[VinnyP]

If they can control noise and keep the quality more megapixels means more cropping potential which is a big plus especially for a compact. But they often can't; my always with me camera is a Casio EX-Z750. It takes sensational 7.2MP pictures for it's size, I think, but amongst a few shortcomings it has a weak flash and the ASM modes are tricky to access. Hence when the EX-Z850 came out I quickly snapped one up. It solved all those problems AND upped the pixel count to 8.1. To my eye test the pictures were not so sharp and I was disappointed. I sent it back and got another one. The same story, by this time many people had found the same thing. Luckily I had kept the Z750 and never had an 850 too long to return it under distance selling. The 10 megapixel one is even more of a disaster for picture quality.