Digital Camera Fiend - A Camera Review

The Megapixel Myth is one of the great marketing ploys of our time. Many consumers are convinced that the more megapixels a camera has, the better the pictures.

In the words of NY Times tech writer David Pogue: “It’s a big fat lie.”

Digital camera manufacturers know that the general public believes this myth. They propogate it because it sells more cameras. They can get away with upgrading their point-and-shoot cameras to a higher megapixel count and charging the consumer more.

It’s nothing more than “a profit-driven hype to make you pay to much,” according to professional photographer Ken Rockwell.

A megapixel is one million tiny colored dots in a photo. A few years ago, 3.2 megapixels was standard for an average compact camera. Now, anything less than 7 seems obsolete. But is it?

Pogue tested the Megapixel Myth on a Discovery Channel TV Series called, “It’s all Geek to Me.” He created three versions of the same photo: one was 5 megapixels, one was 8 megapixels, and one was 13 megapixels.

He then asked a marquis New York graphic imaging company to print each one at postersize: 16 by 24 inches.

The photos were mounted on a wall in Union Square in Manhatten and Pogue set to work, asking passers-by if they could see any difference. More than 200 people were polled, and only ONE person correctly guessed which was the low resolution picture.

Pogue’s conclusion: “For the non-professional, five or six megapixels is plenty, even if you intend to make postersize prints.”

It’s a disappointing conclusion for many who rely on the megapixel number as a sort of letter grade for a camera. The best bet is to pay more attention to a camera’s lens, circuitry, and sensor.