What are mega pixels?

Question

I look cameras and every camera varies. From 2.0 mega pixels to 7.1. The bigger number they are, the more storage they can take without a memory card?

Answer 1

Digital cameras record pictures as millions of tiny rectangles called pixels. The cameras are described by how many million (mega) pixels they can record.

The mega-pixel count is one measure of a camera's capability. But there are many other factors, so don't judge a camera on mega-pixels alone. Lens quality, camera speed, optical zoom length, and other features are more important than MP's in getting good pics.

You are correct - the more MP's, the more memory card and hardrive space a pic will take.

More MP's let you make bigger enlargements before the pic gets distorted. For everyday photography 3 to 5 MP is plenty, unless you want to print poster size. You also need more MP's if you do a lot of "cropping" (copying out portions of pics to make new pics).

Magazine publications often require 11MP or bigger from pro photographers, so they can ensure clear enlargements.

Good Luck

Answer 2

Hi,

Digital cameras record images as a series of coloured dots. This coloured dots are called pixels.

If you had an image that was 640 pixels on one side and 480 pixels on the other you would have an image with 307,200 pixels. It would probably display OK on your screen but you wouldn't be able to print it.

Your computer screen probably has a resolution of 1,024 x 768 pixels, that's 786,432 pixels.

The word "Mega" before anything means millions, so an image the size of your screen has 0.786 Megapixels in it.

So a hypothetical camera that records images that are 3,000 by 2,000 wide would be a camera that records 6 Megapixel images, or a 6 Megapixel camera. That's all there is to it.

Of course higher megapixels means higher resolution, but once you get past 6 megapixels adding more dots won't improve quality much and will end up meaning lots more of storage space.

Take care!

Ignacio

Answer 3

Mega Pixel is the cameras resolution. Mega being million.

Mega Pixel = Million Pixles

Answer 4

pixels are the smallest point on a picture.
if you look at a picture and you zoom into it, you will see the tiny squares, those are pixels.
the more mega pixels a camera has, the better quality pictures it will take.

Answer 5

Megapixels - The Big Picture
What does 3.2, 4.0, or 5.1 megapixels mean? The answer is that for most people, it doesn't mean much of anything. The average person will seldom make a print larger than an 8x10, and every camera above 3MP can do that; all you really gain from those extra megapixels is a little flexability.
If you were printing 4x6 photos the difference between a 3MP camera and a 6MP one is that you can hit the zoom button 2 to 3 more times with the 6MP. However if you are printing an 8x10 the difference is a little more dramatic but still not really substantial since you can hit the zoom button about another 4 to 5 times with the 6MP over that of a 3MP. To show you better I have make a little chart that shows you the resolution for 3-8MP cameras and how much you can crop from each one and still make popular print sizes.

3 Megapixel (Resolution 2048x1536 Ratio 3:4)

* 8x10 - You can crop off up to 23% and still get a photo quality image

* 5x7 - You can crop off up to 49% and still get a photo quality image

* 4x6 - You can crop off up to 57% and still get a photo quality image


4 Megapixel (Resolution 2240x1680 Ratio 3:4 )

* 11x14 - Can make a photo quality picture if little or no cropping is used

* 8x10 - You can crop off up to 28% and still get a photo quality image

* 5x7 - You can crop off up to 53% and still get a photo quality image

* 4x6 - You can crop off up tot 60% and still get a photo quality image


5 Megapixel (Resolution 2560x1920 Ratio 3:4)

* 11x14 - You can crop off up to 15% and still get a photo quality image

* 8x10 - You can crop off up to 38% and still get a photo quality image

* 5x7 - You can crop off up to 59% and still get a photo quality image

* 4x6 - You can crop off up to 65% and still get a photo quality image


6 Megapixel (Resolution 3032x2008 Ratio 2:3)

* 11x14 - You can crop off up to 18% and still get a photo quality image

* 8x10 - You can crop off up to 41% and still get a photo quality image

* 5x7 - You can crop off up to 63% and still get a photo quality image

* 4x6 - You can crop off up to 70% and still get a photo quality image


7 Megapixel (Resolution 3072x2304 Ratio 3:4)

* 11x14 - You can crop off up to 29% and still get a photo quality image

* 8x10 - You can crop off up to 48% and still get a photo quality image

* 5x7 - You can crop off up to 64% and still get a photo quality image

* 4x6 - You can crop off up to 71% and still get a photo quality image


8 Megapixel (Resolution 3264x2448 Ratio 3:4)

* Can make a photo quality 16x20 print if little or no cropping is used

* 11x14 - You can crop off up to 33% and still get a photo quality image

* 8x10 - You can crop off up to 51% and still get a photo quality image

* 5x7 - You can crop off up to 68% and still get a photo quality image

* 4x6 - You can crop off up to 72% and still get a photo quality image

(I define "photo quality image as 170 dpi or dots per inch, some say you can go as lot as 130 and get a good image, and pros usually want 300 dpi+)

Answer 6

This site looks like it explains it way better than I :
http://www.ransen.com/Articles/MegaPixels/default.htm

Answer 7

im not sure exactly what they are but i know that they determine how good your photos look(how clear they are) and print