Quit fixating on those megapixels

ALONGSIDE her helpful article on using digital cameras, Jain Lemos gives dubious advice for consumers [“For Better Digital Photographs, Look Inward,” Jan. 22].

Buyers and manufacturers are too fixated on megapixel resolution. Unless you will be creating poster-sized prints instead of 8-by-10s, practically any digital camera sold these days will have adequate resolution; 3 megapixels is fine.

She recommends a 2-inch LCD screen. While these are nice, some digital cameras are sold without a viewfinder, and most people find it difficult to compose a scene with just the LCD.

The screens also use a lot of power and should be turned off most of the time.

Lemos also recommends rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. In my experience, those proprietary batteries do not last long. The hassles of recharging them while traveling, especially internationally, are a big headache. Consider instead models that accept standard AA or AAA batteries. You can buy those anywhere; you can also use rechargeables or lithium versions.

BRYAN BAKER

Apple Valley