After a few years with the same camera, many people start to think that maybe there must be something new and better out there to purchase. My first digital camera - purchased about 1991 - had 3 megapixels. I gave that one to my husband because I wanted one I could put in my pocket. He is still very happy with it, especially as it takes great inside pictures with very true colors. The fewer megapixels are perfect for uploading pictures to newsletters, ebay or craig's list too. I miss its optical viewfinder and great closeups.
The myth that a 14 megapixel camera takes better pictures than a 6 megapixel is just that - a myth perpetrated by manufacturers so you will buy a new camera. A 6 mp camera will allow a picture to be enlarged to 20X30 and provide plenty of pixels for cropping too. It is actually the quality of the sensor and the size of the individual megapixel that gives a better picture, but this interaction of sensor and mp can't be quantified. Cramming tiny megapixels onto a small sensor actually results in a less pleasing picture. That is why people are often disappointed in a new camera purchase and will say a previous camera, with fewer mps, actually produced better pictures. You will find used cameras models with 6-8 mps are hot sellers on ebay or amazon because picture quality is more important than a built in gps or high def. movie recording for most of us. If you have a 12 or 14 mp camera, try adjusting the picture size setting to take pictures at 8mp. You will save space on your storage card, have better luck uploading to photo sites, and be able to share photos through email again. You might even get better pictures! The following pics were travel scenes (Bryce National Park and an Alaskan Glacier) taken with my 3.2mp Olympus.
