Digital Cameras: 10-plus Megapixels the New Standard?

Almost every recent digital camera-related news story seems to announce another 10.1, 10.2, 10.4 or greater megapixel camera.

In early August, Nikon announced the D80 DSLR, with its sub-$1000 price tag for a full featured, professional level digital SLR with 10.2 megapixels and a bright 2.5-inch LCD.

Two weeks later, Canon announced the Digital Rebel XTi (aka 400D), also containing a double-digit image sensor (10.1 megapixels) and a 2.5" LCD. Although not including quite as many bells and whistles, the price tag is even more attractive than Nikon's newest.

The Sigma SD14 -- which will be officially announced in September during Photokina in Colonge, Germany -- will also certainly sport a 10+ megapixel sensor that is purported to be more color sensitive than current technology.

It's not only the digital SLR's that are pushing the ceiling. Many major camera manufacturers have recently announced user-friendly, point-n-shoot new digital camera models that have jumped the 10-megapixel limit.

Here are some examples:

* The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-R1 digital camera is not a DSLR, but with its unique look, large lens and 2-inch LCD monitor, it offers a very high quality image for the amateur photographer who does not need the flexibility of interchangeable lenses.

* The easy-to-use Casio EX-Z1000 offers 10.1 megapixels, long battery life, anti-shake signal processor, and the unique "optimized for eBay" feature, which allows the photographer to take product photos optimized to upload to eBay without having to resize or compress them first.

* This month Canon revealed the Powershot A640, their first A-series point 'n shoot that includes a 10.0 megapixel sensor, a 2.5" LCD monitor and 640x480 movie recording.

* Today BenQ announced the C1000 with a 10.1 megapixel CCD chip, a 2.4" LCD, a shutter speed up to 8 seconds, and VGA moview recording.

Is 10+ megapixels the new standard for image quality in digital cameras?

Tags: Digital Cameras, Canon Cameras, Sigma Cameras, Sony Cameras, Nikon Cameras, BenQ Cameras, Casio+Cameras