I really want to like the Nikon 1 cameras. They are small, cute, and fun to use. I dream of the day that I can get a fully functional D-SLR equivalent in such a light and small package. Unfortunately the Nikon 1 doesn’t quite fit the bill. To accommodate the small form factor, it features a small (1/2.7, “CX” format) sensor – smaller than either its competitors’ micro-4/3 cameras or Sony’s NEX. And being mirrorless, the photographer needs to live with the LCD for composing images on the Nikon 1 J1, or an electronic viewfinder on the V1. Neither is a great substitute, unfortunately, for a real, through-the-lens, look at the scene. But the Nikon 1 does have a lot to recommend it, and will be perfect as a weekend or vacation camera for many Nikon shooters, so I’ll layout the pros and cons to help you decide if it is the right camera for you… Read more »

Almost everyone agrees that the first consumer light field camera -- launched by start-up Lytro this week -- is as revolutionary as Foveon's launch of a true 3-color camera. If it lives up to the expectations of its founder and investors it is the future of cameras and will make the current models essentially obsolete. Light field technology is amazing, just like Foveon's, but it also has plenty of issues that remain to be ironed out. We'll give you the low-down on the technology, the new camera, and the issues… Read more »

The holy grail for photographers is a camera that is small enough to fit in your pocket but still takes great images, preferably with not only a reasonable on board flash but the ability to add a hotshoe flash as needed. And of course many of us also consider the ability to shoot Raw files and HD video a necessity in this day and age. This grail was unachievable until recently with the Canon Powershot G12. But now Panasonic has introduced an even more compact camera that fits the bill, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5. To find out whether it measures up I took it to Africa with me and used it for candids, environmentals and some wildlife shots for three weeks. Here’s what I found… Read more »

Even as a kid I knew enough to lust after a Leica. They represented the zenith of no compromise image quality. At first a Leica was way out of my budget so I didn’t think much about it. And then by the time I could seriously think about buying one I needed the breadth of a D-SLR system for my wildlife photography work. And with the price of the current Leica M9 digital rangefinder camera a cool $7,000 (plus thousands for each lens) I certainly wasn’t going to buy one just for fun. So I was excited when Sigma started producing small, rangefinder style cameras using the same Foveon sensors that they were using in their D-SLR. But the question was whether at 1/10th the price of a Leica I’d found a no compromise solution to high quality images in a small form factor. Read on to learn what I’ve found… Read more »