Mastering the Nikon D7000 [Paperback]

Darrell Young (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 15, 2011

Mastering the Nikon D7000 by Darrell Young provides a wealth of experience-based information and insights for owners of the new D7000 camera. Darrell is determined to help the user navigate past the confusion factor that often comes with complex and powerful professional camera equipment.

The book explores the features and capabilities of the camera in a way that far surpasses the user’s manual. It guides readers through the camera features with step-by-step setting adjustments; color illustrations; and detailed how, when, and why explanations for each option. Every button, dial, switch, and menu configuration setting is explored in a user-friendly manner, with suggestions for setup according to various shooting styles.

Darrell’s friendly and informative writing style allows readers to easily follow directions, while feeling as if a friend dropped in to share his knowledge. The learning experience for new D7000 users goes beyond just the camera itself and covers basic photography technique.

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

I want to thank everyone who has purchased Mastering the Nikon D7000. I have spent a great deal of time--along with the NikoniansPress/Rocky Nook publishing team--to give you a quality reading experience that will help you master your chosen Nikon. Inside each book is a link to my personal website and email contact address. I encourage you to contact me when you have deep questions that you would like to investigate. Often, I have had the same question and may have an answer already prepared. If not, and your question is one that others may have, I am quite willing to research and find an reliable answer. Maybe your question will contribute to the next book I write? I hope you enjoy your new camera and the book that will help you master it. Let's keep learning together! - Darrell Young, August 15, 2011

About the Author

As a technical writer Darrell Young's specialty is explaining complex things in everyday language. Before he writes about a camera he first fully reads the user's manual, testing each setting and noting any improvements or differences from previous Nikon cameras. He then takes the camera out into the real world, shooting nature scenics, portraits, events, and action to discover how the camera performs for each style of photography. Next, he tests the camera with various lenses, flash units, and Nikon accessories. Only then does he start writing the book about the camera. His books are based on real-world experience and knowledge.

Product Details

• Paperback: 496 pages
• Publisher: Rocky Nook; 1 edition (August 15, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1933952806
• ISBN-13: 978-1933952802
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (55 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,234 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #10 in Books > Arts & Photography > Photography > Equipment
  • #12 in Books > Arts & Photography > Photography > Reference
  • #18 in Books > Arts & Photography > Photography > How-to

More About the Author

I grew up looking at pictures.

Since I was a baby--way back in 1958--my mother took hundreds of photographs of our family life throughout the years, capturing small pieces of time frozen in little negative squares. Today, I can still look back with those images and they awaken memories that would be forgotten without them.

In 1968 my dear Mom gave me a Brownie Hawkeye camera and started a fire in me for taking pictures. I remember her words of instruction, "Load the film in a dark place, never open the film door until you rewind, and keep the sun behind you when you shoot."

From that day forward I carried a camera with me often. I took 13-year-old style fuzzy pictures of my hikes up Roosevelt Mountain in Rockwood, Tennessee, USA, with my brother Steven and a friend named Scott Haley. Every major event of my life has a few frames attached.

I photographed my own family starting in 1979 and documented the growth of my five children up until today. Photography has been a part of my life all the way back to my earliest memories. I'll keep on shooting until I'm unable!

The year 1980 was a milestone; the year I got my first Nikon camera. It was a nearly new Nikon FM and I reveled in its incredible build and the unbelievable images it made. Before then, I had been shooting with Kodak 110 and 126 cameras, and although the images have amazing personal value, they would win no contests. I graduated from negatives to transparencies in 1981 as I realized that even sharper and less grainy images could be created in those delightful little two-inch squares. I loved film and shot a lot of it. I wanted to shoot even more, but the cost of raising kids took precedence.

The year 2002 changed everything for me photographically. I had been playing around with a Kodak P&S digital, and finally, a Nikon Coolpix 990. While the images were fun and easy to make, they didn't equal 35mm and medium format in quality, so I viewed digital as a toy. Then Nikon released the 6MP D100® and I became Digital Darrell. Never before had I shot so many images. With no significant processing costs, I took thousands of photographs that I would never have considered taking with expensive film, and I moved to a new level of photography in the process. Digital cameras are an educational course in photography all by themselves.

Since that year my love of photography and cameras has grown tremendously. When I get a new camera, I spend a lot of time with it--getting to know its features and personality. Often, I'll be commissioned by Nikonians.org and Rocky Nook to write a book about the latest Nikon camera. What a great way to make a living. I get to own new cameras and write books to help others enjoy their chosen brand.

I'm a full-time traditional stock photographer and have a nicely equipped studio. Between writing books you'll often find me in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina USA--capturing lots of great images. Drop me a line from the contact link of my website www.YoungImaging.com. Thank you for buying my books on Amazon.com, the world's best place to buy books and camera equipment.

Keep on capturing time...
Darrell Young, a.k.a Digital Darrell

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Have Book for Nikon D7000 Owners!, September 23, 2011

By 

Anke "Anke Jorrit" (Ohio United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mastering the Nikon D7000 (Paperback)

A long review from a tough critic!
First off, I am a new DSLR user. Back in my film days, I had a Nikon N90...I was ready to take the plung to digital after more than disappointing results with my photos from the World Equestrian Games the fall of 2010. A kind soul at one of the shows let me play with her Nikon D300s...it was that point I knew I was ready for a DSLR. After a month of research, I was convinced I 'needed' the D7000 that was set to release in November 2010...after more research (and reading lots of reviews) I made the purchase of my D7000 in August of 2011 (along with a large wish list that had grown over the months leading up to the DSLR purchase!)...

Mastering the D7000 is my third book purchase on the Nikon D7000. I also have the two books by David Busch (the field guide and the main book Nikon D7000 Guide to Digital SLR Photography). While these books are nice, and explain the users manual well, they only scratch the surface. Oh, I do not even know where to start on the awesomeness of Darrell Youngs 'Mastering the Nikon D7000'.

This book is hands down, the best of the best. Each section references the page(es) in the users manual which I really like. The book also sports a nice index and table of contents. Each section has a 'thumb-tab' (black edge and chapter number) so you can easily flip through the section. Almost every chapter has a full blank page for notes at the end of the chapter.

Darrell gives excellent in-depth explainations of EVERYTHING you could possibly want to know...digging into areas where the David Busch books skimmed over (the David Busch books briefly explained some of the advanced areas, but didn't give any in-depth explaination ---much less an example!). This book gives personal examples throughout the book and suggestions, even offering his setting for this item (and why he has it set this way).

The books has EXCELLENT photos of the menu paths. Other books have one big picture of the top level menu. This book has at least two and up to six (!), screenshots of the menu path on how to get to the setting and set it! Where there are multiple screenshots, they are placed horizonally across the screen and numbered to outline the flow (left to right as you would expect). I love this!!

The book is super nice...nice paper, nice color pictures and lots and lots of nice color screenshots of menus! Nice sized book - 479 pages and small enough to fit in your bag (although the page count does tend to make it a little heavy)

The book also uses color coding, numbering and italics/bold....Blue to refer to camera settings, green for functions and settings displayed on the cameras LCD screen, and italics for textual prompts seen on the cameras LCD screen. I LOVE this feature...it really helps the text 'pop' making the text an easy read. Darrell also uses outline features: numbering 1,2,3...bullets and alpha a,b,c....this also helps break up the text and makes the text easy to read.

I cannot express enough how much I love this book. I am a hardcore 'book person', and am VERY judgemental when it comes to books and what I like. When I purchase a book, binding, paper and format are important to me if I am going to read and reread the book...I don't want it to fall apart after light use.

Also, I signed up for Nikonian.org, I stumbled upon this site before this book came and was surprised to see forum posts answered by Darrell! This site is the office e-mag site for Nikon photographers....great site, sign up if you aren't already a memeber! This book also has a 50% off coupon for the Gold membership (I actually opted for the cheapy $25 option...you get it free for 30days when you sign up).

Buy this book! If you own/plan on owning a D7000, you NEED this book, or else you are going to be missing features the camera has, that other books neglect mentioning...or explaining how to set up and use! A 10-star book! The authors enthusiasm for the Nikon D7000 is clearly shown throughout the book :)

Thanks!
Anke

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars D7000 Complexities made Simple and Clear!, August 8, 2011

By 

James - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mastering the Nikon D7000 (Kindle Edition)

"Digital Darrell" Young has done it again. This author excels at taking complex subjects, and explaining them in a manner that makes them very easy to understand. In explaining the countless and complex features of this camera, I find the information to be short, sweet, and to the point. I have been using my D7000 for 8 months preceeding the publication of this book, yet on every page I am finding important facts that I was not at all aware of prior to reading this book. The insight of the day so far? -- The minimum ISO setting on a Nikon D7000. Sure, Auto ISO lets you set a max ISO, but it wasn't until reading this book that I was aware of a minimum ISO as well! Brilliant material in this book for sure.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Skip the rest, this is the best!, August 8, 2011

By 

B. Minor - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mastering the Nikon D7000 (Kindle Edition)

You will not be disappointed with Darrell Young's thorough coverage of the Nikon D7000. Not only does he give advice based on his excellent working knowledge of the camera's features, but also he provides his recommendations about them--how HE uses each feature. As an extensive Nikon shooter with a collection of Nikon cameras and lenses to drool over, Darrell is the perfect expert to consult.

Also, the book is lengthy, and having the ebook version handy while learning the ins and outs of this new camera and/or going deeper into unexplored features is easier than carrying around the book. That said...I am still looking forward to owning the hard copy too. Ok, so I'm a fan...but with merit. I used Darrell's "Mastering the D90" until it was dog-eared (and still refer to it when using that camera body).

Whether you are an experienced or new photographer, this book is a must-have for the Nikon D7000.