it seems difficult to argue that a 512 × 512 image produced with a 1970s-era analog scanner is the best we have to offer as an image quality test standard
This is the part I don’t get. How has the picture not changed with the times due to camera advances.
Well, according to the Wikipedia article that’s exactly the criticism (but without sarcasm).
This is the part I don’t get. How has the picture not changed with the times due to camera advances.
Same reason the length of a meter hasn’t changed despite measurement advances. It was used as a benchmark.