Customer Reviews

David Busch's Nikon D700 Guide to Digital SLR Photography

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I'm always amazed at how Busch keeps raising the bar for camera guide books. If you own a camera as sophisticated as the Nikon D700, you shouldn't settle for anything less than this in-depth look at every feature of Nikon's most affordable full frame model. Combining the technical insights of Thom Hogan with the friendly, accessible style of Scott Kelby, Busch explains the camera from every level, satisfying the curiousity of both newcomers and old hands. The treatment is exactly right for this camera: other guides seem to treat the D700 as if it were a Nikon D90 that is heavier. Busch always ups his game as the camera grows in features and complexity.

With this book, the author divides his coverage of the D700 into two parts. The first section is 219 pages long, with roughly the same amount of content as the smaller, pocket-sized guides, but with more detail and guidance. The first chapter is a quick start of all the basic features of the D700, plus some recommendations for default settings changes that you should make right away. The second chapter is a 50-page examination of each and every control, button, and dial of the D700, showing how and when to use them. The next three chapters amount to 126 pages, and pore over every menu entry and option, explaining in detail what happens when you select each one, and detailing why you'd want to use these settings. This first section of the book is an introduction that every D700 owner -- newbie or pro -- needs to read.

But that's just the beginning. Busch continues where the other guides leave off, with individual chapters on understanding exposure, mastering the D700's complex autofocus options, and working with Live View and other advanced techniques. He devotes 48 pages to an exhaustive examination of Nikon's extensive line of lenses, based on his personal experience with all of them. Other chapters talk about techniques for using light and electronic flash with the D700, choosing software, and troubleshooting your camera. This book is more than a replacement for Nikon's manual: it's a photo course on using the D700 to take better pictures.

The world's #1 selling digital camera guide author is back, with a 558-page comprehensive book about Nikon's popular D700 full frame digital SLR. As we've said before in reviewing this author's breakthrough guidebooks, Busch avoids the typical manual rehash found in other guides to deliver 12 thick chapters of the most thorough treatment of this camera available. It's an age when "expanded guides" are actually shorter than the book packed with the camera, "field guides" concentrate on generalities rather than specifics, and books that help "dummies" as they "master" their cameras don't actually do that. What we really need are books like Busch's, which not only explain what the buttons and controls do, but why you should use each setting an option, as well as relating each feature to the rest of the lore that makes up digital photography.

As always, Busch recognizes that each camera is unique, and although the explanations of basic concepts like exposure, shutter speeds, and apertures are similar across all models in all his books, the Nikon D700 is given its own detailed coverage. In this book, he manages to do that while tailoring his explanations to this camera and its users, from beginners through intermediate photographers and advanced shooters who want a fast way to learn the camera and gain some tips. You can't do that with a cookie-cutter book.

David Busch's Nikon D700 Guide to Digital SLR Photography is well-organized so that any photographer of any level can quickly locate what they need to know. For example, there's a "Getting Started" chapter, which, the author acknowledges, will likely be read only after the reader has already taken a few hundred photos. It provides the kind of pre-flight checklist you wish you had when you bought your first digital SLR. Next comes a "roadmap" chapter that carefully explains each of the controls on the camera, with many photos and the right amount of detail. The thick, but small-format book that comes with the D700 has many cross-references that send you darting around. Busch gives you the nitty gritty here.

As with his previous D300s book, there are three chapters on shooting and setup options, one each on the Playback/Shooting menus, Custom menu, and Setup/Retouching/My Menu options. You don't have to absorb all the reference material here right away. You can skim through Chapters 1 and 2, continue with the elements of Nikon D700 photography in Chapters 6-12, and come back to the menus/settings chapters as you need them. We especially liked the chapter that explains the mysteries of the Nikon MultiCAM 3500FX autofocus system, and absolutely doted on the later chapters that explained GPS, Live View, and Busch's personal take on virtually every Nikon lens currently in the line. The other guidebooks simply don't have room for this kind of depth.

If you've been waiting for this book from the top Nikon expert, pounce on it. If you already own a book about your D700, you need this one, to see what you've been missing.

Busch knows what he's talking about! I purchased my D700 six months ago and have been struggling to learn all its features. The manual furnished with the camera is complete, but makes it almost impossible to find anything quickly. It has you jumping around from section to section to learn even simple functions. Then, I found this book, which is 1000 times better. The author gives you the basic information you need to use the camera in the first few chapters, and then refers you to later chapters for more detailed explanations. This is perfect for me. I don't get bogged down with technical details right off the bat, but I can jump ahead to a later chapter to read as much as I want. Autofocus has always mystified me, but I learned the options in the first part of the book, and then learned exactly how autofocus works in an entire chapter devoted just to that topic.

I am very visually oriented and find that I learn from books like this one, which have a great many large color illustrations much better than from other guides, which are laden with text and have only small pictures. This book should have been packaged with the camera. Are you listening, Nikon? If buyers like me can learn how to use their cameras more quickly with a well organized book like this one, we will be more likely to stick with your system!

At the time I ordered my D700, I also ordered the Young and Johnson book, "Mastering the Nikon D700". Although that text certainly improves on the virtually incomprehensible owners manual, I felt it was quite basic and didn't do justice to the many features of this camera. Shortly afterward, I became aware of the impending publication of David Busch's text.

I waited more than six months from the time that I pre-ordered this book until the time it actually arrived immediately after publication. Without question, this is THE definitive text for the Nikon D700, exhaustively discussing every camera feature and how to use them to get the best shot in virtually every conceivable situation. But Busch doesn't solely address the camera. He also discusses 3rd party image enhancement software, and he reserved special praise for one program in particular, "DxO Optics Pro" from DxO Labs. I had never heard of that software, so I visited their website and downloaded the 30-day trial version.
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I was so enthralled by its capabilities that I ordered it within the first week of use. Busch also discusses in some detail the "Nikon Capture NX2" and based on his comments, I decided to also purchase it. BTW, Amazon's price for the Capture NX2 is much less than the price on Nikon's web page.

My only real criticism of this book is has already been noted by another reviewer: the binding sucks. There is no justifiable reason for a heavy 500-page text to have a binding that is much cheaper than the price would dictate. But for that, I would have rated this book with 5 stars.

This is exactly the type of book I love. The author has is own unique voice (and more importantly opinion) when discussing the D700. There are way too many "manual rehashes" out there, and this book is definitely not in that category.

This was an easy read for me (I'm an advanced amateur) but I got at least one bit of nugget from almost every page.

Thank you for an awesome book David.

I think I have purchased every guide available for the Nikon D700, including a DVD guide. This guide by David Busch is without doubt the most complete and beautifully illustrated book I own, and
it was well worth every dollar of cost. The D700 is so loaded with features, many of which I may never use, but this author explains with clarity and skillful illustrations the complexities of this camera.
I'm sort of in the advanced amateur to professional category of photographers having done news and evidence photogtaphy over a 35 year period. David Busch does a masterful job of presenting his
knowledge. Thank you David for a job well done!

David Bush's Nikon D700 Guide to Digital SLR is the best guide/reference manual I have ever read. If your thinking of [or] own a Nikon D700 then buy the book it is worth every penney. It is a very comprehensive, well thought-out; I honestly believe that this book is your best bet for learning how to use your D700 and learning it well!!!

This book is a must read if you own or plan on purchasing the Nikon D700. Why Nikon does not provide this book with the camera is way beyond anyone's understanding? Especially at the price point of the D700. This book is a technical manual and how to book all wrapped up in one. It will explain the workings and how to do anything with the camera at a level that even beginners will understand and prosumer/pros alike will appreciate. As a semi-pro I picked up a few pointers about composure as well as many many explanations on how to operate this camera efficiently. The camera and the book - perfect together. Unlike our politicians in office, this book is reliable and works!

If you own a D700 Camera and tired of looking through the small black and white manual Nikon provides with their products, then this is the book of all books. It's easy to read, and in color. If you own a different camera, then still consider purchasing David Busch's books for your particular camera. You will not be disappointed.

When I purchased my first Nikon D700, a photographer friend loaned me his copy of this book. I found the technical instructions extremely useful in accelerating a learning curve with this complicated instrument which represented a giant step up in capabilities from my D200. It took less time to solve questions than seeking answers from Nikon's manual that came with the camera. Since I refer to it on a regular basis, I purchased my own copy which allowed me to make notes in the index, etc. While the serious or advanced amateur may find the back sections of the book on general photography pretty pedestrian, the front portion with its graphics, clear instructions, opinions (which you don't necessarily have to agree with,) and practical suggestions will pay for the freight. The book is highly recommended for anyone who owns, or is thinking about acquiring, a D700, either new or used, no matter what his or her skill level.