50 of 52 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Succinctly clarifies Sony's inscrutable instructions - helpful hints, January 25, 2007
This review is from: Magic Lantern Guides: Sony DSLR A100 (Paperback)
Why a major consumer electronics manufacturer's instruction manual for a new market entry product (DSLR) should require translation from inscrutable japlish into plain english words is incomprehensible -- yet this Guide (unfortunately) is critical to help english-speakers make sense of the "Alpha's" numerous great features. Simple things, like why a menu is greyed out unless you press another button, become clear. In-camera processing with different scene settings finally makes sense, as do the versatile saturation and contrast settings, and the 'dynamic range optimizer'.
This is NOT a guide to taking digital pictures -- the pocket-sized book's simple mission is how to make the most of a complex electronics device; and it succeeds exceedingly well, except for a few stumbles. My greatest disappointment is that the arcane concept of trailing shutter curtain flash synchronization' is well told, but not at all clarified by a simple picture comparing the first curtain versus second curtain flash sync effect on an object in motion. Otherwise, most illustrations (all black/white) make a distinct point such as 'highlight burnout' when exposing for a bride in a white wedding gown. The alpha's infamously unacceptable digital noise at ISO settings beyond 400 is straightforwardly addressed; as are the head-scratching LO-80 and HI-200 settings that may be just what you needed (but didn't know you did).
This Guide succeeds where the manufacturer's poorly printed and largely incomprehensible manual failed so miserably [Sony's warranty, by contrast, is in crystal clear english, leaving no uncertainty as to how limited your rights are]. This guide didn't get five stars because the index is weak; certainly unhelpful for a beginner. Also, Sony's software RAW converter could have been given more of the detail and hints for optimized settings found elsewhere in the Guide.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Best alternative, May 22, 2007
This review is from: Magic Lantern Guides: Sony DSLR A100 (Paperback)
Also bought the Sony DSLR-A100 Digital Field Guide but the Magic Lantern Guide was more complete and detailed in it's coverage.
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Useful and comprehensive handbook, March 31, 2007
This review is from: Magic Lantern Guides: Sony DSLR A100 (Paperback)
This is a comprehensive and easy to follow handbook explaining all the features of the Sony Alpha 100, including photographs, illustrations and diagrams. It covers from basics through to advanced features and settings and goes much further than the handbook that comes with the camera. It certainly helps the reader understand how to get the best out of this user friendly but sophisticated digital SLR. Highly recommended.
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