Todays cameras + software = better photos

These days, on average, I get many more great images from a shoot than I used to. It's partly me becoming a better photographer through experience. But it's also largely thanks to technological improvements.

These are mostly obvious to photographers, but worth listing anyhow.

• Raw images: Shooting raw images and having quality software that plays nicely with raw images (like Lightroom or Aperture) allows us to pull so much more detail from an image that is not exposed perfectly.
• Lightroom or Aperture: So much more can be done quickly and efficiently, when compared to previous generations of image tools. Using software that allows for full workflow makes things amazingly efficient. For example, if you need to increase the exposure of 17 specific images by one third of an f-stop. No big deal. And it's amazing to be able to use one tool to pick the best images, organize, print, touch up, make web galleries, etc.
• A larger display: The displays on the back of current cameras are huge. This instant clear feedback can make it easier to get a better next image. It also makes it easier to show a subject, thus making for a better collaboration.
• Speed: The faster I can click the shutter, the more I can overshoot and have more pictures to pick from for the best possible expression. A fast camera equals better photos.
• Right side up: One of my favorite features of today's cameras is that they do a decent job of knowing the proper top side of an image. For shoots of several thousand images, doing this rotation manually got quite annoying.
• More more more: Higher resolution images, longer battery life, and huge memory cards rock! It's funny to think back to the days when I had to change film after 36 photos.

I have many friends whose favorite feature of current non-pro cameras is that they can be the size of a suppository. :-)

What's next in the decades to come?

• Will video cameras become the same quality as today as still cameras?
• Will the computer be able to help pick the most aesthetically pleasing images for us?
• Will changing lenses be pressing a button, since the "lens" will be digitally formed or built out of a glass like medium that can change on the fly?

What do you think we'll see in the years to come?

What do you like best about your new camera?