then maybe you'll want more zoom. if you want a camera with 10x optical zoom make sure it has the image stabilizer (canon) as not not get a fuzy image. i personnally like canon camera's, they're great, lot's of different modes to play with and are a reliable cam. sony is very easy to use, and if big screen and cool look are important than go with sony.

Answer 5

There are so many different cameras on the market these days. Ideally you want to look for one that has a balance between the amount of pixels and zoom you want. Bear in mind though that zooming in is more likely to give you blurred images due to shaking. Your best option is to go to a place like Best Buy with the budget you had in mind and ask which is the best you can get for your money.

Answer 6

I would say a Canon Powershot (Model SD450 or newer), 5 or more megapixels, and at least 3X Optical Zoom. It'll cost you around $300. I have a Canon SD450 and all my friends have Canons as well. Very compact and sharp looking so you'll look cool taking pics with it.

Answer 7

important: Megapixels ! more Megapixels = higher quality of that photo.

Zoom is good to have more but ...if you go with more than 3 X optical you will need an Optical Stabilizer (ed) Lens or Image Stabilizer(ed) Image System. Otherwise you must use a tripod.

digital zoom ...ROTFL ...forget it ... is a scam ...

My choice as superzoom class: Panasonic Lumix FZ-30 = 8.1 Megapixels and for 12x optical zoom (extended optical to 15x) is using Image Stabilized Leica Lens. It is not DSLR !! but is not a point-and-shot class.

Answer 8

Megapixels. If you don't have the megaixels, the zoom isn't going to make much difference.

Answer 9

mega pixels bro the more megapixels the better the picture