Sorry about my seemingly disparaging remarks...Bad day! Anyway, Peter D. typifies what I was thinking. There is GREAT spiritual reward teaching yourself the craft, then knowing how the shot will turn out before it is done, because one has tought him/herself to previsualize without the aid of software driven tools. THAT is where the reward is! Think about the Zone System.

I sometimes compare the difference between film and digital as if a sculptor is told "Gee, that's nice, but we've got a CAD program linked ot a CNC machine and plastic molder, so your work has little value."

OR: Digital photography compared to film is what dynamite fishing is like to fly fishing.

I WILL SAY THIS in a postive manner: Digital photgraphy has made IMPRESSIVE advnaces in color balance and sharpness, nowhere is this most evident than with existing or tungsten lighting at night!