41 of 43 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Most thorough guide for the 7D you'll find..., February 13, 2010
This review is from: Magic Lantern Guides: Canon EOS 7D (Paperback)
I've gotten Magic Lantern Guides for several cameras I've had over the years, and each has proven indispensible. I've had the MLG for the Canon 7D on pre-order since I got the camera, and it was well worth the wait. This one has a new look: color coded chapters and section headings, highlighted commands/functions, sturdy glossy pages, and full color photographs. It includes a pop-out trifold quick reference card that you could carry in a wallet, but frankly my MLG's always go with me in my camera bag. I've been doing SLR photography for 30 years, and have found that there is always some function on my camera that I could do better or differently, and especially with the vastly complex DSLRs, having the MLG in my bag for reference is extremely helpful.
As for the text, I find it extremely well-written and thorough. It follows an outline-discussion format with a fair amount of visual examples. It tells you how to use every feature of the camera clearly and concisely, as well as suggesting settings for specific situations. The 10 pages devoted to white balance settings and features are extremely thorough, covering not only why you want to use white balance settings, what the presets do, and how to make custom settings, but how to make white balance corrections also. While I think this book has a wealth of information for a beginner (disregarding the fact that the 7D is not an entry-level camera), I see it more as an invaluable tool to make learning, and becoming more comfortable with a very high-end camera, easier for an intermediate to advanced-amateur photographer. The way it is laid out, it is also very usable as a reference guide when you want to look up specific topics also.
Incidently, I looked at the 7D Digital Field Guide by Lowrie at a bookstore while I was waiting for my Magic Lantern Guide to be shipped, and I am glad that I was patient. The Digital Field Guide was larger in physical dimensions so it would not fit well in a camera bag, unless you had a large one. It was certainly not as thorough as the Magic Lantern Guide, and really didn't provide much more than the manufacturers' manual that came with the camera. I just did not find any information in the text that made me go "hmmmm...I hadn't thought of that...".
The Magic Lantern Guides Canon EOS 7D will not disappoint you. My only complaints about the book is that I wish they had used a slightly larger font for the text (it is well spaced, just wish it was a tad bigger), and I would have preferred a photograph of something other than a snake at the beginning of the Controls and Functions chapter. I really don't like snakes. I do expect to be using my MLG with my 7D for years to come.
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21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Da Bomb, February 15, 2010
This review is from: Magic Lantern Guides: Canon EOS 7D (Paperback)
If you're a 7D owner looking for a supplemental manual look no further. This is "Da Bomb." I ordered Lowrie's book first as this book was not yet available, and while that book was somewhat helpful, it still left many questions unanswered. In fact for someone acquainted with Canon systems (I shot an Elan and A2, and then a G6 and SD950 IS for years) Lowrie's book does not provide that much more information than what one could garner intuitively and from the Canon manual supplied with the camera. This Magic Lantern Guide by Guncheon is far more thorough and comprehensive, providing much more explanation of how things work and why.
I would like more examples of when you would choose this function over that function, but I realize that an author cannot address every exigency in a volume of this nature. The thing that has me tied up in knots is archiving in particular, and processing. Slides in slip pages and three ring binders is a manageable concept for me. Folders and computer filing sends me in search of an early cocktail. Though this manual is not dedicated to these issues it does include information that was very helpful to me in beginning to get a grip on especially the archiving process.
I have come away from the reading of this book with a ton of knowledge that is going to enable me to use this camera much, much more fully and efficiently than before. This is an amazing camera and Guncheon shows you how so and why, and how to capitalize on it's features and functions.
It is a small matter but one thing I wish Guncheon had included along with his photographic images is the shooting data for each image. I think this would be if interest to many of his readers. And I loved the picture of the green snake. Guess its a guy/girl thing.
Dale Smith
North Richland Hills, TX
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Just ok, September 27, 2010
This review is from: Magic Lantern Guides: Canon EOS 7D (Paperback)
I ordered this book because other reviews were favorable however I did not think what was covered was that much more informative then the manual that came with the 7D. Since then I ordered a new book (published July 2010) on the 7D by David Busch. This book is much more descriptive with great graphics and detailed explainations written in layman's terms. I highly recommend the Busch book over Magic Lantern version.
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