Digital Cameras

Ok folks, it's time for me to attempt to clear up the mud filled waters in the world of camera shopping. If you've ever even looked at a camera on display or online in the last 4 years, you've heard the buzzword "Megapixel" thrown at you at least a dozen times. Don't be fooled, it's not a measurement of quality, but *quantity. *It's not as simple as how many pictures the camera can store, but actually how much info is stored in each picture. *If you have a nice lens* on the camera, having more megapixels will mean a more detailed picture. So how do you know if it's a nice lens? Easy. Manufacturers call this part Optical Zoom, which on digital cameras is measured by how much it can magnify the image coming in. For example, a 2x optical zoom means that it can magnify the image twice as large as normal. I've come up with a simple little gauge to evaluate cameras, it's pretty easy to remember: Add the Optical Zoom to the Megapixels, save that number. Multiply the same two numbers, and take the average of this answer and your first answer.

Now what does this all mean? If you get a result that's less than 16, this camera is good for those of us who are happy with the pictures you get from those one-time-use cameras you see in the check out lines. If the number you end up with is between 16 and 25, this is a camera that's probably good for those of us who like a sharper picture, and might like to hang up a few around the house. Results greater than 25 are not likely to disappoint anyone looking for great quality from a consumer grade camera. If you're looking for a professional grade camera, chances are you've already got better resources guiding you than this little equation.