1.2 megapixel means the number of pixels that the camera uses to take the picture. in other words, there are 1 million 200 thousand tiny dots taht make up your picture. (That's why when u blow it up it doesn't look so good) However, sometimes it depends on the photographer (I have a 2.1 mp digital camera and my photos come out excellent) and the other factors that make up good pictures. THe most important thing is that it gives you decent pictures (Which it did, the color saturation was excellent) and it fits within your budget! not really fish related, but i figured it was jsut worth explaining!