Customer Reviews

Canon 50D: From Snapshots to Great Shots

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a great book. It is definitely not a rehash of the owner's manual. It is, instead, a good guide to digital photography using the 50D's settings. There are practical illustrations and actual, realistic pictures, with details, to show what the text means.
The size of this guide book is ideal.
If you own an EOS 50D camera, or are thinking about getting one, then get this book.

This is more of a photography 101 book than a manual to extend knowledge of the Canon 50D. In fact, I would judge that the 50D specific information in this book represents only about 10% of content. If you are new to photography and have purchase the 50D as your first DSLR, then this book might make sense. However, if you already know the basics of photography, this is not likely to provide much in terms of new information.

I've been using my 50D for a few months now, and an XTi previously. I figured I knew about everything this camera could do...I was wrong. Although very basic is some areas, this book doesn't treat you like a total newby. It not only tells you how to use a control, it shows you why with great shots and easy to understand instructions. I'm not finished with this yet, but when I am, I'm sure that I will be a much better photographer, that gets full use of my equipment. It's a great time to start volume #2 Jeff.

I looked at many books before I decided to buy this one and I'm glad that I bought it. Teaches you everything you need to know to make great photos learned a lot from this book! A+++ Great for the starters and the more experienced. Makes everything simple and easy to understand.

I ended up buying 3 different books pertaining to the 50D.The first one I purchased was the "Magic Lantern Guides Canon EOS 50D Multimedia Workshop" The instructional DVD video was excellent, however the book itself was way too basic & generic as was the "Taking Great Digital Photos" DVD (which I expected of this DVD). So unfortunately, I felt I still needed a book with more info to it & bought this book by Charlotte K. Lowrie "Canon EOOS 50D Digital Field Guide. It's a great book with lots of info but I found it very difficult to read & follow, I think it's her writing style. Seeing a pattern here? This one to soft, this one to hard, still looking for just right. So I bought Jeff Revell's book "Canon 50D From Snapshots to Great Shots", which I like a lot. I still need to augment it a little with Lowrie/s book but between these two it seems to do the job. I didn't want to spend all this money on the camera & lenses & not be able to use it to it's fullest potential hence purchasing 3 books.

Its really great start for Canon EOS 50D. I just purchased the camera knowing its good nothing more, with time and based on my readings from this book I started to realize how great pictures could be taken from this camera .. the menu of the camera tells you the "whats" for different features that comes with the camera, but the book tells you the "Hows" and "Whys". really great book to build your corner stone for novice.

Unlike most of the other "how to use" books about the Canon 50D digital SLR, this one by Jeff Revell does not follow the standard format that most do of simply providing a more detailed explanation of the camera operating controls and functions. I found this book far more useful and informative in that it blends explanation of camera features and functions with actual photography instruction. It goes the extra step I was looking for by covering optimizing use of the great and feature-rich Canon 50D digital SLR to produce outstanding and creative photographic results. I also like the more casual, friendly, and personal writing style of the author. This is a very useful "how to" book at a very good price that will actually teach 50D owners how to use their wonderful camera to create outstanding pictures.

If the 50D is your first DSLR this book will get you out shooting right away the right way! If you upgraded from a 30D or 40D to a 50D you can still learn a couple of things from this book regarding the new features of the 50D! Not that you would'nt get it from your manual that comes with your new camera but it really makes a big difference IMHO to hear and see how a Pro uses your camera. Jeff shoots out with Photo Gurus like Scott Kelby, Joe McNally and the likes so you will also see and learn the advantages of their execution style in Manual and Aperture Priority. He also covers the Custom Function "Features & Set-Ups" thoroughly so you can customize the camera to your way of shooting right from the start. BOTTOM LINE? This book is worth the $25 it's valued at as a 50D owner.

This book provides a very good support for the experienced amateur. It is an excellent supplement to the 2 classical source of information for the photographer:
- The Canon 50D guide which just lists options and commands.
- General books about photography who give generic instructions.
This book combines the generic guidelines with the specific way to do it with the 50D.
The first chapters are very basic, but as you go on, you finally understand some of the weird options that you have never used before, and you find out that some of them can really help you take much better photos than you used to.
It is written in a clear way, with many snapshots from the menu and many actual examples.
In addition you get the know the way an experienced photographer thinks and works.
I liked it!
Nikoska

As others have noted, this is not simply a re-hash of the manual that comes with the 50D--in fact, the author refers back to the manual for some technical details, like a comparison of the modes in the Basic and Creative "zones." He calls these "Manual Callouts."

The manual that comes with the camera is complete, but there is a lot of detail in there--it's a complex camera. The manual tends to overwhelm you with explanations of everything a particular feature does. "Canon 50D" discuses, in clear language, what's important for each type of photo, what you get from the camera's Basic Zones (portrait, sports, etc.) for that type photo and what the Mr Revell (a professional photographer) thinks you can and ought to do in the Creative zone for such photos. He provides examples in each case and, here's where it becomes a course, each chapter includes homework ("Assignments") that guide you through use of the information he's provided. Actually adjusting the camera for different types of photos was very helpful for me. The book is replete with Mr. Revell's own photos, each with explanatory notes that relate to a point in the text.

For example, while the Canon manual walks you through the entire system of menus in one section, Revell discusses, for example, landscape photography and at that time tells you which menus are pertinent to that type of photo. Sort of like the history teacher who explained why there was a War of the Roses, as opposed to the one who just gave you dates and names.

I've taken photographs for decades and own a Canon EOS film SLR, but the DSLR is like a film camera on steroids and this book helped me to a better understanding.