Mastering the Nikon D800 [Paperback]

Darrell Young (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 29, 2012

Mastering the Nikon D800 by Darrell Young provides a wealth of experience-based information and insights for owners of the new D800 camera. Darrell is determined to help the user navigate past the confusion that often comes with complex and powerful professional camera equipment.

This 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 D800 users goes beyond just the camera itself and covers basic photography technique.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Young's books are designed to give you full control of all aspects of your camera. ... Mastering the Nikon D800 has one purpose, to show you how to use your D800 or D800E camera in exquisite detail." - Just in Time Book Reviews

"Darrell Young has done it again! This time with a veritable tome explicitly detailing just about everything you need to know about getting the best out of this extraordinarily capable camera." - Chroaz

"Mastering the Nikon D800 is designed to be a deeply detailed guide for intermediate, advanced and pro camera users interested in thoroughly familiarizing themselves with the camera, and it works brilliantly that way. You'll be fully up-to-speed with the Nikon D800 in no time at all. Highly recommended." - Howard Carson, Kickstartnews

"I can't imagine a better or more thorough manual for the D800 than this one. If I could give it six stars, I would." - Sabine

"Darrell Young has written the definitive book on the Nikon D800. If it isn't covered in this book, you probably don't need it." - Britt Stokes, DigitalAppleJuice.com

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.

Living near Great Smoky Mountains National Park has given him a real concern for nature and a strong interest in nature photography.

Darrell loves to write, as you can see in the Resources area of the Nikonians.org community. He joined the community in 2000 and his literary contributions led to an invitation to become the founding member of the Nikonians Writers Guild.

Mastering the Nikon D800 is his eighth book in the Mastering the Nikon DSLR series.

Product Details

• Paperback: 576 pages
• Publisher: Rocky Nook; 1st edition (August 29, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1937538052
• ISBN-13: 978-1937538057
• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 1.1 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (105 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11,106 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #18 in Books > Arts & Photography > Photography > Equipment, Techniques & Reference > Reference
  • #20 in Books > Arts & Photography > Photography > Equipment, Techniques & Reference > Equipment
  • #47 in Books > Arts & Photography > Photography > Digital Photography

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.PictureAndPen.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

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

47 of 52 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars INVALUABLE resource on D800, Must-have Companion! August 29, 2012

By K. Chua

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I don't need a basic book to teach me the functions of the D800 or what button to press. The very reason you are reading this is likely because you're an advance photographer (hence D800) who already know typical functions of an SLR, but you want to know...
A) how to do it frequently used capture/review features more efficiently
B) how to take full advantage of this camera's advances features
C) what else is not covered in the manual that you need to know
And I must say this book satisfied the above! It also explains WHY some of these functions are there (helps me understand how other photographer works)

I bought this book at pre-order when no previews were available. When I first opened and flipped through, I wasn't very impressed as it looked more like a plain textbook with some images on each page. No fancy graphics, arrows nor call out boxes like some instructional books. But that's where I'm wrong and just judging a book by it's cover and initial looks.

As I read on, here's what impresses me:
1. Not just a camera manual - I don't need another camera manual. In addition to telling you what each button does, it also explain why it's for
2. "Settings Recommendation" - At end of each section, author describes what he chose, and for what scenario (e.g sports, parties, commercial etc)
3. Non-documented Nikon features - There are few e.g. how clicking an ISO after Auto ISO actually sets the minimum ISO and help you create a min-max ISO range.
4. Explanation of some advance features such as: Banks, Custom modes, wireless flash control, ADL bracketing, various focusing settings
5. Explanation of how the camera will behave (e.g. will focus be slower if you use the Lock, effect of lens movement on AF)

The D800 is a great camera with many features, and despite owning it for more than 6mths, there are so much more I didn't know. And this book really helps!

(There's much more to list above, and I learn much more each page I flipped through this book. If not for this book, I would have spent lots of time doing trial and errors to find out.)

I hope this review is helpful to you!

24 of 27 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific Book and Easy to Read August 28, 2012

By dan walk

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is a terrific "must have" book for a D800 owner. I have several users manuals/guide books purchased for past cameras by different authors, but Darrell's is different. First, it is over 500 pages, but most important is that it reads like a guide not a text book...with the pages full of examples, menu samples, LCD samples, etc., etc., and explanations as to when you might want to use a function and how the menu looks when you set it. These are not artist examples... they are actual photo images. Take a look inside the book yourself by clicking "search inside this book". The instructions are written as if Darrell is standing over you telling you what to do and why. They are very easy to follow and understand.

I have had my D800 since the earliest shipments in March and have taken over 7500 pictures so far, so I think I know my camera pretty well. This book explains all those things that I thought I knew and didn't...or at least didn't fully understand. Any D800 owner should definitely have this book.

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Ins and Outs of a Great Camera September 2, 2012

By Conrad J. Obregon TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

Blame it on the Nikon engineers. The Nikon D800 and D800E cameras are so full of features and capabilities that trying to understand all the features and menus without help is impossible. The manual that comes with the camera describes all the choices that are available, but doesn't explain why one might select a particular choice, or make any recommendations. Luckily Darrel Young has come to the photographer's rescue.

After a brief introduction to the amazing 36.3 megapixel camera, the author goes down the menus that the cameras present, item by item explaining how to make a selection and clarifying the effect of particular selections. Young then follows up with his recommendations for settings, including alternate recommendations depending on what kind of shooter you are. The later chapters deal with functions that have external controls on the camera like exposure, focusing and live view.

There is certainly nothing very exciting about the presentation (except perhaps the discovery every once in a while that the camera has a function that you couldn't conceive existed, including some that I wondered if any one would use.) Yet it was discovery of these surprising functions that made me read carefully through each of the items discussed by the author lest I miss something. Occasionally, I wanted to skip ahead to the functions that were most related to the way that I wanted to use the camera next, and so I would just skim the material to learn of the existence of a function, intending to come back when I needed to learn more. Thus I was quite interested in using the photographic functions, and was shooting single images before I came back to the items that were related to making movies. But rest assured I came back to those items just before one of my grandchildren came to the house.

There is a natural impatience to use a new camera and some photographers may not want to spend the time going through the long list of features. But the D800 is so loaded with features that I can't picture another way of discovering them than reading through this book.

I had to think long and hard to think of what I would have added, and I finally realized that I would have liked an explanation of how to fine tune individual lenses for use with the D800. On the other hand, given that I was familiar with the procedure and never bothered to use it on my last camera, maybe it wasn't so critical.

This book is only about the technical side of using the D800. There is nothing about how to use all these tools to create a better photograph. On the other hand, unless one knows how to use the equipment, there is little likelihood of capturing that better photograph, and the D800 is so complex and so capable that one is unlikely to fully utilize it without a guide like this.

Every D800 user will benefit from reading this book.

In the interests of full disclosure I am the forum moderator for Books and Magazines Forum on the Nikonians web site, which has sponsored this book. I had nothing to do with the preparation or publishing of this book.