Tell me about Mega Pixels...please see below?

I am looking for a digital camera that takes good pics of my kids and hubby. I have found ones that are 8 mega pixels for the same price as ones that are 5 mega pixels. Is the one with 8 the better deal or are they skimping on something else to make such a deal?

For most common print sizes (i.e. prints up to 8" x 10" in size), the difference between a 5 mp and 8 mp camera cannot be seen.

However, there are other considerations besides megapixels in delivering a quality image.

Features like image stabilization, low noise at high ISO senstitivity, or a longer zoom can be far more important. In fact, I'd rather have a 5mp camera with image stabilization and a longer zoom than an 8mp camera without image stabilization and a shorter zoom.

In other words, compare features, not just megapixels. And quality is worth paying for. In other words, a no-name 8mp is not as likely to be as good a quality as a name-brand Canon 5 mp camera.

Just like most things in life BIGGER is BETTER. The more megapixels a camera has the sharper the image will be. And since JPEG images are already so compressed they need all of the help they can get. I'm a photography class right now and that's what my teacher told me!

The pixel count tells you how may photosensitive sites there are on a sensor. The size of the sensor is the other important feature.

This link will help you understand what size sensors on found on digital cameras. Generally the larger the sensor the better, so a 6MP sensor on a DSLR will create better images than a 8MP sensor on a small compact digital camera.

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0210/021004...

There are a lot of factors besides just megapixels that determine that ability of a camera to take good photos. Tell us the specific models and we can give you a specific answer. I've been happy with my Fujifilm Finepix F10 even though it "only" has 6 MP, because it has a larger sensor than most other compact digital cameras. The large sensor makes it collect light faster, which improves its performance in low light.