This week on the Digital Story: Is the DSLR Dead? CPS Services for Canon Shooters. Facebook for TDS Comments. Event Photography Follow Up... and more!

Story #1 - Is the DSLR Dead? I get this question a lot. I guess because I've embraced mirrorless cameras, many photographers are assuming that one replaces another. This is not the case. The DSLR is far from dead, and I discuss why.

Story #2 - CPS Services for Canon Shooters. If you depend on Canon gear and want the best in service for it, I recommend Canon Professional Services Gold membership ($100 year). You get 2 free clean & checks a year, event support, equipment loan, 3-day turnaround, 30 percent repair discount, and free return shipping. Plus they treat you like a king. You need 20 CPS points to qualify, which for me was essentially one body and 3 lenses.

Story #3 - Facebook for Comments. Because of the spam problem that was crashing TDS daily, I've moved the conversation over to the TDS Facebook page. It's worked out great. And remember, we have our TDS Member Photo of the Day published there too. If you're not a Facebook person, you can always write me at derrick[at]thedigitalstory[dotcom] to comment.

Story #4 - Event Photography Follow Up. Did you see the Inside my Pro Messenger Camera Bag post? It includes details for my event photography equipment with a 1-minute movie showing the contents of my Lowepro Pro Messenger 200 AW camera bag.

Listen to the Podcast

You can also download the podcast here (31 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 March 2013 photo assignment is Black & White.

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. Take the SizzlPix Challenge - See how your photo will Sizzl by getting a free 5x7 section of an uploaded image. Just put TDS or The Digital Story in the comments to get your free SizzlPix section.

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

This week on The Digital Story: It's me and 100,000 Irish this coming Saturday for the St. Patrick's Day Parade in San Francisco. Here's how I'm going to prepare for this crazy assignment. Lowepro's new Flipside 20L AW outdoor backpack. Our first advanced workshop covering the Artisan Cheese Festival. All of this and more on this week's podcast.

Story #1 - Preparations for St. Patrick's Day Parade Shoot, SF, March 16 - 100,000 in attendance. Gear: Canon 60D and OM-D, Canon 70-200mm f/4, Canon 40mm f/2.8, Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8, Olympus 60mm f/2.8, Canon 320 EX Flash Going to catch the ferry in Larkspur to downtown SF to avoid traffic. Why did I choose this stuff for the shoot?

Story #2 - Lowepro has just introduced the Flipside Sport 20L AW, a lightweight and breathable bag to use during their outdoor adventures. The Flipside Sport 20L AW fits 2 pro SLR cameras with integrated grips (one with attached 300mm f/2.8 lens), 2 extra lenses and a flash, a tablet or laptop, tripod or monopod, a battery charger and other accessories plus trekking poles and other personal gear. The backpack is available now priced at around $180.

Story #3 - -- The Artisan Cheese Festival Shoot will be our first advanced workshop. Three TDS photographers will be working with me: Scott McDaniel, Jeremy White, and Jeff Dickerson. I'm really looking forward to this. Then in June we have the TDS Workshop on Movie Making (June 15 & 16). A couple seats are open!

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 March 2013 photo assignment is Black & White.

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. Take the SizzlPix Challenge - See how your photo will Sizzl by getting a free 5x7 section of an uploaded image. Just put TDS or The Digital Story in the comments to get your free SizzlPix section.

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

Top stories this week on The Digital Story: I found the cure to help me avoid purchasing the Sony RX1, Mobile Photography microsite coming to The Digital Story, The Return of Drobo, Workshops update... and more on this week's podcast.

This show was recorded with the RODE iXY Stereo Mic plugged in to an iPad 3. How does it sound?

Story #1 - The Cure. Remember how I was fighting the urge to buy the Sony RX1 that costs $2,800? I said that one of my tricks is to meet the same need with a lower cost item. Well, that's what I did.

I invested $499 in the Panasonic Leica DG Summilux 25mm f/1.4 ASPH Micro 4/3 lens for my Olympus OM-D. It gives the better speed than the f/2 Carl Zeiss on the Sony RX1, plus the ability to soften the background (though not as easily with the M 4/3 sensor for the OM-D compared to the full frame RX1).

Story #2 - Mobile Photography section coming to TDS with the Book Owner's Lounge.

Story #3 - Return of Drobo. I was on TWiP recently with photographer Thomas Hawk. He brought up the Drobo 5D, same model that I'm testing, and remarked how fast it was via Thunderbolt. We had a good conversation about the Drobo 5D, and Thomas definitely likes his. I wanted to share that data point with you to give you another photographer's perspective.

Story #4 - Workshops Update. Registration is open for the June "Movie Making for Photographers" workshop. In addition to me, we'll have two filmmaking professions on staff for this event. We'll be covering the Sonoma County Hot Air Balloon Classic as our class project.

Registration forms for the August Sonoma Coast workshop should go out this week.

Listen to the Podcast

You can also download the podcast here (27 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 March 2013 photo assignment is Black & White.

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. Take the SizzlPix Challenge - See how your photo will Sizzl by getting a free 5x7 section of an uploaded image. Just put TDS or The Digital Story in the comments to get your free SizzlPix section.

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

Comments Are Off!

Due to a wave of recent spam attacks, I've had to turn off the comments feature on The Digital Story. You can, however, add your thoughts at the TDS Facebook page, where I'll post these stories for discussion.

Top stories this week on The Digital Story: LED light panels for product shots anywhere, take the SizzlPix Challenge and get a free 5x7, 7 steps to edit 90 percent of your images.

Story #1 - LED Light Panels - I have an LED on-camera light panel that's about 5.5" wide and mounts in the hot shoe of my camera or on a stand. I've been using it often for product shots.

I have my light panel attached to one of the larger Joby Gorillapodsm the Focus. It's easy to position that way. It's been handy for putting a splash of light here and there, or serving as a small fill light. I often use natural light through the window as my main light with the light panel filling in from there.

Prices range from about $100 to $250. There are bargain units out there too. If you are considering a LED panel, I discuss four points to keep in mind. The model I'm currently using is the Litepanels Micro LED On-Camera Light that sells for $190.

Story #2 - The SizzlPix Challenge - Here's your chance to see your favorite image Sizzled for free. Here's how it works.

For a limited time, fill out an order on the SizzlPix website and put "TDS" or "The Digital Story" in the comments field to take the Challenge. Follow the directions to upload your image.

You'll soon receive a free mini-seven inch section of your own SizzlPix. After examining the free mini-sample, if you don't agree that SizzlPix is the finest output for your photography, you haven't paid a penny. If you love it, then order the full size image. But there's no obligation what-so-ever.

Story #3 - 7-Step Workflow for Aperture - If you're new to Aperture, or you just want a concise workflow that will improve 90 percent of your images, take a look at my latest editing article. The workflow applies to iPhoto, Lightroom, and even iPhoto for iOS.

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 February 2013 photo assignment is Furry Friends.

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.

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

Top stories this week on The Digital Story: Five things you can do when you want a new camera, but can't afford one; The Lomography Smartphone Film Scanner; workshops update.

Story #1 - No New Camera! - I talk about 5 things that you can do to protect your credit card when a new, and expensive camera gets under your skin.

Story #2 - The Lomography Smartphone Film Scanner - This is not the solution for the thousands of negatives you have shoeboxed in the closet. But for digitizing a favorite image every now then, this is a cool device.

Story #3 Workshop reservation forms for the June workshop, "Movie Making for Photographers," are going out this week. The April workshop, "iPad for Digital Photographers," has only one slot open.

Listen to the Podcast

You can also download the podcast here (30 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 February 2013 photo assignment is Furry Friends.

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.

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

Top stories this week on The Digital Story: the ingenious Toshiba FlashAir wireless memory card, personal photo projects, and workshops update.

Story #1 -If you've liked the idea of wireless photo transfer from your camera to the iPad, iPhone, or computer, but got fed up with the configuration hassles of using Eye-Fi cards or wonky built-in WiFi, then I have great news for you. The Toshiba FlashAir Wireless SD Card($55) is easy to set up and it works with practically any camera or device.

I've been testing the 8GB FlashAir with my Olympus OM-D, and I couldn't be happier with the results. Why is this technology better than what we've seen in the past? Toshiba has embedded a WiFi access point in the card. All you have to do is logon to the network with you iPhone, iPad, or computer, and you can grab your photos using a simple web browser or from a handful of apps designed for wireless transfer.

Currently I'm using the free Olympus Image Share app and ShutterSnitch 2.9 with the FlashAir card. The procedure is simple:

• Insert the card into your camera and turn on the power.
• After a few seconds, go to the WiFi settings on your computer or mobile device and choose the FlashAir card.
• Enter password 12345678
• Launch Olympus Image Share, and you should connect to your camera.

At some point, you might want to create your own 8-character password by launching your web browser and typing in http://flashair/ This will log you on to the card and allow you to change its settings. It uses WPA2 Personal security.

Downsides to the FlashAir card are few, but you should know:

• Limited to 8 GBs of camera storage.
• Class 6 speed.
• Doesn't seem to change WiFi channels when in a network congested area. This affected performance in my testing. (It stayed on channel 6 even though two other access points in the area were using channel 6 too.)
• Performs best for me when I use Raw + SM Jpeg on the OM-D.

Bottom line. I've just left it in my OM-D, especially when I'm on the go and want easy file transfer.

Story #2 - Personal Project - I'm a big fan of personal projects and encourage others to do them too. My current project is "Overpasses of I-5" that I wrote about recently on TDS. Even though we share these pictures with others in our community, the projects are designed for personal gratification. By focusing solely on a subject of interest to the photographer, we often try new things without worrying about what others will think. The upshot is often growth.

Story #3 Workshop reservation forms for the current batch of listed workshops are going out this week. I'm also accepting applications for an advanced workshop on March 22-24, 2013 to cover the Artisan Cheese Festival in Petaluma, CA. This is an "Event Workshop" where photographers will work every aspect of the event with me and receive bylines for their published photos. Two spots are open, course fees are $250. Write me at derrick@thedigitalstory.com to apply.

Listen to the Podcast

You can also download the podcast here (27 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 February 2013 photo assignment is Furry Friends.

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.

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.

This week's stories: More tempting f/4 pro lenses. Do our high ISO camera bodies make these zooms the smart choice? A review of my day at Macworld/iWorld. What I'm recording right now in Carpinteria at lynda.com. Plus Photo Assignment winners!

Story #1 - Is f/4 Right for You? Both Canon and Nikon have recently updated their stable of pro f/4 lenses, with Nikon touting the The Nikkor 70-200mm f/4G ED VR and Canon released the 24-70mm f/4L IS USM. This has prompted many serious photographers to consider these lighter, less expensive alternatives to f/2.8 maximum aperture lenses, and for good reason.

The Canon 24-70 f/4 costs $1,500 and weighs 1.32 lb compared to $2,300 and 1.77 lb. Plus you get image stabilization with the f/4 model.

The Nikkor 70-200mm f/4G ED VR costs $1,400 and weighs in at 1.87 lb compared to $2,400 and 3.39 lb.

I personally own both the Canon f/4 and f/2.8 70-200mm zooms, and have found myself using the 70-200mm f/4 at least as often as the f/2.8.

With the improved high ISO performance of today's Canon and Nikon bodies, there are many situations where the f/4 models will produce fantastic results. You do lose that one stop of "soft depth of field," but other than that, these new f/4 models are worth considering, especially if the budget is tight.

Story #2 - My Day at Macworld/iWorld - I was able to attend Day 1 of Macworld/iWorld at Moscone West in San Francisco last week. The big thing that jumped out at me is that the event is really iWorld. The focus is on mobility with iOS hardware and apps. This is in-step with surging interest in iPads and the continued love affair with iPhones.

I covered the expo floor in about an hour. But I also enjoyed many of the live events upstairs and catching up with TDS members who attended, and of course tech friends I've known for years. All in all, it was an enjoyable day.

Story #3 - Recording at lynda.com - I'm in Carpinteria right now recording a new "iPhoto & Aperture" title. What's cool about this, is that we're using the absolute current versions of both apps, and showing how they stack up against each other for a variety of tasks. This is perfect for those considering moving up to Aperture from iPhoto. Plus, I show how to use the two applications together, drawing from the strengths of each.

Listen to the Podcast

You can also download the podcast here (27 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 February 2013 photo assignment is Furry Friends.

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.

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.

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.

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 OptiCache™ technology improves performance by up to 45 percent
• Seagate AcuTrac™ 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.

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.