The more megapixels, the better the camera?
Many consumers focus too much on megapixel count when buying cameras. A 16MP camera has to be better than a 12MP camera, right?

Not necessarily.  Camera sensor quality is as much about physical sensor size as pixel amount.

A large 12MP sensor in a DSLR will produce better photos than a tiny 16MP sensor in a point-and-shoot.

To cram that many pixels onto a small sensor, manufacturers shrink the size of the pixels. Smaller, crowded pixels don't capture light as well as bigger pixels spread across a large sensor. The small sensor struggles to capture the tonal range of bright scenes and generates unwanted noise when used in low light.

Don't get me wrong; megapixels are important. Generally, having more megapixels leads to greater detail in images and allows you to make larger prints.

But the quality of the camera's lens and its on-board image processor is also very important.