2.1 Advantages and Disadvantages of Digital Cameras Until recently, the most important choice a photographer had to make was between digital and analog systems. Nowadays, digital technology has super- seded analog equipment for virtually all types of photography. However, digi- tal technology has its shortcomings too, and every photographer has to learn to deal with them in the course of his/her work. 2.1.1 The Number and Availability of Images One of the great advantages of digital cameras is their ability to display results immediately. The data captured by the sensor can be instantaneously ana- lyzed and processed. Poorly exposed images no longer represent a waste of expensive material and can be quickly analyzed and deleted. In contrast to the analog process, shooting digital photos doesn't require the purchase and use of film and no longer involves complex development or digitizing processes. Once an image file has been transferred to a computer--either wirelessly or by using a memory card--it can be immediately viewed, processed, published, or printed. A digital memory card holds many more images than the limited number of shots analog film allows, making it (theoretically) possible to simply keep shooting until you have captured the perfect picture. For analog photogra- phers, more photos means more time and money spent having the film pro- cessed. This apparent disadvantage can, however, make the photographer think harder about each individual shot and prevent excessive use of the shut- ter button. The compulsion to shoot the next free digital image can lead to hurried compositions. If they are not careful, digital photographers can easily end up producing too many images of insufficient quality. 2.1.2 Resolution and Tonal Range Today's digital image sensors provide higher resolution than analog film with the same format. Only large format sheet film cameras used in combination with high-quality digitizing processes can offer greater resolution and better detail rendition. The sheer number of pixels built into a digital image sensor means that you are virtually unlimited in the size of the prints you can make, especially if you consider that viewing distance normally increases with the size of a print anyway. Things look rather different when it comes to reproducing the dynamic range--i.e., the range of contrast--in a scene. Negative film can reproduce 12 stops or more of contrast and reacts less sensitively to critical, high-contrast situations. Analog material also has fewer problems than digital capture tech- niques in potentially overexposed image areas, and tends not to produce the 12 Camera Technology