I have previously reviewed some of Ed Verosky's ebooks on photography, and found them to be very easy to understand, and very useful. I have had affiliate links for these ebooks on my blog since then, as I am only prepared to link to affiliate products that I believe in, and that I feel are worth recommending.

However, these ebooks will no longer be available for purchase after the end of February, as Ed has indicated he will be porting those ebooks to his blog as premium content

You can read my reviews of some of Ed's ebooks here:

• 100% Reliable Flash Photography
• Taking Your Portraiture To The Next Level
• Taking Your Portraiture To The Next Level II

Here's a screenshot showing some pages from the "100% Reliable Flash Photography" ebook, to give you an indication of the detailed diagrams, sample photos and other content the ebooks.

sample pages from the "100% Reliable Flash Photography" ebook

As well as the ebooks that I have reviewed, Ed Verosky also has several other ebooks available for purchase.

If you are interested in buying any of these ebooks, grab them before the end of February, because they won't be available for direct purchase after then.


Update (April 2014): The books are still available for individual purchase for USD$15 each at Ed Verosky eBook Library. Alternatively, you can buy all Ed's ebooks for USD$99.

steel wool spinning in the old WWII bunkers

King Point, Albany, Western Australia
Canon EOS 50D, 10-22mm @11mm, 2 sec, f/8, ISO100

After photographing some steel wool spinning in the abandoned lighthouse keeper's house at King Point, we detoured via some World War II bunkers on the way back to the cars.

The bunkers provided an interesting location for steel wool spinning, as the walls provide a surface for the sparks to bounce off.

steel wool spinning in the old WWII bunkers

King Point, Albany, Western Australia
Canon EOS 50D, 10-22mm @10mm, 1 sec, f/8, ISO100

steel wool spinning in the lighthouse keeper's house

King Point, Albany, Western Australia
Canon EOS 50D, 10-22mm @11mm, 8 sec, f/8, ISO100

The old lighthouse keeper's house at King Point has been empty for many years, and is located on the rocks at the water's edge near the entrance to Princess Royal Harbour in Albany. Apparently the lighthouse was first lit in 1858.
We recently visited King Point to photograph the sunset, and once it was dark, we photographed some steel wool spinning in the house, as shown in the photo above.

lighthouse keeper's house

King Point, Albany, Western Australia
Canon EOS 50D, 24-105mm f/4L IS @24mm, 1/80 sec, f/4, ISO100

The Sigma USB Dock (UD-01) is a lens mount that allows you to connect some Sigma lenses to your computer via USB, to update the lens firmware, and customise some of the lens functions.

In other words, you can configure focus micro-adjustments in the lens itself, rather than in the camera body. For prime lenses, you can configure focus-adjustment settings at four different focus distances, and for zoom lenses, you can configure focus-adjustment settings at multiple focal lengths too.
On some Sigma lenses, you can also customise other settings, including auto-focus speed settings, focus distance limiter, optical stabilisation, and more.



For now, the Sigma USB dock is only compatible with Sigma's new Contemporary, Art and Sports lines of lenses. At the time of writing, the USB dock can be used with the following lenses:

• Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM
• Sigma 24-105mm f/4 DG OS HSM
• Sigma 120-300mm f/2.8 DG OS HSM
• Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4 DC Macro OS HSM
• Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC HSM
• Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM

For all the lenses listed above, the dock can be used to do the following:

• update the lens firmware
• adjust focus settings at 4 focus distances

For compatible zoom lenses (currently only the 120-300mm f/2.8 DG OS HSM lens), in addition to updating the lens firmware and adjusting focus settings, the dock can also:

• adjust focus settings at 4 focal lengths (at each of 4 focus distances, so a total of 16 focus settings)
• adjust optical stabilisation (OS) settings
• adjust auto-focus speed
• customise focus limits
• configure custom settings selectable via a switch on the lens barrel

There are rumours that Sigma will be providing a firmware update for the USB dock to allow it to be used with older Sigma lenses.

The Sigma USB dock is available in three flavours - for Sigma-mount lenses, for Canon-mount lenses, and for Nikon-mount lenses. Each dock is specific to that mount - ie, you need a USB dock for Canon mount to be able to connect a Sigma lens with a Canon mount, and similarly for the Sigma mount and Nikon mount lenses.



In the box you get the USB dock, a USB cable with a UC-E6 proprietary (non-USB) connector, and some assorted paperwork.
The dock itself looks like an extra-thick rear lens cap, with a locking lever, an indicator LED in the centre, and a USB socket. Also included is a body cap, used for protecting the contacts on the USB dock when not in use.

USB cable (UC-E6 connector) and the USB Dock

USB Dock and cap