Finding a top rated digital camera is not merely about picking one with the most megapixels. Unfortunately, marketing plays a part in this and leads many people to believe that they need a camera with 14MP or more to take high quality pictures. That is just not the case. Megapixels are not the most important aspect of choosing a digital camera. All around performance is key.

Cameras with more megapixels do not always produce better images. Naturally, if you have perfect circumstances the higher megapixel camera will probably produce a better shot, but how often are you in that situation? In most instances you're unlikely to require a very high megapixel camera with the exception of people who tend to print big enlargements or posters or find it necessary to do a lot of cropping.

All the megapixels available won't make up for a mediocre lens. Among the top rated digital cameras with a built-in lens, models usually have a lens with an aperture setting of f/2 or f/1.8. Actually, one may find several 10MP cameras ranking just as highly as 14/16MP cameras because those 10MP cameras have quality lenses and deliver sharp, well-exposed photos in various light situations.

Also keep in mind that if you are taking photos with a 14MP or 16MP camera, those images are going to take up an awful lot of storage space and will fill up your memory card faster.

Commonly the top rated digital cameras offer no less than a three-inch LCD with high quality display. Today, except for a few instances, nearly all pocket and point and shoot digital cameras have eliminated view finders, therefore you have to count on the display.

The best rated cameras also often have a higher optical zoom lens without adding a lot of extra bulk. A few larger sized cameras include superzoom lenses that provide up to 35x, corresponding to 24-849mm. Historically, the image quality from super zoom cameras was somewhat mediocre because of the trade-off between higher zoom versus sharp images, however technology advancements have pretty much fixed this issue. Presently there are more than a few high zoom models ranking well in lists of top rated digital cameras and the images they produce will not disappoint. You will have to move up to a digital SLR camera, at a much greater price, for even higher image quality.

To determine the top rated digital cameras, reviewers consider the following: is it lightweight, size, life of the battery, ease-of-use (easy to use buttons, simple menu, etc.), image quality, display size/quality, flash photo quality, low light capability, is there a view finder, wide angle capability, video/HD, response time and other key elements.

So, the bottom line is when you look at a list of top rated digital cameras, don’t be surprised to see that some of the best ranked cameras may be mid-level megapixel models.