Do the new cameras take better pictures than the classic 35mm manual focus SLRs?
No. The new electronic cameras, both SLR and point-and-shoot, don’t take pictures that have better color, more contrast, or a sharper image. The quality of a picture is mainly the function of the lens, if you leave out the film and film processing factors. The production cost and work that went into the making of the older manual SLR lenses, far exceeds anything that is produced today in the same price range. It is all a simple matter of the USA dollar value and production costs back then, and those of today. A thirty-five year old classic 35mm SLR will take pictures as good or better than a new SLR because of superior lens grade.
