The amount of megapixels in your camera

[Andy67]

Hi ya, I've recently bought a camera and it's a 6 mega pixel one, but does it really matter how many megapixels your camera has if your just printing out regular 6x4 photo's!? I thought it was only beneficial to have a high megapixel camera if you are blowing pictures up to poster size.

thanks

[deckcadet]

you're correct. In fact, having a high-MP camera with a small sensor like on a point and shoot can make large amounts of noise a problem.

[another view]

I usually make small prints at 300dpi, so that would work out to 1800 x 1200 pixels, which equals 2.16mp (it's just math). I standardize on 300dpi because my cameras (like most) have the resolution to do that. With higher resolution cameras, you'll usually get more features - so even if you only need a 2mp camera you might wind up with a 6 or 8mp camera to get what you want.

Too much resolution is rarely a bad thing but it will fill your memory cards faster. It's been discussed here before, but pixels ain't necessarily pixels. A physically larger sensor with the same resolution will give you a cleaner image. My 5mp compact is nothing in comparison to my 6mp DSLR in less than perfect conditions.