My first “real” film camera was a Canon EOS Rebel S – purchased a few weeks before my son was born… when photography effectively became an essential part of my life.
Having a camera in your back pocket at all times; this singular advantage, like so much of the technical kind, has completely changed things…
Today, I have a computer assisted three lens camera in my iPhone that just blows my mind at how far this technology has improved beyond my ability to actually physically see it, and all within just a few decades of my lifetime.