In 1839, the camera was introduced to the world from Giroux, France. When the camera was first invented, its functions were quite slow and a bit sketchy. People having their pictures taken would have to stand perfectly still for a minute or two before the image could be fully developed inside the contraption. My microwave can cook me an egg faster than that. Even then, the camera was only capable of producing smudgy shades of gray. Dorothy is back in Kansas, Toto. At first, the black and white figures on the film were difficult to make out, but as the camera developed over the years, it became quite an effective tool for the sake of history.
             Today's conventional camera is a very powerful item, which produces crystal-clear images in just a second. Many cameras come with a strong zoom, doubling the camera's functions as a pair of binoculars. They offer red-eye reduction and are generally quite simple to use. More sophisticated models allow the user to set the camera on a timer so the photographer can photograph himself. Imagine: in the beginning, the camera took what seemed like decades just to snap a shot, and now we have installed timers to slow the thing down!
             As far as it has come, the conventional camera is not without its downsides. It requires film that must be loaded into the camera and filled with pictures before it is removed and brought to a photo store to be developed. Disposable cameras are sold now, which can be sent in whole to developers to produce the colorful images we are all used to. All of this development costs the photographer money and time. Just a few years ago, however, a seven-letter word changed photography forever. D-I-G-I-T-A-L.
             Remember when "digital" meant the kind of watch that doesn't have hands? Now it appears that everything has become digital. We now have digital cell phones, digital video, digital music, toys, salad shooters, washing machines-the list g...