[Leica] Are we there yet?

[drodgers at casefarms.com (David Rodgers)]

I've been researching new digital cameras. The big boys not the P&Ss. I
can't help but think things are leveling off where the gains may not be
so great going forward. 

Performance under good conditions has been around for a while. Now it
seems the Nikon D3 and D700 have tremendous low light capabilities. The
Canon D5MkII has enough pixels to choke a Pentium. The M8/M8.2 provides
image quality that is unsurpassed. Pentax has its relatively compact
Four/Thirds? Etc.  

So what's next? Dramatic improvements? Or is it safe to say we're at a
plateau where what's touted as big improvements turn out to be bells and
whistles? Hey, with Sony in the game maybe we can all play Madden while
we wait for the light to get just right. But seriously, how many pixels
does one need and do you really want to photograph in the dark? (Well,
infinite and yes, but at what cost?)

I imagine R&D budgets are getting slashed like every other cost center.
Does that mean extended product cycles? It's been a wild ride, but maybe
we're finally there. Has the prosumer digital market finally passed
adolescence and moved on to adulthood? I say yes, buy maybe I'm missing
something.   

DaveR