# How many megapixels do I need?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-megapixels-do-i-need/127890>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 11, 2002, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-megapixels-do-i-need/127890 "2002-09-11T01:14:38Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\
**Post date:** [September 11, 2002, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-megapixels-do-i-need/127890/1 "2002-09-11T01:14:38Z")

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I’m about to buy a digital camera. Different reviews say different things, but all I basically want is good clear resolution for snapshot size prints and my web page. Do I really need more than 2.0 megapixels?

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**Author:** ![hazel-rah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/73ab20/32.png) [@hazel-rah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hazel-rah)\
**Post date:** [September 11, 2002, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-megapixels-do-i-need/127890/2 "2002-09-11T01:23:36Z")

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No, a 2 megapixel digicam should be fine for printing pictures for the web and photos up to 4" x 6". But image quality is not just a function of megapixels… visit some digital camera review sites for image quality comparisons that go beyond megapixels before you buy.

-fh

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**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\
**Post date:** [September 11, 2002, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-megapixels-do-i-need/127890/3 "2002-09-11T01:47:08Z")

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Look at the sample photos from review sites like[Steve’s Digicams](http://www.steves-digicams.com/), [Imaging Resource](http://www.imaging-resource.com/) and decide for yourself. Also remember that pixel count is not the only factor that determines image quality. Lens quality, quality of the image processing/compression, exposure control, etc. all influence image quality.

Personally, if I display the image full-screen, the images from my 2-megapixel camera (Olympus 2100) look noticeably more grainy and less sharp than those from my 3 megapixel camera (Canon G1). But for small prints and web pages I find the 2-megapix camera to be adequate.

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**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\
**Post date:** [September 11, 2002, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-megapixels-do-i-need/127890/4 "2002-09-11T02:41:21Z")

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I agree, different cameras will produce a variety of results. But as a general rule, 2 MP will give you quite good 5x7 prints, 3 MP will be good up to 8x10. Any decent 1+ MP camera is good enough for basic web images.