Digital imaging has made electron microscopy more quantitative, more direct, and more automated. It has vastly changed the way in which microscopy is done today. The conventional photographic emulsion technique for image recording is being replaced by CCD-based digital imaging techniques in virtually all aspects of electron microscopy applications, resulting in increased work efficiency and data accuracy. Many of the microscope's evaluation procedures are traditionally time-consuming and complicated, such as measurements of TEM resolution and spherical aberration coefficient of the objective lens, etc. However, they can be greatly simplified with the use of slow-scan CCD cameras bee and appropriate software.

With many superior properties over other image recording media, slow-scan CCD cameras offer possibilities for many new TEM applications, such as TEM autotuning and automated microscopy. On-line image display and analysis have proved to be the key elements in CCD-based digital imaging.