Please make sure you're bringing this important observation to the attention of other folks using the Canon 1DXiii, Nikon D500, Nikon D5, Nikon Z50, and Canon R6. And maybe the Sony A7S series users. All of them also need to know so they'll trade up for more megapixels.
and they will... it is just a matter of time
Almost 20 years ago, a friend tried to convince me that I would be unable to detect whether images were taken with a film camera or a digital one, back then at 6 MP. He had taken and printed several identical shots. I was able to identify for each one which was film and which was digital.
Fast-forward a few years: after going through four older iterations of digital cameras, I bought a Nikon D90, a 12 MP body. It produced great, sharp shots I happily printed up to 30" by 20". Absolutely nobody was able to tell that those were taken with a digital camera. That's because at normal viewing distances,
12 MP is plenty enough resolution to get strong, sharp images. This depends a little on individual eyesight, but for most of us, the limit is at about 8-10 MP.
Fast-forward again: today, I own a Nikon D850 and a Z7ii, plus a Canon R5. Those are all 45+ MP bodies. The primary, in fact, the
only reason I got the high resolution is because I shoot lots of small birds and often end up cropping a lot.
Coincidentally, I started eyeing and am about to order the OM-1 with the Oly 150-400 TC lens. At 20 MP, it will give me
more pixels on the bird, not less, because instead of with 500mm lenses, I'll now be shooting with a 1.000mm one in 35mm terms. I am starting to think I may part with the Nikons and the Canon and still consider that an upgrade. (No, I am
not getting an FF lens longer than 500mm. They are all too darned heavy for hand-held shooting.)
A resolution of 20 MP is just fine for everyone except for those printing billboard size. Well, even the billboard shooters get enough from an MFT body that can deliver 50, even 80 MP with that same sensor.
I realize that most photographers crave higher resolution, but they have the same point that all those people have who buy 4K or 8K TVs and then watch TV from a distance where that higher resolution makes absolutely no difference because their eyesight isn't good enough anyway: none whatsoever. It makes them feel better, though.
So, yeah, you're probably right: they will trade up for more megapixels, even though there is no reason for it. If someone wants higher resolution for the sole purpose of pixel peeping, that's not a photographer, that's a geek. .
