Camera resolution(Megapixels)

There was a huge push a few years ago indicating the quality of a camera by the # of pixels. Today's camera's hover around 10-25Megapixels and pointless attribute unless you have very specific reasons (likely bad ones).


Know that if you generally only make 5x6 prints @ 300 DPI using a Dye-sublimation printer (not a consumer level inkjet) printer. you only need :



300dpi x 5 inches = 1500 pixels
300dpi x 7 inches = 2100 pixels.
1500x2100 pixels ~= 3.2 megapixels


This essentially means that you could leave out 70% of your picture (called crop) a standard photograph and still get a decent print.

If you never print or intend to print you can go even smaller..

Even with your fancy HDTV is 1080p resolution or a measily 1920x1080 or =~ 2 megapixels

The thing to look for is how good those pictures look, under low light, how sharp it can be, how vibrant the colors are. That is what you can pay a mint for.

One thing that your pocket/DSLR camera won't do is make the composition or how a picture is received by the eye. That is entirely up to you and takes skill.

Give a so called crappy camera to a professional photographer they can likely make the most of it. Put a poor photographer with a Lecia M8 I doubt it will help much.