All articles copyright 2007 Jeff Coleman
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Can too many megapixels be a bad thing?
Yes too many megapixels can be a very bad thing. As pixel numbers go up every year, the size of the sensor where those pixels reside stays the same. The only way manufacturers can accomplish this is by making each pixel smaller. Smaller pixels collect less light information, which results in grainy images. My very first digital camera was a 2.4 megapixel Canon A40. It produced very smooth grain free images. Recently I won a 6 megapixel point and shoot camera at an x-mas party. The images it produced were noticeably ugly compared to my old 2.4 megapixel camera. I personally would not buy a point and shoot camera with a megapixel count over 4MB. The sensor on these cameras is the size of a small fingernail.
Another problem with more megapixels is the sheer size of the files. If you shoot a lot, you're going to need a lot of storage space. It also takes longer to open big files. Basically you're whole work flow slows down. Camera manufacturers don't want you to know this but 6 megapixel files are all anybody needs. I've produced huge 30" x 40" prints with a 6 megapixel file and they looked great.
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