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We've all seen the ads over the years. “Now with 3 megapixels!” “Now with 5 megapixels!” “Now with 8 megapixels!” “Now with 12 megapixels!”

More is better. Right?... Sometimes.

More megapixels definitely gives you bigger image quantity not necessarily better image quality.

More pixels can give you better image quality, if they're implemented right. And you'd think that big names like Nikon and Canon would do it right, wouldn't you? Not necessarily.

While digital SLR cameras have generally led the way in the megapixel race, compact digitals haven't been far behind. So what's wrong with that? Well, it's not so much how many megapixels there are, it's what sort of area they're squashed into.

Every digital camera contains a “sensor”. This is the device that turns the light that enters the camera into electrical impulses that the camera turns into the final photo.

Compact digital cameras use sensors that are tiny when compared to the sensors in digital SLR cameras. That's the problem! What may be a great megapixel count for a digital SLR may be too much for a digital compact.

Bigger sensors capture more light and create stronger, cleaner signals. This leads to less “image noise”. This means better photos.

Smaller sensors capture less light and create weaker, more error-prone signals. This leads to more “image noise”. This means worse photos.

The figure below shows the relative sizes of the sensors in DLRS when compared to compact cameras.

So why don't camera manufacturers always use the biggest possible sensors? For one, cost. The smaller a sensor is the less it costs to produce. Also, camera size. It's much easier to fit a small sensor into a small camera.

And why do they continue to cram more and more pixels into smaller and smaller sensors? A mixture of decisions from the accounting and marketing divisions.

So is this purely driven by big profit-hungry multinational companies? Are we, as consumers, entirely blameless in this? Not quite. Manufacturers have had to come out with cameras that are truly pocket-sized in the last few years to fit in with our idea of how small a compact digital camera should be. You can't fit a huge sensor in a tiny camera. It's actually even quite difficult to fit a medium sized sensor in a tiny camera.

Also, consumers have generally moved towards more affordable cameras as they have become available. To fit in with this trend manufacturers have been cutting costs where possible, including using smaller sensors.

So how does this affect you, the photographer? Are there any cameras that have the right megapixel/sensor size ratio? Yes. All the digital SLRs on the market today use a sensor that is much larger than the biggest sensor used in a current compact digitals. So just buy purchasing a digital SLR you will be assured that you are getting at least a “good” megapixel/sensor size ratio.

But what if you want a compact? Have they all gone too far with squashing in too many pixels onto tiny sensors? Thankfully, no. There are quite a few cameras available that have the right mix of technology to create stunning photographs for you.

Also, not all sensor designs are made equal. Some manufacturers use sensor designs that vary greatly in their quality of output, even when they contain the same number of pixels.

So, to sum up, the megapixel rating of a camera tells you the quantity of pixels produced it does not tell you the quality of pixels produced. The quality of pixels produced is influenced by a number of other factors.

Drop into Kirk's and have a chat with one of our friendly staff about the right camera for your needs.