A:Answer The number of pictures a memory card can hold depends on the size of the pictures being taken. A two- to four-megapixel image will take up about one megabyte on a memory card. A five- to six-megapixel image will take up about two megabytes. A seven- to eight-megapixel image will take up about three megabytes. A nine- to 10-megapixel image takes up a little more than three megabytes. Knowing this, you can divide the available memory by the amount of megabytes your pictures will take up (considering how many megapixels each has).
A 256MB memory stick can hold approximately 250 two- to four-megapixel images, 120 five- to six-megapixel images, 85 seven- to eight-megapixel images, or 60 nine- to 10-megapixel images. These numbers will vary slightly depending on the types of pictures being taken because the amount of memory each picture takes up varies slightly.
Image Resolution
Many cameras with eight or more megapixels offer a setting that allows you to take pictures at less than full resolution in order to conserve space on the memory card. For example, at low resolution, the camera might only take a two-megapixel image instead of using its full, eight-megapixel capacity. While this will mean that more pictures can be held on the card, the drawback is the pictures will be lower quality. With memory card prices dropping quickly, it is usually better to invest in a larger memory card if the current card is filling too quickly.
