Are more mega pixels better ?

Perhaps I should have included this in the post about 'full frame' DSLRs but I thought it worthy of it's own thread as it was a good example of why more mega pixels isn't always best.

The new Canon EOS 1DS MarkIII is a mind blowing 21MP and about £6500

I was one of those folk that subscribed to the more MP the better however having spoken to a Pro photographer friend of mine (and then seen this article) I thought it worth a mention.

Quote from the mag.....

"A benefit of having fewer megapixels is the increase space available for each pixel on the sensor. Each 'light well' (whatever they are) can collect much more light which will result in much better low light performance.

So - it's horses for courses I guess but it's nice to be told that sometimes less (cost) can be just as good for certain things.

I don't agree with the more MP the better.. There are some truly awful cameras out there that claim to be 10MP...

There are many factors to take into account when choosing a camera, and MP should just be a factor in the overall purchase...

One question to ask yourself is - how large do you want to print the end result photos?

Unless you want one to cover half your living room wall, anything over 6mp should be fine for most people...

It ain't the number of megapixels...it's the way you use them

I agree, MP is certainly not everything - it mostly affect the size you can print at.