Sigma, known mainly to photographers for their affordable lenses, recently caused quite a stir among discerning photographers. How? By building three compact cameras around the incredible sensor taken from the SD1, which initially cost $10,000. The image quality is simply incredible, and the cameras themselves are small, light and unobtrusive. For photographers seeking the best possible image quality on a budget, they’re unmatched.

But there are lots of compromises. Foremost among them is battery life. The small batteries don’t last long so you’ll need to buy spares. Fortunately, they’re cheap. Second compromise; usability. It’s pretty good for a compact camera, and the controls are well laid out for photographers, but there’s some shutter lag, the auto-focus can’t match dSLRs and the huge RAW files take a while to write to the card.

The main …

Phil Steele recently released a good video on the topic of Lens Hoods that I thought readers might enjoy.

It covers everything from the why, when, and how of using Lens Hoods.

Just a reminder – Phil currently is offering 30% off his Lightroom Made Easy online course for just a few more days on SnapnDeals.

When reviewing this camera’s direct predecessor, the RX100, I remarked that Sony’s claim it was “The best pocket camera ever made” was a bit steep. Part of my scepticism was the company’s claim that its sensor was considerably larger than the rest of the crowd …. In reality, the CMOS’ diagonal figure measured only 15.8mm, packed to the brim with 20.2 million effective pixels.

But, with the RX1, we really start to talk real figures.

Sure, the asking price tops out at around $3000.

But, check the specs!

Sony Cyber-Shot RX1 Features

The CMOS sensor is within a bat’s whisker of a 35mm full frame, so the fixed f2/35mm Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* …

As a fan of the Mac I find it hard to avoid news of the constant sniping, litigation and general blazing that is going on between Apple and Samsung over alleged patent infringements, new developments, new products and amazing improvements to existing iDevices.

However, in a way, I see the Apple vs Samsung barney as a good thing, with the eventual outcomes arriving as radical new devices and/or useful advances in many products.

So, it is in this environment that I am reviewing a newcomer from the Dark Side! Move over Microsoft, there’s a new boy in town.

As Samsung says: This is the first Galaxy Camera, featuring Wi-Fi connectivity and Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) software. It combines high performance photography with mobile technology ….

Straight …

Here’s a quick tip for Canon 5D MkIII users.

Canon EOS 5D MkIII with EF 50mm f/1.2L

If you don’t use this camera, this tip probably isn’t very helpful for you. Instead you might be interested to read about how I shot the above photo. Also, I recommend skimming through your camera manual to see what customizations are available. Customizing your camera’s button configuration can help taylor the camera to your shooting style.

With the 5D Mark III, Canon added the ability for users to change the function of several of the buttons on the camera body. In addition to this new functionality, Canon also moved the Depth of Field (DoF) preview button. It’s …