3 megapixel cameras have been out for over 4 months now and given that new models normally come out every 3 or 4 months, I'm beginning to wonder if 4mp digital cameras aren't just about to hit the market? Does anyone know if & when 4mp digital cameras will be available?

-- james smith (jamessmith2@home.com), July 15, 2000

Answers

I've heard no predictions as to if/when 4 mp cameras will show up this year, but if they're slated for a 2000 release, I'd expect them just before Christmas. It's the prime buying season and perfect for introduction of new "toys".

-- Sue Bald (destiny3@ix.netcom.com), July 15, 2000.

It seems to me that the larger(sorry 'bout the pun) advances in CCD size usually come out in the spring each year. They just jumped to 3.3MP this winter/spring. I'll bet you won't see any real 4+ or 5 MP units until next spring, if then. Now that CCD sizes are starting to encroach on the expensive pro units' territories, maybe things will slow down? Then again, I hope not. :-) Frankly, 3.3MP seems pretty good to me for most tasks not requiring emormous prints. I'd really rather see them work on increasing the size of the elements in the CCD's, the number of bits used to quantize the color info, and start switching over to larger diameter lens systems, but that'll encroach on the pro units too... :-)

-- Gerald M. Payne (gmp@surferz.net), July 15, 2000.

thanks for the quick response. I'm thinking of buying a digital camera, but not sure of the timing. I'd hate to buy a 3.3mp digital camera now and have the 4mp cameras come out a day after I buy. For my money, paying an extra $100-200 to get the higher resolution is worth it. I could probably wait til the Fall, but I'm not sure I'd want to wait til next Sprin.

I agree though that it won't make much sense for the camera companies to come out with a prosumer camera for less than $1000 that competes with the pro cameras already on the market. Who knows though? It would be nice. Granted those people who paid $5000 or more for a D1 or a Kodak pro range camera would be none too thrilled to see a $1000 camera that produces better pictures than their $5000-$10,000 camera, but what the heck. They don't care because they are either professionals who buy new cameras every year or they have money to burn. I will buy a prosumer range camera knowing it will be obsolete faster than a computer, but I would like to time my purchase because I can't afford to blow $1000 that often.

-- james smith (jamessmith2@home.com), July 15, 2000.

As I said above, there's more to a pro model than more resolution. I have a 3.3MP camera which has more resolution than my friend's D1, but I'd trade him "even" (that's a laugh... and I do LOVE my camera) in a second! (probably quicker!) But, that's beside the point.

I think looking into the crystal ball is a good thing to do, and I can appreciate your desire not to purchase something you'll feel has been superceded two minutes after you buy it. Been there -both dodged and done that! On the other hand, it's likely that any unit you buy, at any time, will be superceded within months or at most a year of the purchase. It's the nature of electronics and the computer business in general. Evolution run amok! :-)

I'd go ahead and buy, and enjoy my purchase in the mean time. There will always be a better model around the corner. As far as timing and value goes, I always try to buy one step behind the curve, in which case I'd say there are currently a lot of GREAT 2MP values out there and that 3.3MP units will naturally devalue after the next step in resolution has been on the market for a while.

That said, I'm fortunate enough at the moment to have both a 1.92MP unit and a 3.3MP unit with which to play. The 3.3MP unit wins hands down! But, it also has the edge in manual features, fast continuous auto focus, etc. Frankly, if I were going to only want great 4x6" or 5x7" pictures I'd take the 1.92 MP unit for half the price of a new 3.3MP unit and run. Best of luck to you any way you go, but don't let resolution be your guiding factor in selecting a camera. Consider all the features, and more importantly the lack of them on some models. Most important of all pick the one that has the best image, in your opinion, right out of the camera to minimize editing.

-- Gerald M. Payne (gmp@surferz.net), July 15, 2000.

Just wanted to second the remarks from the last responder. Resolution is one issue, and an important one, but for those who take photography seriously, there are others. Larger prints are desirable for lots of people, but large prints with distorted color, or lacking detail in shadows and highlights aren't what we want either. The pro models do have capabilities which offer qualities beyond the issue of resolution. The camera manufacturers are currently responding to the customer's fixation on resolution because it sells cameras, and technology can provide increased resolution for less cost than some of the other things.

-- Art Hansen (arthanse@fone.net), July 16, 2000.