Megapixel Myth

Digital camera makers wants you to believe that the higher the megapixel the better the pictures. I have always thought the logic was just a way getting consumers to waste their hard earned money for something they don't need. Finally, David Pogue of New York Times debunked the megapixel myth.

"It’s a big fat lie. The camera companies and camera stores all know it, but they continue to exploit our misunderstanding. Advertisements declare a camera’s megapixel rating as though it’s a letter grade, implying that a 7-megapixel model is necessarily better than a 5-megapixel model."

Although I am not a professional photographer, I have taken a ton of photos in the past years. I have taken photos at high resolutions and low resolutions. I've found that 3 megapixels is sufficient for most consumers. Why? More megapixels means more memory. At 3 megapixels, the images have the quality for print sizes for the most of us, and the images do not eat up the memory as fast. What matters the most in terms of picture quality depends on the lens and sensor of a camera. Don't be fooled by the megapixel myth. Spend the money on a good lens, high optical zoom, sensor, and accessories such as a tri-pod, spare batteries. In 2005, I wrote a guide on digital photography. My camera purchasing guide still stands in today's super high megapixel market! It simply shows that camera makers are all cheating the consumers by hyping up the megapixel myth.