how many megapixels do I need?

[Sylvester McBean]

I've got a sony 3.2 MP and it does a pretty good job. I use photoshop to clean the pics up and they look pretty good. we usually just print out 4X6's, but we've done printed some 8X10's and they still look pretty good. we've taken over 7,000 pics with this camera, but I've dropped it numerous times and it's getting beat up. any suggestions for a basic snapshot kind of family?

 

[Kelly Grannell]

It's not only about the MP. You can use an 8MP camera but if you use a bad lens (or it comes with a bad lens) then the picture quality will be awful.

Look at Kodak P880 vs Canon S2 IS
Kodak: 8MP Canon: 6MP
colour rendition: Canon is more accurate (but if you like the overly saturated look, go with kodak)
ISO noise: Canon is far cleaner than the Kodak.

For basic snapshot? IMHO, get a Kodak, it's point and shoot and forget about anything else. If you want better quality picture and room to go, there are a lot of far better options out there for the same amount of dollars.

Here I go donning my anti-flame suit on... again.

 

[Sylvester McBean]

thank you. I've always been a sony kind of person on all personal electronics. I've heard a 5.0 sony with a zeiss lens is all you need. I'm looking for the cleanest picture I can get, they may just be snapshots, but they're very important to me. but I don't want to overbuy. I don't use the effects like sepia, mosaic, etc. I'm just looking for a solid family camera with a quick recycle time and a great picture. thanks.

 

[Kelly Grannell]

may I recommend Canon S3 IS, guaranteed cleanest picture for the money? but then again I'm not a Sony person (nothing wrong with it, but I'm a function over style kind a gal)

 

[Sylvester McBean]

may I recommend Canon S3 IS, guaranteed cleanest picture for the money? but then again I'm not a Sony person (nothing wrong with it, but I'm a function over style kind a gal)

I'll check it out.

 

[mhutchinson]

For most shooting as you have found, the 3.x megapixel will work just fine (all I used until last year). If you are looking for a newer camera, I wouldn't get less than a 5 as it will allow you to crop your photos down and still be able to print very nice 5X7 or 8X10 prints. Another factor to consider is the lens quality, image stability, and the optical zoom range. These will also help with the images you produce.

Not that this is also a deciding factor, but if you have a fair investment in memory cards (sticks), you might want too weigh that in as well (although memory prices have been falling quickly). There are many good options out there these days, take your time to visit sites that specialize in reviewing the cameras you are interested in. Download some of the sample pictures to give you a chance to see what the camera has for both strengths and weaknesses. A good site for quick recommendations is:

http://www.dcresource.com/buyersguide/index.shtml

you can also get really good indepth information from

http://www.dpreview.com/

Good luck.

Mike

 

[manning]

You don't need anything over 5mp for 8x10.

 

[AlmostApril]

thank you. I've always been a sony kind of person on all personal electronics. I've heard a 5.0 sony with a zeiss lens is all you need. I'm looking for the cleanest picture I can get, they may just be snapshots, but they're very important to me. but I don't want to overbuy. I don't use the effects like sepia, mosaic, etc. I'm just looking for a solid family camera with a quick recycle time and a great picture. thanks.

This is what I have. It's awesome!

Sony Cybershot 7megapixel

This is a good article about megapixels:
http://www.popphoto.com/article.asp?print_page=y&section_id=4&article_id=598&page_number=1&preview=