As Canon continues to expand the Speedlite family, more photographers struggle to know which flash to buy.

So let’s take a quick run through the current Speedlite lineup, from low end to high end, to see if we can determine which flash is right for your needs.

SPEEDLITE 270EX II

Starting with the least expensive flash, the 270EX II is a “mini” Speedlite that lacks some of the key functions found in the larger flashes.

It has no infrared focus-assist beam to help you focus in the dark (instead it does that annoying strobe thing), and while it can tilt to bounce from a ceiling, it cannot swivel from side to side.

It lacks a manual power mode, so even though it can serve as a remote TTL slave using the Canon

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Yes, I am one of those crazy, semi-hypocritical converts who is now touting the virtues of the iPhone as a usable camera. I didn’t start out this way (note the semi-hypocritical part). But after being gifted such a phone/camera/GPS/game console, I would be a fool not to see how much use I can get out of a camera that is with me at all time, it seems.

For the skeptics, don’t worry, you can keep being skeptical. The camera on this phone is not a super wonder and it has its limits. You can still dig on the fact that it stinks at night photos. But, in all fairness, there are a couple of areas the phone’s camera (camera’s phone?) works with great results, by my standard. I have owned my phone …

Check out this amazing camera – it has a 112 megapixel sensor that literally dwarfs any sensor you or I have in our cameras! It’s also a black and white only camera – but I’m betting it leaves the Leica M Monochrom for dead in terms of quality and price!

Want to see it made? Zeke makes a call for people to let them know if you want to see it made and then tested by photographers – it would certainly be pretty cool.

Today Leica have announced a range of cameras as well as a lens at an event in Berlin Germany – one of which is causing quite the stir.

It is the new Leica M-Monochrom camera – worth a cool $7990 USD (body only).

The discussion already rages around the web – largely centred upon two areas:

• the price (a debate that happens every time Leica cameras are mentioned)
• the fact that this is a Black and White camera – there’s nothing colour here!

I might skip over the debate on price as it’s an old one and ultimately people will pay for this camera (in face of late Leica seems to be having a resurgence dispute the hefty price of their cameras and lenses (disclosure: I shoot with a Leica M9P).

But lets take a quick look

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First there was the HX5V, then HX9V … now the HX20V. So we’ve gone from a 10x zoom camera to a 15x, and finally a 20x zoom compact digicam.

I happily use the earlier HX5V as an everyday camera, for holidays and occasionally for shots of review cameras. A good all-rounder but, if I had known of the progression Sony planned — 10x to 15x to 20x — maybe I would have waited for the 20 timer. But probably not, because I would have missed the pleasure over the last two years of owning the HX5V as a capable picture maker.

We’ve come up a bit in body size since the HX5V: it’s about one third overall larger, but placed side-by-side you would barely notice the difference. Weight: about 50 grams heavier. Not much diff….