Good photographs come from developing an eye for visualising pictures from what you see, not from owning the latest super mega whatever high tech cameras and lenses. Success is nothing more than having the ability to make the creative leap from what you see into a photographic image that realises your vision. That needs you, the photographer.
The secret of this is to train the eye and mind to visualise images, captured and isolated in a small frame, out of the chaotic, complex, confused, and constantly moving environment to become photographs that will stimulate an emotion in their viewers.
Experienced photogs become adept at 'seeing' interesting pictures out of the bigger scene as they have spent large amounts of time looking through the viewfinder, framing pictures, creating photos then learning from their mistakes! They concentrate on what they see in the frame, as well as what they choose to leave out of the frame, and on how the colours and shapes work together or indeed against each other.
This creative and imaginative process is at the heart of photography and it cannot be emphasised enough how much vision is the primary key to effective image creation and being a great photographer.
Oh, as for tech well some of the best known and most iconic photos of the 20th century were made on mechanical rangefinder film cameras like the one shown above with optical viewfinders and no electronics in sight.