What is a megapixel?

Pixels Digital cameras capture images as pixel elements, known as pixels. Simply put, a megapixel is equal to one million pixels.

Digital images are made up of thousands of these tiny, tile-like picture elements. The more pixels, the higher the image resolution.

Resolution relates primarily to print size and the amount of detail an image has when viewed on a computer monitor at 100%.

Elements of picture quality

The number of megapixels is only one aspect relating to the quality of a camera, or the actual quality of a photo it is capable of producing. Factors such as camera sensor and the optical quality of a lens play equally important roles.

Besides the sensor and lens, other elements determine the quality of photos and prints. They include:

Good lighting of a subject
Proper focus
Image clarity (lack of blur due to camera shake or incorrect shutter speed)
Shooting at the highest resolution and quality camera setting

Photo was taken with a 1.4 megapixel camera. The resolution is more than adequate for printing a 4x6" print. Click to enlarge.

Photo was taken with a 1.4 megapixel camera. The resolution is suitable for a 4x6" print. Click to enlarge.

If you buy a digital camera with too few megapixels for your printing and editing needs, resulting prints will become degraded. A photo made into a large sized print from a camera with a low megapixel count will look fuzzy, or pixelated. So will a digital image that is cropped too much.

Viewing images at 100%

A mistake many people make it judging the quality of an image when viewing it at 100% on a computer monitor. The image will not appear tack sharp. However, when reduced in size for displaying online or printing, a quality image will look just fine.

Determining the number of megapixels

Deciding the number of megapixels you need does not have to be confusing. Don’t let a salesperson push you to buy a digital camera simply because of its high megapixel count. Besides, buying a camera with an average megapixel count can save you money.

Before purchasing, keep the following in mind:

the maximum print size you plan to make
if you do a significant amount of cropping when editing

Minimum megapixels for quality prints:*

Max Print Size	Minimum MP	Resolution
4 x 6″	2 megapixels	1600 x 1200
5 x 7″	3 megapixels	2048 x 1536
8 x1 0″	5 megapixels	2560 x 1920
11 x 14″	6 megapixels	2816 x 2112
16 x 20″	8+ megapixels	3264 x 2468

* Unless you buy a used digital camera, it’s near impossible to find one today with a megapixel count of under five or six megapixels.

Article tags

Image quality, Pixels, Print size

On 11 May 2009 at 3:03 pm Elizabeth Sloan said:

I am new at using a computer, and only bought it for the purpose of printing pictures to put on Tshirts. However the cd which came with my camera is suppose to fit any standard pc cd rom drive. It does not. It slides out and the door opens back up. Therefore preventing me from down loading. can you please help?

On 11 May 2009 at 4:24 pm Gail Bjork said:

If other CDs work in your CD slot, then you can assume it’s not a hardware issue.

Is the CD software it compatible with your Operating System? If not, go to the manufactures website and see if you can download a compatible version of the software there. If that doesn’t work, call the camera manufacturer tech support and ask what they recommend. If you’d like to give us more specifics (camera brand, computer brand, OS) we may be able to provide more help. However, please make inquiries of this type in our Q&A Forum. Hope it all works out!

On 15 May 2009 at 10:37 am Discontent with Digital Cameras | LEHSYS said:

[...] interest in the camera products, but honestly I can’t see why anyone needs anything over 10 MP. If you get a proper zoom lens, you don’t need the [...]

On 20 June 2009 at 2:58 am Adnan said:

so which factor should we consider in buying a digital camera for home use. first thing written above that no. of megapixel should be considered but not only this. then what are the another things.

On 20 June 2009 at 6:50 am Gail Bjork said:

Adam, Take a look at the features section in our Buying Guide. It lists minimum features and desirable features for both compact and digital single lens reflex cameras. You’ll find our Choosing a digital camera chart helpful too. We feature cameras and informative user reviews in our Amazon Shop.

On 18 August 2009 at 8:08 am Julie said:

My question is that I am a beginner in taking pictures but want a camera that when I zoom in doesn’t get grainy. Ex: if I take a picture of mountains and want to zoom in on a certain part of that mountains I will zoom in and take but when I get it home and put onto computer to print it’s grainy. I want to zoom into something and take the picture and it come out perfect on computer as if I was still there. They say that the higher the pixel is not necessary is this true? I have looked online at ones that have 15.1 MP, 12.9MP and 13.1MP. Any advise as to which one knowing that I am a beginner in photography?

On 18 August 2009 at 9:39 am Gail Bjork said:

Elizabeth, without seeing sample images, my guess is that you may be using a digital zoom. That will cause images to degrade. Does your camera have both optical and digital zoom? If so, you should primarily use your optical zoom. One of the first things I do when getting a new camera, is shut off the digital zoom setting. If you’re in the market for a new camera, you may also want to consider getting one with a longer focal length so you can get in closer to the subject or a distant scene.

On 11 October 2009 at 9:46 pm What do CMOS and CCD mean? | Information on Communication Devices said:

[...] is the relationship between megapixels and an image [...]

On 10 December 2009 at 9:45 am Dagens näpna + mobilfoto… « Sam Zodiac’s Blog II said:

[...] T o m min nyligen på Tradera inköpta Sony Ericsson K850i, slår den med hästlängder med sin 5 megapixels bildupplösning. iPhone kan bara stoltsera med 3 megapixel. Skumt, va..? Annars är jag ju en [...]

On 5 January 2010 at 1:19 am SM JHA said:

If i know the size of a photograph can i know the megapixel of that photo. Please let me know the formulae for calculating the megapixel

On 5 January 2010 at 11:03 pm Gail Bjork said:

If I understand you correctly, if you have a program such as Photoshop or Adobe Elements, open an image and check the image size (Image menu > Image Size). It will tell you the number of pixels for width and height (pixel dimensions). You can change the pixel dimensions via that dialog box too. Also, if you right-click an image and select Properties, then click the Details tab, it will tell you the pixel dimensions (this is for a PC, not sure if it’s done the same way on a Mac).

On 27 March 2010 at 11:17 pm claudia said:

i am really interested in taking pictures and i want to buy a new really good quality digital camera. but i am confuesd about how many megapixles i will need to make my pictures look great. but i dont want to spend to much money. what size megapixel would be perfect for my needs?

On 28 March 2010 at 7:44 am Gail Bjork said:

Most new digital cameras come with 10-14 megapixels, more than the average photographer needs. So it’s more important that you find a camer with the features you need, than choosing a camera because of the number of megapixels.

There are two main reason why more megapixels are desirable:

If you make very large prints of your photos
If you do a lot of cropping when editing.

Here is some related information about the suggested number of megapixels: Megapixels and print size

We have some featured digital cameras in our Amazon store. Get a camera based on the features you want and don’t be overly concerned about the number of megapixels.

On 15 August 2010 at 11:34 pm William said:

Useful i didn’t knew that Megapixels are for resolution. not only for Quality! thank you!

On 22 August 2010 at 2:19 am santhoshgv said:

thanx man..found your article very helpful..

On 2 September 2010 at 1:40 am Tammy said:

First of all, thanks. I found your article very helpful. I’m new to photography and I’ve been doing a lot of research into entry level DSLR’s. I’m going to be purchasing one very soon and I need to make every dollar count. I’ve narrowed my choices down to two: the Nikon D5000 with a 12.9 megapixel count and the Canon EOS Rebel T1i with a 15 megapixel count. I have to admit I was at first seduced by the higher megapixels on the Canon however after doing some more research I am now thinking the Nikon might be better. Because of all of the features it has that the Canon doesn’t, and because of the swiveling LCD for taking shots at odd angles. (I’m taking a filmmaking class right now and I really appreciate the swiveling LCD on my HD video camera. But I don’t know if it is a neccessity for still shots.) What are your thoughts? I’m an amateur looking to move into professional work with weddings, birthday parties, fashion, food, products, and some print/online editorial if I can get the work. I do anticipate producing larger prints, particularly with wedding portraits. Of those two which would you suggest? Or would you advise something different altoghther?

On 2 September 2010 at 8:39 am Gail Bjork said:

Tammy, either camera you mention would be a fine choice. Both Nikon and Canon cameras have excellent image quality. Get the one that has the features you want most, such as the swivel LCD. Remember, when you buy a DSLR you buy into a system. Many DSLR accessories for one camera usually can’t be used on another brand. Lenses are expensive so chose carefully the types you will need for your shooting style.

On 2 September 2010 at 11:19 pm xy said:

thanks for your article
i was thinking of buying a dsrl.. but i dunno whether canon 550D or 500D would be a better choice? how to choose a dsrl that suits you?

On 2 September 2010 at 11:42 pm Gail Bjork said:

Either camera is a fine choice, xy. Choose based on the features you’ll use most….and that you can afford. Since you’re buying into a system, take a look at the lenses available (and prices) and determine which manufacturer has the lenses that will best suit your needs. You may find these series of articles helpful as to what features to look for.