The truth as told by Robin Wong...

He's right - there is NO technical innovation that will improve the photographers eye, or make one a better photographer. BUT there are several that make it easier or possible to catch more challenging shots. Auto focus is a good example. Image stabilization is another. And so is good high ISO sensitivity. High ISO also tends to correspond to wider dynamic range and both can make it easier to capture a whole host of shots. Capturing a moving subject in marginal light for example - you could get the shot at ISO 200 but you may be able to capture the shot the way you WANT IT at ISO 1600. Using zone focus in less than the perfect sunny afternoon. On an m43 camera, I love to zone focus at f7.1 or f8, depending on the lens. As I move into shadows or as the sun moves behind the clouds or starts to go down in the afternoon, being able to bump the ISO comfortably makes it possible for me to continue shooting the way I like to in more marginal light. Which I couldn't do with a camera that tops out at 200 or 400, which many did and film used to.

Sure, it would be nice to shoot everything during the golden hour when the light is perfect, soft enough to look good, bright enough to illuminate well. But there are a LOT of great photographs to be taken outside of those conditions and the right tools can make it more possible. And sometimes its nice to be able to get a shot in very low light without a flash or a tripod - not quite a black cat in a dark barn with the moon obscured, but pretty dark:

-Ray
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