So whats so great being able to crop ?

I must say having owned a 20D for what seems like forever I see all these posts about how great it is to have an 18Mp camera. I can see having the ability to do so, but at what price. Do you need 18Mp ? I don't think I do.
Then theres the cropping thing which is OK I guess, but If you got the shot you really wanted, you shouldn't need to crop anyways. Plus having to crop gives you even more decisions to make.
An 8 or 10Mp camera would be great, but more like a 1DMk2 with a better sensor, or even a 12MP full frame.
Its also a lot more room to store images, and yes there is more room available, but then again its more images on more discs or drives that can suddenly disappear.
All I can say is I'm glad Canon has found a sweet spot and not going crazy with more and more Mp's.

As long as your camera is working great for you, no need to worry about what other people say / need

Heh! It's all a matter of perspective!

It's funny how perspectives to change as technology moves ahead!

Why, I remember back "in the day" when I enthusiastically collected "vinyl" record albums, and lovingly played them over and over until they all had that distinctive "scratchy" sound...

Then, all of a sudden, CDs were "born" and very quickly I jumped on the new "format". CDs could be played without damaging them, no more "scratchy" sound, and my vinyl album collection was no more!

And then, we could "rip" our CDs onto a computer, listen to Play Lists, put them on MP3 players, whatever, and guess what? My CD collection sits in a big box!

And, don't get me started on the old VHS tapes that I again collected enthusiastically, until the DVD format made its entry. I was sold on DVDs before I even picked up my first player!

So, with digital cameras, well, it boils down to the fact that if folks figure the higher resolution bodies are "value added" and if they can afford the upgrade, well, their perspecitive has been changed with the introduction of the new technology, sure.

However, there are many of us for whom the new technology is not "needed", wanted, have-to-have, and especially affordable. If someone gave me the latest and greatest body to hit the streets, sure I'd work it! But I'm not the kind of shooter who "must have the latest", and besides my "gear acquisition" days ended, well, several years ago.

That being said, "croppability" is not a bad thing. In fact, when I'm shooting various things, maybe small, maybe distant, sure, I want to take a high-quality shot that I can then crop to get a good composition.

But for much of my shooting I aim to properly compose in the camera with an appropriate focal length. So, aside for a bit of cropping and maybe "straightening" the one advantage of having a higher resolution is to print larger prints while retaining "pristine" high detail. But of course, that requires not only a lot of megapixels but also a technique that will yield the pristine results!

As long as you have enough glass to fill an 8MP frame with your subject of choice, then you'll never need to crop.

At least not for anything other than simple framing tweaks.

I understand your perspective...But cropping really does come in handy when shooting small birds from a distance with lenses that never seem long enough...And there is no money available with which to purchase longer ones.

One of the coolest things about moving to the 7D from my trusty, 'old' 40D was that due to the higher res sensor, I found I needed to crop less.

Ok, I admit it, I crop. I try not too, but some of my better prints were cropped from 15MP to 10MP (that doesn't take much off each edge) and I think the prints at 25" would have looked better if I'd taken them with an 18 or even 22MP camera.

How much extra is that worth? Dunno. Not worth getting a D800 for me, or changing from a T1i to T2i (15 to 18MP), but personally I do like 18-24 or so MP for what I do/print and how I tend to sometimes crop. If Canon came out with a 36MP camera it would not be on my list of must-haves though.

So Canon has higher MP cameras than the 20D, are they worth it? Dunno. I can definitely see reasons for getting a 1D2 over a higher resolution camera though, absolutely. Lot's of people move to FF with the 5Dc and are more than happy, and why not? No camera shoots worse just becasue newer models are out. If you don't need MP, great, there are a lot more options open to you if you want to get something with other benefits like better frame rate or weathersealing for instance.

ejenner wrote in post #14738244
Ok, I admit it, I crop. I try not too.........

Hello, my name is Kevin and I also sometimes crop

Now that I have the 7D I find I'm able to get away with a lot more - saves me buying a 300 or 400mm lens

x_tan wrote in post #14737396
As long as your camera is working great for you, no need to worry about what other people say / need

I totally agree, its a personal thing, nothing to do with what others do, or dont do.

Bsmooth -
With all due respect, I think you need to rethink your post a bit.

But that sweet spot (for APS-C) is 18 MP.

I was going to write something really cynical, but I guess no comment is needed.

That's what I tell my wife when I don't want to go somewhere: "Fewer trips means fewer road accidents."
When you bought your 20D 32 GB hard discs and 128 MB of RAM were extreme. Things change, especially consumer expectations and demands change, mostly rationally but sometimes irrationally, and if Canon can't figure out how to steal the Sony 36 MP sensor without actually infringing any patent rights, the next stock holders' meeting will be a war zone. That's reality.

tzalman wrote in post #14738595
.......if Canon can't figure out how to steal the Sony 36 MP sensor without actually infringing any patent rights, the next stock holders' meeting will be a war zone. That's reality.

Eli,

Easy, they simply produce a 48 MP sensor, jump 36 MP completely (I can dream can't I?). But it is strange that Canon seem unable to get beyond 21MP after being the market leader in this area.

Yes I must agree about those little birds, even with a 400 they seem to disappear into pixelation with my 20D. I did mange to get a 1DMk2 and the focus is amazing compared to my 20D. I also understand that the extra MP are great especially If you crop down, I've even heard the images increase in sharpness the more you crop down, not sure about that.
If I had the ideal camera right now it would be the 1DMk3 without all the pro features and weight, same great sensor, and 5-8Fps would be great.
I really want to see whats up with new cameras coming out from Canon, hopefully I hear right around July 23rd.
Right Now If I had to choose it would be a 60D, 7D or a 1DMk3 in great shape with low actuations.

"Then theres the cropping thing which is OK I guess, but If you got the shot you really wanted, you shouldn't need to crop anyways."

I think W. Eugene Smith had the answer to that:

"The world just does not fit conventiently into the format of a 35mm camera."

http://www.photoquotes​.com …ableshowquotes.​aspx?ID=53

http://en.wikipedia.or​g/wiki/W._Eugene_Smith

Bsmooth,

With a handle like yours you should also be aware that the more MP, the smoother the tonal changes within the image.

Even if you don't crop, there is a noticeable difference in amount of detail captured. Many of my absolute favorite pictures were captured with a 20D, but I certainly don't regret trading it in for a 50D.