For the last 30 years or so, the 35mm single lens reflex camera has been the tool of choice for crime-scene photographers. Sometimes, however, a developed photo is needed on the spot without the waiting time for developing. This is why Polaroid cameras have also been useful tools in crime-scene photography. Today, however, instant crime-scene photography has taken a quantum leap with the advent of digital cameras. Digital cameras permit instant imaging when time is an important factor in an investigation. Problems have arisen, however, in the use of digital images as evidence in court, since a crime-scene photo can be convincingly altered with computer editing software. Such evidentiary validity problems are slowly being addressed such that digital photography will be accepted by all U.S. courts. An impressive group of digital camera systems are now available for police applications. These systems range from small consumer-level 2-megapixel cameras to professional-quality $25,000, 24-megapixel cameras. Most of the systems described in this article are somewhere between these extremes. Some of the cameras described have the features of what the industry calls "prosumer" cameras, which means they fit some of the needs of the professional photographer and virtually all the needs of the amateur consumer. Investments in such digital cameras are quickly recovered in savings on film and processing.