Resolution (Megapixels)technical
How many pixels the sensor records — more allows bigger prints and heavier cropping, not better low-light.
Megapixels set how much detail and how large you can print or crop. But more megapixels on the same sensor size means smaller pixels, which can mean slightly more noise — so MP is not the same as image quality. For most people 20–30MP is plenty; high-res (45MP+) helps landscape and studio shooters who crop or print large.
Use this when
- Big prints, heavy cropping: high resolution helps
- Low light, general use: sensor size matters more than MP
Common mistake: Choosing a camera on megapixels alone, ignoring sensor size and lenses.