Not jaded, just not overawed. It seems the camera bodies are still playing catch-up to Sony, though I can see the attraction if you are already a Canon or Nikon owner. Tribalism is strong.
This.
Digital camera technology has matured, as happened with personal computers and, later, mobile phones. A decade ago, 2 years passing - a typical camera generation - meant a huge leap in camera performance and features; today, 2 years results in evolutionary not revolutionary advances.
I bought my first digital camera in 2000, a Fuji 2700. It had 2 MP and created only JPG files, yet a review described it as “Resolution is extremely high ... probably the ultimate portable digicam”. Three years later I bought a Canon 10D, a sophisticated 6 MP digital SLR with quality and features that rivalled 35mm film (the Fuji wasn’t even close), and can hold its own today if you’re not making massive prints (unlike the Fuji, which is far surpassed by even the cheapest phone).
As a digital camera user, it was necessary to upgrade regularly. If you didn’t, you were at a disadvantage - and it showed, either in print quality or significantly inferior or missing camera features (my Canon 10D was awful above ISO 400).
Things are different today. I no longer feel compelled to upgrade my camera regularly to the latest technology. I bought my last new camera in 2012, a Nikon D800E, and replaced it this spring - 6 years later - with a Sony A7R II. A 6 year interval. Note that despite the long interval between cameras, I didn’t buy the latest A7R III model. There is
no noticeable difference in image quality between my Nikon and the latest cameras.
The reason I upgrade now is not because of better features or image quality but for changes in preference. For example, I bought the Sony because I wanted an electronic viewfinder and in-camera image stabilisation.
I cannot ever see myself buying another digital camera because of improvements in image quality or features, simply because these no longer occur to any worthwhile extent.
I think digital cameras are now in the same place that film cameras were in the 1980s, where the existing technology cannot be improved significantly, only replaced by something new - my guess would be the demise of still photography in its entirety, being replaced by video and virtual reality.
Presumably camera manufacturers have a new game plan, because people no longer buy an expensive new camera every couple of years. I’d like to know what this plan is...
My first digital camera, below. The technology is obsolete, and even the language: when did you last hear the word “digicam”? Most people once again simply use “camera”, since “film camera” is unlikely to be meant today.
