How to Choose a Camera

Camera spec sheets are designed to make you feel like you need the most expensive option. Most of the numbers on them don’t matter for the photos and video you’ll actually make, and a few — the ones marketing tends to bury — matter a lot. This guide sorts them, so you can read any spec sheet like a buyer instead of a target.

Megapixels: the number that matters least

Megapixels measure resolution — how many pixels the sensor captures. It is the spec cameras shout about, and it’s the one that matters least. Beyond about 20 to 24 megapixels, more resolution rarely improves your photos for normal use, and cramming more pixels onto the same sensor can actually hurt low-light performance because each pixel is smaller. A 24-megapixel camera makes gorgeous prints and crops fine. Unless you crop heavily or print poster-size, you do not need 40 or 60 megapixels.

Sensor size: the number that matters most

The sensor is the piece of the camera that captures light, and its size matters more than almost anything else. A bigger sensor gathers more light (better low-light performance, less noise) and gives shallower background blur at the same settings. The common sizes, smallest to largest:

• 1-inch— in premium compacts and some vlogging cameras. Great in good light, weaker after dark.
• Micro Four Thirds— a bit larger, in compact interchangeable-lens systems.
• APS-C— the sweet spot: large, capable, in affordable bodies with affordable lenses.
• Full-frame— the largest common size: best low light and blur, but pricey bodies and much pricier lenses.

A 24-megapixel APS-C camera beats a 20-megapixel 1-inch compact in low light every time. When a spec sheet leads with megapixels and buries the sensor size, that tells you something.

Autofocus: worth prioritizing

Autofocus is the difference between sharp shots and missed ones, and it’s one spec genuinely worth prioritizing — especially for moving subjects, video, and portraits where eye-tracking keeps the eyes tack-sharp. The best modern systems (Sony’s and Canon’s in particular) track a subject across the frame and lock onto eyes automatically. If you shoot kids, pets, sports or video, good autofocus will do more for your keeper rate than any other upgrade.

Stabilization: it depends how you shoot

In-body image stabilization (IBIS) shifts the sensor to counteract shake. It helps handheld photos in low light and smooths handheld video. Whether you need it depends entirely on how you shoot: essential-ish if you shoot handheld video or in dim conditions, close to irrelevantif you shoot on a tripod or in good light. Many excellent entry cameras skip IBIS to hit their price — that’s a fair trade if you don’t need it. If smooth walking video is your priority and your camera lacks IBIS, a gimbal or a gimbal-camera does the job better anyway.

Video specs: read past the “4K” badge

Almost every camera says “4K,” but the details matter. Look for whether 4K is cropped(uses only part of the sensor, making lenses tighter and low light worse) or full-width, whether higher frame rates like 4K60 are available for slow motion, and whether there’s a microphone inputfor better audio. “Oversampled” 4K — captured from more sensor data and scaled down — looks sharper than cropped 4K. These details separate a good video camera from one that just lists 4K on the box.

The things that don’t show up as a headline spec

Some of the most important things aren’t single numbers. How the camera feelsin your hand and how sensibly its menus are laid out affect whether you enjoy using it — and a camera you enjoy is a camera you use. Battery life, the availability and price of lenses in that system, and whether it has a viewfinder or only a screen all shape the real experience. Where you can, hold a camera before buying.

Spend on the lens, not just the body

Here’s the thing the industry would rather you didn’t internalize: the lens changes your images more than the body does. A mid-range camera with one good fast prime lens will often produce better-looking photos than an expensive body on a cheap kit zoom. So when you set your budget, don’t pour it all into the body. Leave room for a good lens — start with our portrait lens guide for the best first upgrade.

The short version

Ignore the megapixel race. Prioritize sensor size, autofocus, and (if you shoot handheld video) stabilization. Read past the “4K” badge to the video details. Care about how the camera feels and what lenses it can use. And save budget for a good lens. Do that, and you’ll choose a camera that suits how you actually shoot — which is worth far more than the highest number on the box. Ready for specifics? Start with what camera should I buy or jump straight to the camera guides.