If you are searching for the best digital camera to buy in the market right now, then you are in for a long selection process. There are just so many different brands and makes of digital cameras that choosing amongst the many can prove to be a very tedious process.

Plus, there is also the fact of mega pixels. It cannot be denied that mega pixels are indeed one of the deciding factors in choosing which digital camera to buy. And you constantly hear that the higher the mega pixels of cameras go, the better the quality of the pictures they take. But is this really true? Do you really need a 7 mega pixel camera to begin with? There are actually a number of things to consider here.

First off, you should consider just what you need your digital camera for. If you want to get a digital camera just to take pictures of the usual birthday party or summer outing, then you do not really need to get a 7 mega pixel camera. You can easily get pictures of great quality with a camera at 2 or 3 mega pixels. Of course, there are other factors to consider, including resolution, digital noise, and such. And there may be times when 2 or 3 mega pixel cameras give you soft images. This means that the images are not as vivid and as clear as you would want them to be. If you are not satisfied with the quality of these pictures, then you might want to consider getting a 5 mega pixel camera. For pictures of regular size, a 5 mega pixel camera can easily give you optimum quality for these images. And with higher mega pixels for this camera, you can then take pictures that are larger in size as well.

Of course, 7 mega pixel cameras can give you sharper and even larger images. You can actually get 8x10 images at optimum quality with 7 mega pixel cameras. These images are very sharp, and you will surely be amazed by the resolution these come with. What’s more, 7 mega pixel cameras also come with so many features, such as optical zoom, auto-focus, and lots more.

The question on how many mega pixels you really need is still unanswered. You can actually use this formula in determining the number of mega pixels you should get for your digital camera: print width x 300 x print length x 300. With this formula, for the print size of 4 x 6, the number of mega pixels should then be 2.2 For 5 x 7 prints, a 3.2 mega pixel camera is needed. And for 8 x 10 prints, then a 7.2 mega pixel camera is very handy. Now, these prints are large in size already. The common bond paper comes in 8 x 11 inches, so these prints can actually be that big! And if you have plans of cropping your pictures in whatever style and design you like, then you should go for the larger mega pixels.

So, it would all boil down to how you plan to use your digital camera when it comes to choosing the number of pixels to get. If you plan to take picture of landscapes, then you should go for more mega pixels so that you can get a wider panoramic view of your subject. But if you are just getting a digital camera to take pictures of ordinary events and such, then you can get one within the lower range of pixels. Another thing to consider when buying a digital camera is, of course, your budget. Stay within your allotted budget because you would be the one paying off a large debt in the end. Thus, you have to find that fine line between practical and extravagant.