6x4 vs 4x3

There are more choices when buying a digital camera than how many megapixels it has. The shape of the image is also something to consider. Professional digital cameras have an aspect ratio which is the same as 35mm film (6x4), but most digital cameras have an aspect ratio that is the same as your old TV (4x3). You should decide before you buy a camera, what shape of pictures do I want to have? Do I want them to be more square like my TV? Do I want them to be more rectangle like the shape of real film? Once you decide which look you like better you can then chose a camera that creates images in the shape you like.

So what's the aspect ratio of the camera you are thinking about buying? Look at the specs on how big the image sensor is!

Image sensor size is a great way to figure out what quality of camera your getting yourself into. The bigger the sensor the better your images are going to look (usually), and if you take the width and divide it by the hight, you'll get the aspect ratio.

TV = 1.33
35mm film = 1.5
HDTV = 1.78
Panoramic = 2.35

Example:
Nikon D70
Sensor size: 23.7mm by 15.6mm
23.7 / 15.6 = 1.5

Canon PowerShot S500
Sensor size: 7.18mm by 5.32mm
7.18 / 5.32 = 1.33