I think you might be reading a bit too much into the statement itself, Bart. Its like watching a professional driver race a lap in his Formula One car versus doing a lap in a regular car on Star in a Reasonably Priced Car. In either case, the professional driver will wipe the floor with a normal person.

Likewise, with either an expensive piece of kit of a disposable camera, an excellent photographer will get pictures that are far superior to an average person. Having an excellent camera will improve most people's shots, regardless of who they are, and I'd say that there's a curve there too, so that the better the operator is, the more of an improvement will be visible.

Saying you must have a great camera is not a comment on the camera operator, but a comment on the quality of the picture that the speaker cannot see themselves taking it without the help of technology.