Customer Reviews

Magic Lantern Guides: Canon Eos Elan II/IIe

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

 

 

The Magic Lantern Guide was quite disappointing. At least one-third simply advertised other Canon products such as Lenses or Flashes, and the remainder covered the camera's features so basically that most people who would purchase this camera based upon these features would already know what they do and would find the information redundant and useless. It really tries to cater to the novice, yet in this area, a separate book is really necessary to cover the basic principles of f-stops, aperture, DOF, etc.

The manual would give basic descriptions of the many custom functions, yet not provide good technique examples of where one is particularly better than the other. I expected more coverage on exceptional (versus typical) situations and combinations of solutions via the featured controls coupled with good technique.

I found about 5 useful pages regarding TTL flash modes and exposure compensation -but only if you purchase the 380EX. For all but the most novice photographer that somehow found this camera in his or her lap, the free owner's manual and even the free product brochure would be just as sufficient.

Sincerely,
Paul Runnoe

This book in the wonderful Magic Lantern series covers the full functions of the Canon EOS Elan II and IIe cameras in a non-technical, conversational style. It's a quick and easy read and after you get through this book, you will fully understand all the features of this great camera, from basics as how the authors recommend holding the camera to features like the auto-focus and understanding the Creative modes to advanced topics such as how to set multiple exposures and auto-exposure bracketing. It also describes the usage and features of a large number of the most commonly-used Canon lenses, flashes and accessories that will work with this camera. (This last part is why I give it only a '9' because, although very informative, it reads almost as close to a sales brochure as a usage guide.) If you own this camera, this is the best ~$20 you will spend on it.

The book does an excellent job of providing the amateur / intermediate photographer with the necessary knowledge to take fantastic photos. The camera is quite powerful and the book helps the user leverage its capabilities far better than the original manuals.

After you read the instruction manual that comes with the Elan2, then study the Magic Lantern Guide. See how it all fits, and then reread the book. Expect to spend some time with this book, the Elan2e has over 20 buttons and 6 dials and most of the setting have multiple arrays (2x3x2=12 possiblities). Best chapter is the TTL exposure.

If you are new to 35mm photography or just new to cameras with automated features this book gives much better explantations of the camera's features than the Canon manual. I keep the book with me whenever I'm using the camera, at least until I get thoroughly familiar wtih it.

The most important part of photography is knowing your camera. This is far more informative than the basic manual that you receive when you buy a camera. It teaches you how to use the camera, and teaches a lot of concepts of photography as well. It also covers lenses and speedlites. It is a great resource for someone that is considering buying the camera.

While the guide is more useful than the included Canon instruction manual, it is a substandard users guide. Filled with marketing hype -- not enough practical examples of how each camera function works for my needs. No index (which in my book, is mandatory) makes the guide hard to use. A table that lists which features are avaialble in each mode would have been very useful and easy to do, but is not included. So, overall, three stars for trying -- and for adding to the meager user information provided by Canon.

not that helpful... u shouuld buy a photography book for the how to's not this one.