Basically it is a unit of measurement in an image. If you think of your picture as a series of dots which it is the more densely the dots are put together, the better your picture will look.

The number of pixels will determine the quality of your final photo. If you choose too few, your pictures wont be what you want them to be. If you choose too many, you are probably going to spending more money than you need to.

The higher the number of pixels, the better the resolution. The higher the resolution, the larger and higher quality prints you can make. Higher quality photos take up more space on your media card, but they will give you the best prints.

For many people, this is the most difficult part of buying a digital camera. How much is enough and how much is too much? Here are a few pointers to help you along the way.

2 Mega Pixels or Less

This is typically found on smaller, inexpensive cameras or cameras in combination with other devices, such as cell phones or PDAs.

It will be hard to make a high quality print of any size, but these are just fine for emailing photos or posting photos for a personal web site.

Cameras with this range are not recommend for family portraits or if you really need a nice looking print.

You can make some nice 4 x 6 prints and as large as 5 x 7 with good quality. Anything larger than that will appear blurry or distorted.

Expect to pay $100 to $150 for the camera alone, more for a combo unit.

3 Mega Pixels

This is actually a good compromise between picture quality and low price for most casual photographers.

You can print lovely 4x6 images, decent 5x7s and, depending on the camera, might even knock out a good 6x9 or 8x10.

You will pay around $150 to $250.

4 Mega Pixels

You are getting nicer. These images make practically photo lab quality 4x6s, and great 5x7s and 6x9s.

You can print a nice 8x10 and even an 11 x 14.

You will typically pay about $250 to $350.

5 Mega Pixels

This will produce beautiful 8x10s, and even a nice 11x14. You may even be able to get even larger to a 16 x 20.

With this camera, you are getting closer to professional photographer levels, and the quality shows it.

And you will pay the price, around $350 to $450.

6 Mega Pixels and up

It has wonderful image quality but high price tags. You can print large photos, even 11x14 or perhaps more, with satisfying results.

There are some high mega pixel cameras coming out with lower price tags than most, but they usually have very few features.

Unless pixels are the only thing you care about, it should not be, do not get a camera that sounds outrageously inexpensive for its mega pixel range.

In this category, expect to pay $450 and up, up, up.

So now that I have got you completely confused, lets make a few suggestions. Please keep in mind that these are just suggestions and not written in stone. You have to make your own decision; we are just trying to guide you a little bit.