Reply #6: The number of MP is [View All]

[Ms. Toad]

not really an feature that can become obsolete - it just gets cheaper to buy more as time goes on. Decide what you want to be able to do and buy the MP that will allow you to do that (up to the price you are willing to spend).

For my mother, who always prints the full image as 4x6 prints, the 4 MP she has is mostly a waste - I wouldn't recommend she buy more now even though she could get more for the same price.

I have the same camera, and 4 MP is usually sufficient for what I want to do - mostly notecard sized prints, but occasionally 8x10 or so for shows. BUT - because I crop heavily at times, the notecard print I make may be only 1/4 of the original image. That makes it the equivalent of printing an 8x10 or larger as far as resolution goes. If I were buying a camera today I would buy more MP because more would be within my price range. Although mostly I don't need it, I would have it for the few occasions when it would make a difference.

Can't help you on the Canon v. Nikon - at the moment I'm in love with my Olympus (non-SLR) and would be inclined to look first for an Olympus if I were buying a DSLR.