[QUOTE=SmartWombat]So how do you explain the success of the early digital SLRs with low MP counts?
Fuji S1 Pro (3MP), Canon EOS D30 (3MP), Nikon D1 (2.7MP)
All those were capable cameras, the D1 going up to 16x20 prints.
So I disagree.

It is not really a matter of whether you disagree of not. Popular Photography test labs indicated that to match the sharpness quality of 35mm film in the creation of an 8 X 10 colour print what was required from a digital camera was 5.7 megapixels. They compared shots and matched the quality only at that level.

So, to put it another way, sure you can do enlargements with 3 MP to 8 X 10 and beyond but the quality is degraded to lower than that of 35mm film shot of the same size. So says the test labs at Popular Photography.

Ronnoco