Well not really, as long as you have the right ipsw downloaded, you can still restore to the version you are currently have and not have to install the latest. All you need to do is hold the option (mac) and find the file you want install (provided that Apple is still signing that firmware).
It's a matter of if Apple is still signing it or not. Two nights ago, I was able to downgrade back to 8.0 from 8.0.2 and it looks like Apple is still signing 8.0.