Customer Reviews

Magic Lantern Guides: Nikon D300

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Nikon D300 is a complicated piece of machinery, with at least 100 top-level options for how it will work, with many sub-options. All these choices mean that one can tailor the way the camera operates precisely to one's needs. It also means that getting exactly what's best for you requires a lot of research. This "Magic Lantern Guide" is designed to ease the process, but if you really want to get the D300 to fit your style of shooting, it still won't be easy.

The book starts with a general discussion and a quick start guide and then goes into detail on the various functions. There is a menu by menu review of each of the options, with the author's recommendation for each setting. The book finishes up with chapters on resolution, flash, lenses and processing.

This book is for the person who wants to understand all the technical aspects of using the D300. For example, almost every book I've read on the D300 tells you how to use long exposure noise reduction, and points out that the noise reduction process take as long as the exposure. But this is the first book that told me that the noise reduction process will terminate after 109 minutes, even if the exposure is longer. I never expect to take a 110 minute exposure, but I'm certain there is someone out there for whom this information will prove useful.

I never expect to print directly from a card, but I wondered why the DPOF (Digital Print Order Format) menu on my D300 was always grayed out. Stafford explained that it was because DPOF requires JPEG images, and I only shoot in the RAW/NEF format.

Stafford not only explains what each menu does and why, but gives his own reasoned recommendations. By the way, he generally recommends not using functions that can be controlled later in post processing, reasoning that one should not turn over blind control of an image to the machinery.

The book is small enough to fit into a gadget bag, but thick enough that one might not want the extra burden. To help photographers anxious to lighten the load, the book includes a quick reference card that can be slipped into a wallet, although it obviously doesn't cover everything in the book.

The book is not without faults. There are occasional typos, although none that would mislead. The photographs are all in black and white, and many of them have absolutely no relation to the topic to which they are attached, but rather seemed to be included because this is a book about photography.

The book inevitably invites comparison to the excellent "David Busch's Nikon D300 Guide to Digital SLR Photography" by David D. Busch. That book includes photography instruction, with subjects like the times when long exposures might be appropriate and an excellent discussion of the use of the histogram to control exposure. It is aimed at the photographer who wants to learn how to use his or her D300. Many of the options are not covered in detail of Busch's book. Stafford's book doesn't tell you anything about taking pictures. It presumes you know how to take pictures and just want to know how to set up your D300 to the nth degree. I don't see the books as competitors. Decide what you want to learn, and then choose (or buy both if you are as compulsive as me.)

This book contrasts with the D300 Digital Field Guide. The Field Guide is full of lessons about basic photography for the uninitiated (who probably should not have purchased a sophisticated camera like the D300 in the first place). But for everyone else this book is full of details that cover basic operation and then go beyond to in depth explanation of features and functions. The book assumes that you know the basics of photography and then shows you how to make the best use of your marvelously versatile D300. It even explains the "zen" of the Nikon Creative Lighting System by which Nikon has otherwise managed to confuse many a photographer! No it isn't written like story book or a travelogue. It is a no-nonsense, easilly understood operating guide that covers all the bases and more. Buy it!

This is the first of many Magic Lantern camera books I've read over the years that I have been disappointed in. First, there are many, many typos and grammatical errors. Many references to numbered icons (that presumably should have printed with the actual icon) that as an icon number made no sense. This book is a rehash of the D200 book (which is ok) but there are several (incorrect) references to D200 functionality that wasn't rewritten to describe the D300. From an editing standpoint, this book is an embarrassment!

But like all the Magic Lantern Guides, this book does offer a great deal of useable information. In terms of benefit, I'd rate this about half way between reading the Nikon manual and reading a well-written and informative book about this great camera.

When I first got my D80, a friend recomended the Magic Lantern book for the D80. It was a great guide that helped me learn how to set some options to maximize the performance of my D80 by someone who had used it. When I upgraded to my D300, the first thing I did was preorder this version of the book. Luckily, it was made by the same author.

These books aren't intended for those who are just trying to learn the basics of the camera. They are made for those looking to get the best possible performance from it for their specific needs. As I read through this book, I immediately began looking for specific sections to help learn about and make adjustments to the configuration of my D300.

The author of this book does a good job of adding notes of the pros and cons of changing different settings that allow you to make some informed decisions about your camera.

This book was recommended to me by a friend but I really don't like it much. First, contrary to my expectation it is NOT written in a noticeably more congenial, easy-to-follow style than the manual that came with my camera. I believed the idea was a to provide a very usable alternative to the lingo of the manual and I don't see any of that. In fact I find the writing quite poor overall and there are an incredible number of typos, suggesting that it was rushed to print in order to play to the market for this very popular camera (even though it's been about 9 months since the camera came to market).

If this is any indication of their typical quality then I think the Magic Lantern guides are overrated and suspect that a more user-friendly alternative would have a good chance in the marketplace.

Alas, this book reads like a hurried update of the D200 guide. In fact, there is at least one typo in the book that describes the "D200" instead of the D300 -- and not as a comparison.

The book also falls short in de-mystifying camera-specific D300 topics like long exposures. For example, I wanted to take some night shots and could not find any complete description of how to use the Bulb setting. I ended up going back to the Nikon D300 manual.

The book contains some useful photography tips, otherwise I would have rated it even lower.

Had I bought it from Amazon, I would have returned this book.

In past "Magic Lantern" guides, I've found that I got more a detailed user manual. This one was hard to follow and after going through the auctual user manual, I tossed this book aside. Don't waste your money on this book!

If you want to learn how to master the D300 and take wonderful pictures, you must add this book to your library.

I've had this camera since it came out so I'm pretty secure with most of the camera's functionality but there were still some things, especially in the menu system, that I didn't understand. I picked up this used book as an addendum to my library. What a pleasant surprise! The language in the book is very clear and not only tells you what the function is, how it works and what it does but the author points out HOW the photographer might use the feature. So many times in camera books this is the missing piece. I am very pleased with my purchase and will definitely pick up a Lantern Guide for my next camera.

A long, complicated manual for a complicated camera! As always, well written and well organized. Worth the money and the time you will spend. With this and Hogans book you'll be set.