Not sure why this should be dumbing down....rather it seems to be a logical development driven largely by the consumer and market share.
It will be interesting to see if Sony will develop any new MF chips etc., now that they have a new company for this purpose.
Concerning MF optics - there hasn't been anything of note in ages - and there is nothing on the horizon.
Gone are the days when a blue striped Hassy was the star at Fotokina.
On the other hand, with regard to the original comment, I'm sure Oscar Barnack was accused of the same when he developed the original Leica.
I find it rather ironic, that this rather distorted lopsided format is the one to survive (and thrive).
I don't think anyone would dispute why photographic gear is moving in the direction it is … as you say … "largely driven by the consumer market share".
However, the far more dominate influence has been the cell phone, not 35mm from the previous century. Cell phones have revolutionized how people interact with a camera, and integrate photography into their lives. It is far more organic than ever before.
In a sense, the cell phone is the perfect personification of the old saying:
"f/8 and be there"
When the Pope visited the US recently, the amount of old fashioned 35mm cameras of any kind was a grain of sand in a massive beach of cell phone toting folks seeking a "selfie" with him. I don't recall people lined up around the block at a Sony store for the latest A camera like for the new iPhone-6s in Rose Gold.
In short, one doesn't need to know very much about photography when using a cell phone to take a picture. It is this majority experience that is driving consumer expectations of photographic tools … "making a photo" has become "taking a photo". Even amongst more involved advanced amateurs (especially younger ones), there is a lot of pressure to mimic cell phone features. It's like when pocket calculators hit the mainstream, and everyone forgot how to add and multiply:ROTFL: It's the process of "dumbing down" photography.
This dumbing down has also influenced expectations of results. For decades I interacted with the public doing weddings and portrait work. Despite evolving tools and really working at the art and craft of photography, the recognition of either by consumers eroded exponentially. Quality was replaced with "digital quantity and expediency". Fewer and fewer actually printed anything. FaceBook was their Wedding Album, and 15 minutes of fame their mantra. Horrible cell shots of an ill lit bride posted on social sites by guests garnered a million "likes" and "oohs & ahhs".
So, one could say that "survival and thriving" applied to 35mm are relative terms, and a transient ones at that. It is just a matter of time before the combination of hardware and software will make it all a moot point.
Regarding
"nothing of note for MF optics" … I think this overlooks the offerings from Leica, Phase One, Hasselblad, Pentax and killer tech lenses from Rodenstock and Schneider. Hasselblad updated a number of their H focal lengths in recent years and added a 24mm … notably the new HC50-II is a stunning optical achievement, to which they added a C/U objective that matched it. Phase has brought forward a number of well liked Schneider optics. Most notable has been Leica's S series lenses for larger than 35mm format. All new from the ground up. Recently they added the 45/2.8, and very recently the 100/2
which are a couple of my favorite MF lenses of all time.
Personally, I've been opting out of mainstream 35mm in favor of more specialized tools supplemented by … my iPhone:shocked:. When I shoot with the Leica MM, I use the iPhone for any color snaps I would normally take. When I shoot with the Leica S camera it's either in the studio where peeping through a tiny 35mm electronic viewfinder all day is a chore compared to the big bright finder of the S, or when working mobile with lighting I can toggle between FP ad CS modes at will. Specialization as opposed to generalization of photographic tools is what works for me now … and the iPhone picks up the rest.
This isn't meant to take away from those who love the cornucopia of stuff belching out of the Sony brand. Use what suits you. But I sure wouldn't call it an inexpensive venture. For the price of the annual camera updates most people have been engaging in, and all new lenses for the A-FE mount system, the CFVc can now be had … but that is a totally different photographic experience … albeit one I personally loved a lot, and miss to this day.
BTW, when I scan through all the images in the Fun With MF, and likewise FF Sony, I'm always struck by the obvious differences in IQ rather than the often touted similarities. Nothing I can do about that. It is what it is.
- Marc