If you're in the Bay area, the ongoing Macworld/iWorld event is worth a trip to Moscone Center West in the heart of San Francisco. The show boasts about 300 exhibitors, tech talks, live events, music, and after-hours parties.

Floor demo of the Padcaster that turns an iPad into a broadcasting machine.

Chances are also good that your favorite Mac luminary will be hanging around the corridors. Half the fun of my day spent at Macworld was visiting with friends in the business who I don't see often these days.

Powell St., San Francisco

Plus, the weather is great in San Francisco right now, and it's a wonderful place for street shooting. I grabbed plenty of shots with my iPhone and Olympus PEN while hoofing around the city.

Macworld/iWorld runs through Feb. 2. You might want to stop by if you're in the neighborhood.

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Nine times out of ten, when a new client doesn't like the job you've delivered, it's because the images don't match what they've visualized in their mind. This is exacerbated by their assumption that what they are seeing in the proofs will be the final look of the project.

When you encounter this, and you will if you shoot enough, try to ignore charged statements such as, "I thought I had communicated what I wanted, but clearly I did not." and get to the root of the issue as quickly as possible. Often, you'll have to do a little detective work to find out the adjustments that are needed.

Once you've figured out the direction you need to pursue, respond with an even voice addressing their concerns and assuring them that the project will still turn out well. I often have them choose their favorite image from the gallery, then apply the changes to it for review. Typically, the feedback will be more positive on the second round, allowing you to build some momentum. Once you get one image to their liking, you can apply those changes to the other selects.

You'll probably spend more time on this project than you had originally planned. But it's important to make the client happy, if possible, because it will lead to repeat business and referrals. Think of the extra time you're spending as part of your marketing.

Clients don't always realize that an image has to start somewhere, and that we have the talent and tools to take it in many different directions. Stay confident and listen closely. With a little luck, your cranky client will soon be a happy one.

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Sigma announced Art Line versions of its 19mm and 30mm prime lenses for Micro Four Thirds and Sony NEX mounts.

"All three DN lenses incorporate telecentric optical designs and a linear, auto focusing motor that ensures accurate and quiet focusing for video recording. They also boast metal exteriors and a simply shaped focus ring, with varying textures to distinguish each part of the lens. In addition, DN users can choose between a black or silver finish to match their favorite equipment. "

No word yet on price or exact release date for the new lenses. But we anticipate that it won't be long before they are available.

In the meantime, you can get a great deal on the existing versions of the 19mm and 30mm f/2.8 primes. B&H Photo is offering the pair for $199 ($99.50 per lens!). That's an affordable way to add two prime lenses to your Micro Four Thirds kit.

I have the Sigma 30mm f/2.8 prime for my Olympus camera bodies, and have enjoyed using it. It cost me $199 for just the one lens when I bought it in April 2012.

Take a look at the Olympus Micro Four Thirds Gear Guide for an overview of cameras, lenses, and accessories.

This week's stories: Using Lensbaby on Micro Four Thirds to create shallow depth of field, what's going on with Nik Software, a look at Drobo warranty and technical support, and what's coming up this week.

Story #1 - Lensbaby Composer Pro for Micro Four-Thirds cameras- One of the few drawbacks to shooting with micro four thirds cameras is that their images display a greater depth of field. For many shoots, this isn't a problem, and it's often a blessing.

But for those occasions when I want very shallow depth of field, I've experimented with the Lensbaby Composer Pro for micro four thirds. This $300 accessory has a focal length of 50mm and tilts from zero to 17.5 degrees.

You manually focus the Lensbaby using its well-dampened focusing ring, then alter the shallow depth of field effect by adjusting the metal swivel ball. Because you do have to manually focus, I recommend using the Lensbaby with an electronic viewfinder. For the first time ever, I can get radical shallow depth of field with a micro four thirds camera.

BTW: The Lensbaby Composer Pro is available in many mounts, including Canon and Nikon too.

Story #2 - What's going on with Nik Software? I noticed this week that Nik Silver Efex Pro 2 was not available for sale on B&H Photo or Amazon. Wondering is this is a result of the purchase of Nik by Google. If you know something about this, please post a comment in the Show notes.

Story #3 - Drobo Support and Warranty - The Drobo 5D comes with a 2 year warranty and 90 days of technical support. As you end the 90 day period, you can purchase Drobo Care for $169 a year. That includes 24x7 technical support, can be renewed for one year period as long as the product is still being sold, and advanced replacement - when you call, we'll send your hardware replacement same day.

If you choose not to buy Drobo Care, then you have the standard hardware replacement for 2 years (Hardware repair or exchange - when we receive your Drobo unit, we'll either repair it or send you a replacement) and no 24x7 technical support.

I haven't made a decision on what I'm going to do yet.

Story #4 - Just a reminder that I'll be at Macworld/iWorld this coming Thursday afternoon at Moscone West in SF. Best way to connect will be at the Digital Photography Panel Discussion (on main stage, I believe) led by Macworld Editor Jackie Dove at 2pm on Thursday.

Listen to the Podcast

You can also download the podcast here (28 minutes). Or better yet, subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. You can support this podcast by purchasing the TDS iPhone App for only $2.99 from the Apple App Store.

Monthly Photo Assignment

The January 2013 photo assignment is Self Timer.

More Ways to Participate

Want to share photos and talk with other members in our virtual camera club? Check out our Flickr Public Group. And from those images, I choose the TDS Member Photo of the Day.

Podcast Sponsors

Red River Paper -- Keep up with the world of inkjet printing, and win free paper, by liking Red River Paper on Facebook.

Make Your Photos Sizzle with Color! -- SizzlPix is like High Definition TV for your photography. Special Offer! They're offering a 14% discount for Valentine's Day gifts to significant others, spouses, children ... pix of pets, etc. Valentines day is a month from now, Feb. 14. Orders received by January 30 shipped in time. Just add TDS to the comments field to receive your discount.

Need a New Photo Bag? Check out the Lowepro Specialty Store on The Digital Story and use discount code LP20 to saven 20% at check out.

I wanted to make a photo that captured the beauty and clean design of the Audi R8 sports car. The problem was, I didn't have access to one. So I tried this experiment instead.

I photographed a 1/16 scale model of an R8 in my studio using the Lensbaby Composer Pro for Micro Four-Thirds camerasto create the shallow depth of field that's a challenge for smaller sensor cameras, then processed the image in Aperture 3.4 using Nik Silver Efex Pro 2 software.

The combination of the Lens Baby with the Film Noir effect helped me fashion a stylized look that conveys the "feel" of the car without actually having access to one. The low camera angle contributes to the illusion also.

What's interesting to me is that, the more I abstracted the rendering of the Audi, the closer it felt to being a real car. In the past, I haven't been a huge fan on the Lens Baby on my Canon DSLRs. I couldn't really get a feel for it. But I love using the Composer on my Olympus PENs and the OM-D. It's the first time I've been able to create that radical shallow depth of field on a micro four-thirds body.

As a side note, I'm not sure about the fate of Nik's Silver Efex Pro since its acquisition by Google. I noticed that it isn't currently available at B&H Photo or Amazon. It's one of my favorite plug-ins for Aperture 3. And once again Silver Efex helped me create an image that I had visualized in my mind.

With all of that being said... I have to close with: Is it real, or is it Silver Efex?.

Aperture Tips and Techniques

To learn more about Aperture, check out my Aperture 3.3 Essential Training (2012) on lynda.com. Also, take a look at our Aperture 3 Learning Center. Tons of free content about how to get the most out of Aperture.

The Digital Story on Facebook -- discussion, outstanding images from the TDS community, and inside information. Join our celebration of great photography!

Want to get your photo business on track? Then you might want to download the free The 2013 Photo Business Plan Workbook. Just click on the link, enter an email address, and PhotoShelter will send the PDF to you. You can easily peruse the content on your computer or iPad. The type renders too small for iPhone reading, but with GoodReader is quite serviceable on an iPad.

The topics cover brand building, social networking, SEO, and more. Lots of good information here for the freelance photographer trying to up his game.

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I stumbled across this article, Best Wi-Fi Cameras by Kyle Schurman. To tell the truth, I hadn't realized there were so many models with this capability.

I was familiar with the Canon PowerShot ELPH 320 HS ($199) and of course the Canon 6D ($2,100). But there are plenty of models by Sony, Panasonic, Nikon, and Samsung too.

The WiFi camera I'm looking forward to testing is the Canon PowerShot N ($299) once it's released in April.

In the meantime, Kyle's article will give you a good feel for the WiFi landscape.

Join me on my Instagram site as I explore the world of mobile photography.

The Olympus 15mm f/8.0 Body Cap Lensthat we first saw back at Photokina is now readily available for $49. This is a great accessory for micro four thirds shooters, and at a terrific price.

Body Lens Cap on an Olympus PEN mini. Be sure the lever lines up perfectly with the white dot when shooting. Improper position shown here. (Move just a bit more to the right!)

About the size of an Oreo cookie, the BCL is perfect for your backup camera because it keeps it ultra compact so you can fit it just about anywhere. If you need to take a quick shot, move the lever on the lens to the "dot position" and shoot. The image quality is remarkably good. It even has a macro mode by moving the lever all the way to the right.

When you're done shooting, slide the lever all the way to the left so it lines up with the orange marker. That slides the lens cover in place to protect the optics.

My big tip for shooting with this lens is to be sure to line up the lever with the white dot when in regular shooting mode. You'll feel a click-stop there. By doing so, your general photography shots will be in focus. If you're just a bit off in the alignment, they will be out of focus.

I really like this accessory. I doubt that I'll be using my regular body caps again. They just seem so one-dimensional compared the the BCL.

Take a look at the Olympus Micro Four Thirds Gear Guide for an overview of cameras, lenses, and accessories.

The LA Clippers visited Oracle Arena on Martin Luther King Day for a matinee game against the Golden State Warriors. Many of the Clippers stars came out for warm ups about an hour before the game. I like to get there early and watch them go through their pre-game routines.

DeAndre Jordan refining his footwork with a Clippers coach.

To stay within photography restrictions, you have to leave the flash at home and work with short, prime lenses. Anything that extends beyond 3" isn't allowed. I use my OM-D with a Zeiss 85mm f/2.8 prime. It's legal and it's sharp.

Blake Griffin practices his free throws.

The game itself was a thriller. Warriors came back in the fourth quarter to win 106-99 over the Clippers. Both teams played well, much to the delight of the thunderous Oracle Arena crowd.

Grant Hill watches a long range shot go down.

I like working on portraits before the game because it's easier to isolate the athletes than under game conditions. Plus, it's enjoyable to watch how professionals prepare for their work.

Join me on my Instagram site as I explore the world of mobile photography.

This week's stories: 2013 Photo Workshops Schedule, Return of Drobo Part 5, Budget Fisheye, Macworld 2013.

Story #1 - Time to start thinking about our workshops for the upcoming season. We have five on the books right now. Let's take a closer look at them.

• iPad for Photographers Workshop - April 20 & 21, 2013 - Sebastopol Apple Festival - TDS Studio in Santa Rosa, CA
• Movie Making for Photographers - June 15 & 16, 2013 - Sonoma County Hot Air Balloon Classic - TDS Studio in Santa Rosa, CA
• Sonoma Coast Workshop - August 17 & 18, 2013 - Bodega Bay Lodge, Bodega Bay, Doran Beach, CA
• Fall Color with Safari West - Oct. 20, 21, & 22, 2013 - TDS Studio in Santa Rosa, Safari West, Vineyards
• Aperture Intensive - Nov. 16 & 17, 2013 - TDS Studio in Santa Rosa, CA

Additional Possibilities:

- Event Photography covering the Wine Country Big-Q BBQ Competition on July 12 & 13, 2013
- Action Photography covering the Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival on May 18 & 19, 2013
- Another Aperture Intensive

You can get on the Reserve List by visiting the TDS Workshops page.

Story #2 - Return of Drobo, Part 5 - Which hard drives do I have loaded in my Drobo? I have two Seagate Barracuda 3000 GB drives in the bottom 2 bays, and 3 Seagate 1000 GB drives in the top 3 bays. Their specs are:

• 7200 RPM and 64 MB cache
• Seagate OptiCacheâ„¢ technology improves performance by up to 45 percent
• Seagate AcuTracâ„¢ technology enables reliable read/write performance even in high touch operating environments

Story #3 - Fisheye for my iPhone - I spent $16 and bought the 3in1 Fisheye Wide Angle Macro Lens kit for my iPhone 4S.

Story #4 - Macworld 2013 - I'm be hanging out at the Macworld/iWorld event in San Francisco on the afternoon of Thursday, Jan 31, 2013. If you're in town and attending the show at Moscone West, be sure to look me up and say hi.

Listen to the Podcast

You can also download the podcast here (29 minutes). Or better yet, subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. You can support this podcast by purchasing the TDS iPhone App for only $2.99 from the Apple App Store.

Monthly Photo Assignment

The January 2013 photo assignment is Self Timer.

More Ways to Participate

Want to share photos and talk with other members in our virtual camera club? Check out our Flickr Public Group. And from those images, I choose the TDS Member Photo of the Day.

Podcast Sponsors

Red River Paper -- Keep up with the world of inkjet printing, and win free paper, by liking Red River Paper on Facebook.

Make Your Photos Sizzle with Color! -- SizzlPix is like High Definition TV for your photography. Special Offer! They're offering a 14% discount for Valentine's Day gifts to significant others, spouses, children ... pix of pets, etc. Valentines day is a month from now, Feb. 14. Orders received by January 30 shipped in time. Just add TDS to the comments field to receive your discount.

Need a New Photo Bag? Check out the Lowepro Specialty Store on The Digital Story and use discount code LP20 to saven 20% at check out.

To help protect the front element of my Olympus M.Zuiko 17mm lens,I like the $7.29 Rainbowimaging 37mm Vented Metal Hood Shadethat screws into the front threads. The vented hood is extremely light, which is important as to not stress the autofocusing mechanism of the 17mm prime.

I did a vignette test with the Rainbowimaging lens hood on the 17mm just to make sure they were compatible. It looks pretty good. Just a smidge in the corners. But you decide for yourself.

Vignette test for Rainbowimaging lens shade on Olympus 17mm f/2.8 pancake lens.

Personally, I like the way the Rainbowimaging lens shade looks on the 17mm, especially on my PEN mini. It's a good value and well made.

Take a look at the Olympus Micro Four Thirds Gear Guide for an overview of cameras, lenses, and accessories.

I'm be hanging out at the Macworld/iWorld event in San Francisco on the afternoon of Thursday, Jan 31, 2013. If you're in town and attending the show at Moscone West, be sure to look me up and say hi.

Best way to connect will be at the Digital Photography Panel Discussion (on main stage, I believe) led by Macworld Editor Jackie Dove at 2pm on Thursday. I'm on the panel with other Macworld writers including Mark Spencer, Gary Adcock, and Jeff Carlson. After the 45-minute panel, I'll explore the exhibit hall.

The Macworld event itself looks terrific. Lots of interesting talks and exhibitors. Hope to see you there.

Aperture Tips and Techniques

To learn about Aperture, check out my Aperture 3.3 Essential Training (2012) on lynda.com. Also, take a look at our Aperture 3 Learning Center. Tons of free content about how to get the most out of Aperture.

The Digital Story on Facebook -- discussion, outstanding images from the TDS community, and inside information. Join our celebration of great photography!

I've had a hankering to play with fisheye photography, but didn't have the budget for a lens for my OM-D. So I spent $16 and bought the 3in1 Fisheye Wide Angle Macro Lens kitfor my iPhone 4S. I went with this budget kit because it was affordable and included a snap-on case for the iPhone. That way I didn't have to apply any adhesive to the phone itself.

Inside of a plastic Vitamin Water bottle

I carry the lens in my pocket, then make crazy photography shots when I have a moment or two of downtime during my everyday life.

Beauty Salon

I'm having a blast, and I'm "scratching that fisheye itch" without dinging my credit card.

Join me on my Instagram site as I explore the world of mobile photography.

I like making short movies and publishing them online. And I like trying different looks. So I decided to give the Dramatic Tone art filter a spin for my latest YouTube endeavor. The art filters for the Olympus OM-D E-M5can be used for both still photography and movies.

Since this was a "quickie," I recorded the piece using the onboard microphone for the OM-D. A Joby GP3 GorillaPodsteadied the camera while recording. And for the lens, I used the Panasonic LUMIX G X VARIO 12-35mm/F2.8 zoomwith the aperture set wide open. I edited the clips and added the Ken Burns effect in Aperture 3.4

The Dramatic Tone look intrigues me. For some scenes, like the first shot of the wall safe, I really like it. For skin tones, I don't care for it at all.

For a more sophisticated movie project, I'd probably limit the use of the filter to specific scenes. The trick would be blending the overall visual feel for the video using different filters and lighting.

But the only way you really get to know this stuff is to fire up the camera and make a movie. After doing so, you can analyze what you like and don't like, then incorporate that knowledge into your next project.

Take a look at the Olympus Micro Four Thirds Gear Guide for an overview of cameras, lenses, and accessories.

This week stories: Hands on with the Canon PowerShot N, falling in lust with the Fujifilm X20, and the Return of Drobo, Part 4.

Story #1 - The Canon PowerShot Nfeatures a powerful 28-224mm optical zoom, 12 MP sensor, touchscreen LCD that flips open, one button WiFi connectivity to your mobile device, stunning creative filters that can automatically be applied, and it's "shirt pocket" small. Price will be $299 this April.

I thought it was the most innovative consumer camera at CES.

But is it innovative enough for nimble photographers to slide into their pockets when they already have a capable smartphone?

Story #2 - The Fujifilm X20 ($599)reminded of just how handsome and capable a compact camera can be. Inside its die-cast magnesium body is a new 12MP 2/3" X-Trans CMOS II sensor coupled to a Fujinon 28-112mm f/2-2.8 zoom lens. Fuji's sensor is larger than much of its competition, including the Canon G15 and Panasonic LX7 that both use 1/1.7" chips.

The X20 now features an advanced optical zooming viewfinder that has an information overlay so you can see the current exposure settings while composing the shot. This is well implemented, and a welcome upgrade to the x10's viewfinder, which was good to begin with.

Additional features include an Intelligent Hybrid AF System, full HD 1080 video at 60fps, RAW capture, built-in film filters.

Story #3 - The Return of Drobo, Part 4. Since only my MacBook Pro Retina Display has Thunderbolt connectors, which I had been using for this project, I decided to try out the Drobo 5D using its buff USB cord included in the kit, and connecting it to my second generation (2009) MacBook Air.

For sorting and viewing images in Aperture reading the library located on the Drobo, performance was quite good. Where I noticed a difference was loading the data for RAW files in the Adjustments Inspector. There was a short delay from the time I opened the image until the adjustment tools were ready for use.

My conclusion is that I can view images, add metadata, and sort from the Aperture library using the humble USB 2 connection from my older MBP Air. But if I want to engage in serious image editing of RAW files, I should use the Thunderbolt connectivity on my newer MBP Retina Display.

Keep in mind however, that the USB port on the 5D is version 3. I was using USB 2 on my MBP Air. In the next installment, we'll see how USB 3 fares on the newer MBP.

Listen to the Podcast

You can also download the podcast here (29 minutes). Or better yet, subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. You can support this podcast by purchasing the TDS iPhone App for only $2.99 from the Apple App Store.

Monthly Photo Assignment

The January 2013 photo assignment is Self Timer.

More Ways to Participate

Want to share photos and talk with other members in our virtual camera club? Check out our Flickr Public Group. And from those images, I choose the TDS Member Photo of the Day.

Podcast Sponsors

Red River Paper -- Keep up with the world of inkjet printing, and win free paper, by liking Red River Paper on Facebook.

Make Your Photos Sizzle with Color! -- SizzlPix is like High Definition TV for your photography. Special Offer! They're offering a 14% discount for Valentine's Day gifts to significant others, spouses, children ... pix of pets, etc. Valentines day is a month from now, Feb. 14. Orders received by January 30 shipped in time. Just add TDS to the comments field to receive your discount.

Need a New Photo Bag? Check out the Lowepro Specialty Store on The Digital Story and use discount code LP20 to saven 20% at check out.

I know I'll never digitize my entire film catalog. But with the The Lomography Smartphone Film Scanner, I can choose images from my catalog, scan them with my iPhone, and use them immediately on Flickr, Instagram, Twiter, Facebook, and The Digital Story.

It's a Kickstarter program that still has openings at the $50 level and above. Delivery is scheduled for March 2013.

It's a clever idea that not only allows us to use our old slides and negatives, but encourages photographers to fire up their film cameras and burn a roll or two. I'll report more when I have the scanner in hand.

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It's easy to create your own image effects in Aperture, complete with previews. Think of them as recipes that you can replicate time and time again "This is delicious! Can you make this again?" "Indeed I can!" Here's a "vintage look" that I use to soften the color and create a more timeless rendering.

The settings are easy: Set Vibrancy to -1, Saturation to 0.72, and Sepia Tone to .13 - plus I like to add a little Devignette too. Use the "Add Adjustment" popup menu to include any of these settings that might not already appear in your Adjustments Inspector.

Then go to the Effects popup menu, to the right of Add Adjustment, and select Save as Effect from the menu. By doing so, you'll jump over to the Edit menu with an "Untitled Effect" added to the list (that is holding the image adjustments you've used for the photo). Give your new effect a name and hit Return. Then drag it to the group of effects where you'd like it to reside.

In my case, I called this effect "Vintage 2" and added it to my Color set. I can now preview this effect on any image by simply mousing over its name to generate a smaller popup with the effect applied. If I like the way it looks on a different photo, I simply click on the effect name, and presto!

You can create as many effects as you wish. So, if you stumble up a good look while image editing, save it as an effect. You can then apply it to other images up the road.

Aperture Tips and Techniques

To learn more about Aperture, check out my Aperture 3.3 Essential Training (2012) on lynda.com. Also, take a look at our Aperture 3 Learning Center. Tons of free content about how to get the most out of Aperture.

In my recent TechHive article titled, Can Canon save the point and shoot?, I noted that compact camera sales have languished over the last two years.

Canon aims to shake up the point and shoot market with a truly unique camera.

I think there are three primary reasons for the doldrums.

• Money is tight and consumers probably already have an older camera around the house.
• Tantalizing smart phones such as the iPhone and Galaxy S have terrific cameras; good enough to be seen as replacements for aging compacts.
• Point and Shoots were not innovating. This year's model looked just like last year's.

My guess is that Canon started working on the PowerShot N a couple years ago when the decline began. What they came up with is innovative, attractive, functional, and refreshing. The PowerShot N complements your mobile photography; it doesn't compete with it.

It features a powerful 28-224mm optical zoom, 12 MP sensor, touchscreen LCD that flips open, one button WiFi connectivity to your mobile device, stunning creative filters that can automatically be applied, and it's "shirt pocket" small.

It looks different than every other compact on the planet, and once paired with the Canon CameraWindow app for iOS or Android, will help you post more impressive images on Instagram, Flickr, Facebook, and Twitter.

I've already preordered the PowerShot N in black for $299 to use for my mobile photography. I'll let you know when I receive it, hopefully in April as planned.

For more details about the camera itself, check out my TechHive article.

Join me on my Instagram site as I explore the world of mobile photography.

My MacBook Pro Retina Display screen didn't like my existing cleaning cloths. All I would get smear instead of clear. In fact the only thing that worked at all was the small cloth Apple included in the kit. So my quest began for a nice, large microfiber cloth that worked on all of my Retina displays, including the MacBook Pro.

My salvation was realized at CES. Over at the Klear Screen booth they introduced me to the Klear Screen DMT Antimicrobial Microfiber Cloth for $9.95. Unlike my existing Klear Screen cloths, this one has two distinct textures. That extra "tooth" is what I needed to get the gunk off my super glossy MacBook Pro screen. And the big size is much easier to work with than the small Apple cleaning cloth.

The DMT works great on the iPad and iPhone too. As a bonus, the antimicrobial treated cloth is designed to eliminate up to 99 percent of the bacteria inside the cloth after cleaning a surface. I'll take it!

I keep the Klear Screen DMT Microfiber Cloth in my backpack and now have shiny, clean screens on all my devices. It's the small things in life that make it better.

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Fujifilm has tempted me since initially releasing the X10. Now they've done it again with the X20.

DPReview just published their Fujifilm X20 hands-on preview, and it looks like my temptation will become even more intense.

I spent some time with the Fujifilm X20 at CES and was reminded of just how handsome and capable this compact camera is. Inside its die-cast magnesium body is a new 12MP 2/3" X-Trans CMOS II sensor coupled to a Fujinon 28-112mm f/2-2.8 zoom lens. Fuji's sensor is larger than much of its competition, including the Canon G15 and Panasonic LX7 that both use 1/1.7" chips.

In terms of use, the X20 now features an advanced optical zooming viewfinder that has an information overlay so you can see the current exposure settings while composing the shot. This is well implemented, and a welcome upgrade to the x10's viewfinder, which was good to begin with.

But what really brings all of these specs to life is the look and feel of the camera. It is flat-out handsome, and feels solid and competent in the hand. This quality comes at a price. You can preorder either the black, or the new silver and black model pictured here, for $599 at B&H Photo. Considering the specs I mentioned earlier, plus the Intelligent Hybrid AF System, full HD 1080 video at 60fps, RAW capture, built-in film filters, and more, this camera is a quality investment for photographers looking for a capable all-in-one camera to complement their DSLR kit.

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I found this display of micro four thirds lenses by a variety of manufacturers in the Panasonic booth at CES, and I thought that some of you would appreciate how this catalog of glass has grown recently.

How many of these do you have?

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Polaroid was showing off their new Android-based camera at the Pepcom Digital Experience on the eve of CES 2013. Aimed at snapshooters, this CSC features a 10-30mm zoom with a 3.4" touchscreen LCD, powered by Android 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system.

Yes, you can load apps and access the Internet via the camera's built-in WiFi radio. The performance for the demo model, however, was a bit sluggish. And it did crash once during testing.

A very unique feature is the location of the sensor: it's in the lens. No need to worry about dust and contaminates because the sensor is never exposed.

Estimated price will be $349. Based on what I saw, I can't recommend it, even though it costs less than other system cameras. The fit and finish of the components was less than stellar, the OS felt unstable, and I'm just not sure about the lens design.

We'll see what others report. But for the time being, this seems more like a novelty item rather than a legitimate photographic tool.

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We're seeing WiFi in our cameras more and more. The new Samsung NX300 and Canon PowerShot N are two recent examples. Then we jump over to the mirrorless bandwagon, which is getting quite crowded. I then wrap up with my preparations for CES 2013 in Las Vegas.

Story #1 - WiFi in Your Camera. One of the trends that we will see in 2013 is that more cameras will have Wi-Fi built-in. We've seen it at the DSLR level, with the Canon 6D and others, and now we're going to see it more at The compact system camera level and even compacts.

A current example is the Samsung NX300, a 3-D capable 20 megapixel mirrorless camera that also has dual-channel Wi-Fi built-in.

Why would you want this? Well, yes, you can connect directly to online sharing sites. But this could still be easier. I think the real use for Wi-Fi in our cameras will be to connect with our other devices, actually. You can share pictures with your smart phone or your computer or your tablet, do your editing, and then upload from there.

Story #2 - Acceptance of Mirrorless Cameras. The bandwagon is starting to get a little crowded. More and more big-name photographers are suddenly stating their love for Compact System Cameras and saying that DSLRs are on their way out.

And even though it's great to see my philosophy that's over two years old finally being accepted, I can tell you right now that DSLRs are here to stay also. It's not a matter of one type of camera replacing another. It's more about having a greater variety of tools for the different situations we face.

So if you're thinking about embracing mirrorless cameras in 2013, that's great! I love them so much. But at the same time, please keep your current to DSLR system. Don't sell it. There's a place in your photography for both types of cameras.

Story #3 - Packing for CES. Speaking of Compact System Cameras, for CES I am taking a Lowepro Photo Hatchback with my Olympus OM-D and Olympus Pen mini with five lenses. I'll also have a full size iPad and an iPad mini. And to make typing easier, I'll be using the Brydge Bluetooth Keyboard for the full-size iPad. All of this fits easily and my Lowepro Photo Hatchback bag: two camera bodies, two iPads, five lenses, a flash headphones, and a few personal items. I'm looking forward to reporting on the event from Las Vegas.

Listen to the Podcast

You can also download the podcast here (26 minutes). Or better yet, subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. You can support this podcast by purchasing the TDS iPhone App for only $2.99 from the Apple App Store.

Monthly Photo Assignment

The January 2013 photo assignment is Self Timer.

More Ways to Participate

Want to share photos and talk with other members in our virtual camera club? Check out our Flickr Public Group. And from those images, I choose the TDS Member Photo of the Day.

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During the first day of press events at CES 2013 in Las Vegas, we're seeing a number of gadget mashups. A primary ingredient is mobility. It seems to spice up to everything from cameras to laptops to cars.

A good example on display at the CES Unvieled event at the Mandalay Bay Hotel is the Lenovo ThinkPad Helix that represents the fusion of laptop and tablet.

The Lenovo ThinkPad Helix being demonstrated at CES Unveiled.

The device is built around an 11.6" touchscreen tablet with 1080p resolution, Core i7 processor, 8GB of memory, and 256GB of solid state storage. Lenovo chose to use Windows 8 Pro as the OS rather than the mobile version of the operating system. And when you dock the tablet to the keyboard, it both charges (via the second battery) and supercharges (via overclocking the processor) the tablet. The Helix can be used in a variety of configurations for work, display, and portability.

The Urban Hello needs your support...

Another area of convergence is how we're doing business. KickStarter projects such as the Urban Hello phone that connects itself instantly to any internet gateway for home phone service. What's interesting to me is that the Urban Hello won a CES Innovations award, yet the fundraising has just begun to actually produce it.

There's going to be lots more to report around these themes, including the convergence of mobile technologies and photography. So stay tuned...

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Shooting video is a lot more fun than editing it. If you're one of those photographers who never took the iMovie dive, you might want to get your feet wet with iMovie for iOS and an iPad.

"Surfacing" was edited, produced, and shared solely on an iPad 3 running iMovie for iOS.

The $4.99 app available in the iTunes App Store is a great introduction to the power of non-linear video editing. You can trim, add transitions, move clips, add titles, manage sound tracks, and share your finished product online. By way of example, here's a short movie titled Surfacing, where all post production work was accomplished on an iPad 3 running iMovie.

I recommend that you use the Apple iPad Camera Connection Kit to copy digital camera video to the iPad, then spend 30 minutes or so playing with it in iMovie. Apple provides a comprehensive Help Site to get you up to speed quickly.

Who ever thought that getting an iPad would finally get you into movie editing?

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For the Nov. 2012 Photo Assignment, TDS shooters shined a light on their favorite subjects. See for yourself in our gallery, Flash. And which one will be the SizzlPix Photo Assignment Pick of the Month?

"I was so excited when you announced flash was the contest for this month. As wedding photographers, we often shoot in low light and rely on flash to capture spectacular images, including light paintings," wrote Jennifer Rhoades. "This was shot in pitch black. Laurie and Blake wanted a shot in front of the Memphis Zoo, but it was 9pm! I put two SB-910s behind them pointing left and right, and my assistant held a 24 inch softbox above their heads. The image was shot with a D800 and a 16-35 f4 VR." See all of the great images from this month's assignment by visiting the Flash gallery page.

Participate in This Month's Assignment

The Jan. 2013 assignment is "Self Timer." Details can be found on the Member Participation page. Deadline is Jan. 31, 2012.

Please follow the instructions carefully for labeling the subject line of the email for your submission. It's easy to lose these in the pile of mail if not labeled correctly. For example, the subject line for this month's assignment should be: "Photo Assignment: Jan 2013." Also, if you can, please don't strip out the metadata. And feel free to add any IPTC data you wish (These fields in particular: Caption, Credit, Copyright, Byline), I use that for the caption info.

Gallery posting is one month behind the deadline. So I'm posting Nov. 2012 at the end of Dec., the Dec. gallery will be posted at the end of Jan., and on and on.

Good luck with your Jan. assignment, and congratulations to all of the fine contributors for November.

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Now Available! The Digital Photography Companion. The official guide for The Digital Story Virtual Camera Club.

• 25 handy and informative tables for quick reference.
• Metadata listings for every photo in the book
• Dedicated chapter on making printing easy.
• Photo management software guide.
• Many, many inside tips gleaned from years of experience.
• Comprehensive (214 pages), yet fits easily in camera bag.

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I think the title says it all for this one...