Hi again,

As per the note below, 7 megapixels is widely accepted as being the
equal of Kodachrome
35mm transparencies (though some say that 6MP is close enough for
anyone in normal applications, particularly if comparing to
Ektachrome. However, you'll see that many pro photographers are
working with 5MP Canons and Nikons. At a recent agility trial in
which our collie, Mollie, got "High in Trial" (pretty good for a
shelter dog that nobody wanted, and who beat out $2,000+ shelties),
the event photographer did an 11 x 14 portrait of her with her award
and the clarity is superb.

I have been involved professionally with photography since the late
1960s, and I'd choose a 5MP
camera with a superb lens over a 6 or 7 MP unit with questionable
optics. As for 35mm negative film, you can expect a 5.24 megapixel
camera to compete head-to-head with "consumer grade" negatives like
Kodak Gold 200 in 35mm cameras costing about $300-$375. If your main
objective is quality 5 x 7 prints, you can probably get along just
fine with a 3MP camera. Only those who feel their work must be able
to be reproducible beyond 16 x 20 should even give it a second
thought.

Anyone who says "anything below 7MP is a waste of time" has obviously
never worked with a quality 5MP camera. That reminds me of the late
1960s, when so-called experts swore Nikon would never be accepted as
a professional photographic tool. While it's nice that these persons
felt all warm and fuzzy about their Leica rangefinder cameras, I
think history has proven that Nikons (and Canons) can produce photos
of incredible quality. Or at least acceptable to a Pulitzer Prize
committee . . .

Also, regarding the warranty issue: I very seriously doubt you would
ever have a problem with any quality digital camera during the first
few years of use. After that, you'd be on your own in any case.
I personally know of a digital camera owner who dropped the camera
into the water. After drying it thoroughly with a towel and setting
it in a warm, dry spot in his house, the camera worked just fine.

Have a great weekend!
Jim


>For shells 30mm upward the 1.3Mp camera should do a decent job. I
>want a higher-resolution (and my boss says that anything under 7Mp is
>a waste of time!) to image very small micros; I think a 5.0 like the
>Nikon Coolpix 7500 should do this OK (hope hope).
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