For digital SLR owners, the megapixel war is over. Six megapixel is the magic number for most consumers who want “big prints” (ie. 8×10) and ten megapixel is the magic number for publication. Anything more is gravy.

Much more, and you could be running into alternate problems. When you cram more pixels onto a sensor of the same size, you’re making the pixels smaller, and smaller pixels have less capacity to handle light. » MORE

Digital Photography caught on like nobody really expected it to. In a realm that was so enthralled and devoted to the use of film, it’s really amazing how much of a turnaround has occured in the photography world. Certain applications were a no-brainer; photojournalism for example. When time and resources are a factor, digital photography has a huge advantage. In the area of photo art, however… such as fashion or nature photography, it took some extra time for digital equipment to catch on.

The camera companies kept pushing out new models, baffling an unsuspecting public. Megapixels became a household word… but the problem was, not too many people could define what a megapixel was. If they could, they most likely didn’t know the implications of it. What’s the difference between a camera with four megapixels, and one with ten? There’s got to be some difference, right? A better, higher resolution CCD means better images… no?

Having working in digital photography tech support for several years (barring a brief hiatus) I’ve come to my own appreciation and understanding of the megapixel war. In all honestly, the camera companies have passed an invisible line they don’t like to talk about. I like to call it the “six megapixel line“. Once you’re aware of it, you begin to realize that megapixels are really not a valid selling feature at this stage, and the areas of concern shift to optics, design, and features.

For most “common shooters”, six megapixels is quite enough - unless you like to print large or crop a whole lot.

A six megapixel image can be printed at 8×10 or 11×14 with the same identical clarity you would get from a ten or twenty megapixel image. In fact, I’ve seen sharp 2×3′ (foot) prints from a six megapixel image. Typically, most people will print nothing higher than 4×6″ - your standard snapshot size. Once you get into the 2×3′ range or larger, I would contend that you’re not a “common shooter” anymore… and the argument for a higher megapixel count is valid.

Most people, however, will never need that.

It’s always interesting though to talk to people who are more than willing to go out and spend more money on a feature (megapixels) they don’t truly understand or require, as New York Times technology editor David Pogue discovered in his street piece.