Okay, so you’re thinking about buying a new digital SLR camera, but you’re not quite sure about this whole megapiels thing. You’ve heard that more megapixels is better, but you’re not quite sure why, and you want to know how many megapixels you really need.

First of all, let’s just get one things straight. The number of megapixels a digital camera has is probably one of the least important factors in what makes a digital camera good. Yes, megapixels are important, but not quite as important as we’ve been led to believe by digital camera retailers.

The number of megapixels defines how large you can blow your printed image up to. Unless you are planning to shoot for large outdoor poster adverts next to busy city main roads, you’re unlikely to need anything bigger than about 6 megapixels.

So, if you’re planning to shoot for magazines, newspapers, weddings, portraits, or even just for your own fun, then you do not need the latest 12 megapixel camera. Those extra pixels will just be wasted.