While most people are trying to buy a camera with the highest number of megapixels, that is not necessarily the best way to select a digital camera. There is another issue to consider when selecting a good camera. You should also find out how big the CCD chip is. The CCD (charge-coupled device) is the chip that turns the image received by the camera into a digital picture. The larger the CCD the more detailed and crisp the picture produced.

As far as megapixels go unless you plan to produce prints larger than 8 X 10 inches in size, you don’t need more than 4 megapixels. The CCD used in most digital cameras in only 5.3mm X 4mm, sometimes listed as (1/2.7 in.). High end digital cameras like the digital SLRs usually have a CCD that is 18mm X 13.5mm. The problem is that many digital cameras don't include information about the size of the CCD. Before buying you should research any camera to find out the size of the CCD. By knowing both the size of the CCD and the resolution in megapixels, you will be much happier with your purchase.

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