Lol. I’m not the one making unsupported claims like, “The vast majority of people would rather have higher MP.” I’ve never claimed to have data, but Canon does, and they have (presumably) chosen to launch the R3 with 24 MP.
Ahhh, so that’s why the 60 MP Sony a7R IV costs so much more than the 12 MP a7S III…oh, wait, they both launched at the same $3500 price.
As I stated before, what this boils down to is Canon’s data says their target market will buy the R3 at 24 MP, but you want more and you’re flailing around for reasons why Canon isn’t giving you what you want instead of just accepting the facts as they are.
I never stated or implied that megapixel size was the *only* factor in pricing. Sony and Canon pricing, like every other company, takes many factors into account. Production runs, development costs, projected sales, how much they believe the customer is willing to pay, and much more. I'm not going to try and list factors specific to the Sony models you mention, as I don't closely follow the actions of a brand that I have no interest in purchasing. And of course, I don't have access to the data listed above.
But one thing is very clear, and it has been mentioned many times in interviews with various camera company executives on dpreview, Imaging Resource and elsewhere - namely that it costs a lot more to manufacture a high megapixel sensor than a lower resolution one, primarily because yield rates are considerably lower (particularly with larger sensors). Additionally, high megapixel sensors typically require more powerful processors to shift the data, which make a huge difference to cost. So there you have 2 major reasons what a low res camera is a lot cheaper to produce than a high res model, and that is reflected in the selling price.
It may very well be the case that Canon have conducted surveys and been told that their target users for the R3 have stated that they prefer 24MP. But that preference is based on the misconception that lower megapixel cameras produce less noise and have better DR. That was certainly true a decade ago, and the false myth has persisted and still affects people's purchasing decisions. But the myth has been blown:
A common belief in the camera world is that lower resolution cameras – and larger pixels – perform better in low light. In this video we illustrate why you should question that bit of conventional wisdom.
www.dpreview.com
A quick look at why, in most circumstances, a larger sensor will make much more difference to your images quality than the size of your pixels.
www.dpreview.com
People are slowly becoming aware (thanks to dpr) that the deciding factor is *not* the size of the pixels, but the underlying technology and year of design/manufacture. As this knowledge spreads, people will realise there are considerable benefits to opting for a higher MP sensor, and may be willing to spend more to obtain them.