[JJ_SO]

Ihere are tons of occassios, when each available f-stop counts for a good result. Also, there's a zone in which noise becomes questionable. Wether the picture suffers of it or not. And the more f-stops are in between, the better. You were asking for examples of 14 stop ranges, well knowing there's not method to measure them in a RAW. It's not getting a better excuse the more you repeat the comfort of Canon shooters who have to live with blown highlights and noisy shadows. I guess one can arrange himself with a less big bandwidth of tones. But as there are enough alternatives, why limiting myself?

Of course the human eye can adapt to much more contrast and more light difference, just by scanning a scene, as seeing is a constant adaptation. But if we take the human eye as model for a lens or a camera, there's no reason to deliver corner sharpness at all. Also no reason to freeze action with 1/4000 of a second. In fact, most of all very good photographs we know today would not have been possible or look much different than they are. Next predictable blurb is "no printer can print 14 stops" and the answer is as predictable as well "no, but a tonemapped picture" - and if you also think tone mapping is devil's work, I suggest you close your eyes next time you visit a gallery with fine art prints. Ah, you don't do these kind of things? Well, then...