The sensor is one of the most important parts of the digital camera and the size of the sensor is one of its most important aspects. When choosing a digital camera, remember that the compact cameras usually have smaller sensors and the larger SLR cameras usually have larger sensors. Still, the size of the sensor can vary greatly even with the same manufacturer in the same type of camera.

Although smaller sensors allow cameras to be smaller, cheaper, and more portable, when the number of megapixels is very high, a small sensor usually introduces more noise into the photos. Therefore, we recommend that you carefully inspect photos taken with any small point-and-shoot cameras that has more than 6-megapixels to verify that the photos are adequate for your needs. Some small cameras do a good job, like the 10-megapixel Nikon Coolpix S600 that we recently reviewed, but others may not.