Have you noticed that new digital cameras seem to come with an ever-increasing number of megapixels? These are the image elements (pixels) that make up the image and are a function of the sensor technology within that particular camera. The question is whether bigger is always better. Should I always choose the camera with the highest number of megapixels or is there a reason to have a camera with a lot less megapixels?

The arguments in favor of having the maximum number of megapixels you can get are:

1. The image will be as sharp as possible. The more pixels, the sharper the image will be.

2. It will be possible to enlarge the image to a larger size before the pixels become visible to the naked eye. The maximum size this will occur will depend on the number of pixels in the image. Generally, the higher the number of pixels, the larger the size of the photo that can be viewed or printed.

3. If you plan to crop the image and then print or view it at its original size without cropping, you may need to have a lot of pixels; otherwise, the same effect as in 2 above will come into play.

The arguments against going for the maximum megapixels are:

1. The cameras with the most megapixels are usually more expensive and are usually the latest models. Cameras that have been around for a while will get cheaper as they are outperformed by the latest models. Special offers can make them even cheaper.

2. The more megapixels you have, the larger the photo file size will be. This means that if you have a lot of photos, you will need a lot of disk space on your computer if you store all your images there. If you display photos in a digital photo frame, you can display fewer photos if the image size is larger. If you normally just print photos without storing them, then the size in megapixels doesn’t matter.

3. There is no point in paying more for unnecessary image quality. If you only print photos or life photos in normal size, then you don’t need to pay more for a higher resolution image that you don’t see or use.

So, it’s your choice. It all depends on what you use the photos for. If it’s always going to be vacation snaps, then a smaller megapixel rating might be fine for you. If you’re a budding professional photographer or regularly enlarging your pictures to hang on the wall, you’ll need as many megapixels as you can get.