is 5.0 megapixels good for a digital camera?

Answer 1

I think everyone has given you pretty much good answers. I like the point that rando makes. If you are on a budget, do NOT hesitate to buy a 5 MP camera for fear that you would be wasting your money. You might not be able to do everything you want with the camera, but you will certainly be able to get great pictures 98% of the time.

If you always plan to compose your pictures perfectly, you don't need a whole lot of pixels. These days, I'd say that 5 MP or even 4 MP is fine for the average snapshooter and this can be obtained without unreasonable expense. If you want to allow for cropping, which means enlarging only a portion of your image, the more pixels the better.

Imagine taking a scenic view and then noticing that the middle 20% of the photo would make an even better picture. Suppose you take a picture of a whole group of people and Aunt Clara really, really looks great in the picture, but everyone else looks lousy. If you have the pixels to work with, you can still make a decent print of Aunt Clara that she would be happy to have. If you buy an 8-to-10 MP camera and don't want to TAKE large photos, you can always set the camera to a lower file size. You can never go the other direction, though.

Unless the cost is a major issue, buy the camera with more pixels. You will never be sorry that you did, but you might one day be sorry that you didn't.

Having said all that, though, pixels are not the only measure of image quality. The sensor size is important as well as the image processing softare included in the camera. You need to read reviews if you want a critical understanding of image quality for particular cameras. Try http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/ for more information on the cameras you are considering.

Answer 2

I would think so, if you're not planning to blow up your pictures much beyond 11X14". Professionals get off on bragging about how much they have, like "I've got 10 megapixels" and his friend says "That's nothing. I've got 11". At that level, who cares? You're paying big bucks for miniscule improvement at, say, 4X5 feet.. I have a 4 meg camera which does me fine; If you have any questions, go to a photo store, borrow a 5 megapixel camera, take a picture out the window of the shop (it doesn't have to be of anything special, but make sure it has sharp lines, e.g., side of a car against the pavement.) Then take the memory card out of the camera and ask them to print a picture of what's on the card at the MAXIMUM size you're ever going to blow your picture up to, then add one size to the picture. Look at the picture. Is it OK; is the edge of the car-pavement interface sharp and clear enough for you, or is it slightly blurry. Can you live with it? If so, pay for the picture, and you've got your answer. If not, try the next camera up, say a 7 megapixel. Do it again. At some point, you'll say that's good enough. There's your answer. (At least you don't have to wait for the film to get back for your answer; you have it right there. And it's cheap enough for about $5 max to be sure you're happy.) Least, that's what I'd do.

Answer 3

If you're on a budget, get a 5 mp camera with the features you want, rather than a 7+ mp camera with fewer features.
I differ with Dr Dave on the size of picture you can get with 5 mp: 11X14 is really stretching it, but it is possible if your focus is just right, but a 5 mp will give you a decent 8X10.

Answer 4

Depends who you ask. There is a 39 megapixel medium format digital camera out there. I thought my 16.7 1Ds was good!

Answer 5

Yes, it's alright. It will take decent pictures in various sizes, however you would need more megapixels (at least 7) to make high resolution poster-sized photos.

Answer 6

I've seen cobra snakes and drank Cobra energy drinks but I've never heard of a Cobra camera before. My bet is it will take decent shots only under the sun if you know exactly what to do with it.

Answer 7

That is a very good resolution for most practical applications. It is enough that you can edit the photos in almost any good editor to achieve various effects i you want.

More pixels are good if and only if you have the memory and software to make use of them.

Answer 8

It depends on how big you want the pictures to be. For a normal 4 x 6 inch photo, that's more than enough. But if you want to make a poster, then it's not enough.

Answer 9

Yes, unless you plan on blowing photos up more than 8 x 10, 5 mpix should be just fine.

Answer 10

really good actually. i have one with 4 and its great so im betting so is 5