2000 to Now
The pace of camera development has vastly increased compared to the 20th century. Film cameras typically had a model life (the time until a replacement model was introduced) of four to five years (or even more than 12 years, in some instances). Digital cameras have a product cycle of six to 12 months at the low-price end, and 18 to 36 months as we move towards the top professional models.
This discrepancy between low-end cameras and high-end ones is because professionals invest many thousands in equipment and simply will not purchase new cameras more frequently. If manufacturers make their cameras “obsolete” too quickly, they risk losing their customers.
But improvements in digital performance continue at a staggering pace. The ...
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