Sure. To me, the difference is that in episode IV, the rebels are a rag-tag group, clearly fighting with limited resources against a dominant opponent.
In episodes VII-VIII, the New Republic is dominant, and ought not to have quite as limited resources as in episode IV.
Actually, the we've seen very little about the New Republic. We've only seen the capital system being destroyed. The films has focused on General Leia and her Resistance group, which is not a New Republic force (though she does get some support from allies in the New Republic).
The Resistance Against the First Order is an independent group, created by Leia because she saw that the New Republic was doing little to face the growing threat of the First Order. The group is underfunded and is supported, mainly, with out-of-date tech and Civil War era craft.
I imagine, had we seen more of the New Republic, before the fleet was taken out by Starkiller base, that we'd have seen ultra-modern, high tech vessels and soldiers with top grade tech.