What is the difference between megapixels and optical zoom ?? how should i choose best camera ??

If i want to purchase a digital camera for my personal use, what is the best combinationi of megapixels and optcal zoom best suits my needs ... i want to go for 5 Megapixels, so what is the best ulternatiive optcal zoom ?

megapixels are the resolution. 5MP is great and as much as you'll need for personal use.
optical zoom is very important as well. the lense makes a huge difference, and with a larger optical zoom you can get "closer" without getting images of a lesser quality.

I would say 5 Megs is alright as far as zoom use 14 as mini mun

mega pixels are how good of quality the picture you take is.. optical zoom is how far you can shoot a picture

You posted one of the most difficult questions possible. I can't answer it for you, but certainly I can help you try to solve it yourself.

IT DEPENDS!

1. How large will you want to print the photos, if at all. If you answer this with 8x10 or smaller, then 5 Megapixel is usually sufficient, though 6MP and 7MP consumer grade cameras are becoming common. Higher Megapixel is not necessarily better, it also depends on the sensor.

2. Optical Zoom: 3X is common among consumer cameras but there are some with a higher magnification.

3. Where will you use it ? E.g. if you do indoors shots mostly, a stronger flash may be needed; or if you need to do a lot of low light shots, then a lens with a larger aperture (and more pricey) will be better.

Best thing to do is go out to the store and try some out, but have a think how you would want to use it before heading out there.

You might try reading up on this most difficult question, but I'll try to make this quick & simple. MegaPixels are all about quality or resolution of printed or viewed photograph. CCD type sensors are superior to CMOS type sensors, but for most of us either will do. Anything in the 3-5 MP area is fine for family/friends type photos. Optical zoom is different from digital zoom in that optical is very much closer to how we actually see, so the higher the better, digital I could care less, it's like comparing analog phones to digital phones, go for the optical in the range of 5 on up. Here's why. When you shoot that far away shot your camera tends to want to focus on the largest or closest object. If your subject is small or beyond what is closer, your subject will be out of focus unless you can fill the frame with it/them.

Let me say that most any small digital will work if you just want to take nice photos for memory. If you want to truly get into photogfraphy then you'll want to really read a lot.Here's a great place to start:

The more megapixels you have ,the more detail you can print
look for the most optical zoom rather than digital.