Hi res vs. normal length zooms

Does the D7000, D3200 limit the need for normal focal length zooms for still frames? Should higher resolution cameras be more oriented to primes?

Not speaking or thinking for those that are bonded to zooms, I'd be interested if any have shared the thoughts.

When I had a D200, I'd settled for AF zooms. Limited options back then. I added an Olympus E-1 to my equipment and used a couple of Zuiko zooms along with an F mount adapter for the Nikkor primes from my FM3a. But all that was when pixels were costly and limited. Watching the pixel count go so high since then and after buying a D7000 a while back, something was evolving in my mind and with the introduction of the D3200 it has become clearer, even in the DX format. The high resolution we're getting also lends more increasing crop options. In turn, I need less number of primes to carry with me and may not even need a normal length zoom lens.

So why am I now using primes more than zooms? I think, these days, a zoom is generally little more than an on camera crop option unless it's extremely expensive, larger and for selective objectives. In most cases, it's little more than convenience. But with high quality primes at the 16 megapixels I'm using now, I have a generous crop option. I think a standard zoom on a D3200 will be a compromised image quality anyway, not to mention loss of speed that's maintained with a prime. Providing I don't need commercial or industrial size printing, the D7000 lets me crop liberally when using a DX or MF prime lens. I might even say that a couple of DX primes on a 24 megapixel D3200 may leave few excuses for even using a standard zoom.

How much can one crop and still have a quality 18 x 24" print? Back to my Olympus system. I still use the 5 (FIVE!) megapixel E-1 with RAW and TIFF options at that file size! It keeps me in touch with how many pixels I really need for good results and does a great job of hiding flaws that can otherwise be so noticeable on the D7000 crop. Aware of that, I know that my 16 megapixel shot with a DX or MF prime puts a lot on the table and even more with their suited glass. Unlike my earlier digital photos where what you click is what you print, resolution now is just the beginning of the process... and probably far from a final Photoshop "Save."
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BruceWB