I can't resist sharing my reactions to this and other similar discussions. They have spurred me to two insights and actions:
1. I'm archiving them for my 3-year old granddaughter's entainment when she turns 21. By then, when digital's fate has long since been decided, the issues debated so hotly will be of great entertainment for her and her friends. Heck, such material ought to be great fodder for a college term paper whether she majors in art, sociology, anthropology or engineering. I sure wish a similar archive existed to record the introduction of color film, which "doomed" black and white film so many years ago. Do you think there would be points in common?
2. As much as digital photography is dependent upon computers, so is it subject to the foibles of that evolving technology. "Newer and better" versions emerge faster than the marketing departments can pucker their lips to the heraldic trumpets. Just as I do with computers, I will skip several generations before "upgrading" my digital camera. Heck, I did the same thing when buying film cameras in the gloomy past, as did most everyone else I know, so why should I behave any differently toward emerging digital models?
Time will most certainly cure all <digital> evils. Prices go down as features go up, even if the newest models cost arms and legs. I was near panic when I paid $2700 for my D30 a couple of years ago, but what is it worth today? For that matter what will $2700 buy today, in terms of features? The D30 doesn't take any worse pictures than it did new, unless there is some kind of sensor deterioration we don't know about yet. My expectations for a digital camera have simply gone up faster than my budget. No, I will not pay the current asking price for a D1s, but rest assured that the USED price of a D1s will have a lot to do with the price-per-feature of its successor. At that time I will make the decision between an antiquated D1s and its sibbling, but for the time being I am content to endure the social embarassment and sensor envy I am experiencing with my puny D30.
Hank