What is megapixel? - Definition from Whatis.com

A megapixel (that is, a million pixels) is a unit of image sensing capacity in a digital camera. (A pixel - a word invented from "picture element" - is the basic unit of programmable color on a computer display or in a computer image.) In general, the more megapixels in a camera, the better the resolution when printing an image in a given size. A digital camera with a 1.3 megapixel resolution will print a good quality 4 x 3 inch print at 300 dpi (dots per inch). If a higher quality is needed or a larger print at the same quality, a camera with a higher megapixel value will be needed.

The number of images that can be stored in a given size of flash memory for the camera is determined by the size of the flash memory and the size of each image in terms of megapixels.

This was last updated in July 2004

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