Sorry! I can't identify much with this quote from Edward Weston. Whenever I buy new gear, it's always because I've experienced some degree of disatisfaction with my current gear, and discover that the new gear is not only claimed to address such problem, but actually does address such problems, according to sites such as DXOMark.
For example, my first digital camera, the 6mp Canon D60, had rather poor high-ISO performance. I could see the noise clearly on my computer monitor, even at ISO 400. At ISO 800 it was unbearable. ISO 1,000 was the highest ISO setting. The only reason I ever used ISO 1,000 was to reconfirm that noise was unacceptable, in all circumstances.
When Canon released the 20D some years later, the improvement in high-ISO noise was so significant that upgrading the D60 to a 20D was a no-brainer.
Likewise, when Canon produced an affordable full-frame DSLR, the 12mp 5D, around the same time it offered a good quality 24-105/F4 zoom, the decision was easy to buy both the camera and the lens. The improved results were a joy to behold.
However, nothing's perfect. Despite my general satisfaction with th Canon 5D, there were times when I was really pissed off with the banding and the noise in the deep shadows. I felt that some of my best shots were ruined because I was unable to retrieve clean detail in the shadows.
When Nikon addressed this problem, to a small degree with the full-frame D3 and D700, and later to a much more significant degree with the D7000 and the D800, then the decision was clear. I now use Nikon equipment.
I hope the point I'm making is clear. I'm distinguishing between a redressing of dissatisfaction with one's current equipment, and the seduction of advertised new effects which may be perceived as cool.