Nikon COOLPIX Digital Field Guide [Paperback]

Thomas (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0470168536 | ISBN-13: 978-0470168530 | Publication Date: October 1, 2007 | Edition: 1

The Nikon COOLPIX Digital Field Guide is filled with everything you need to know in order to take amazing photographs using any Nikon COOLPIX camera. This full-color portable guide walks you through the essential controls, features, and functions of the Nikon COOLPIX point-and shoot camera line using step-by-step instructions and full-color images of each menu screen. This robust guide not only shows you how to adjust a variety of settings on your Nikon COOLPIX, it also teaches you when and why you should adjust them. The Nikon COOLPIX Digital Field Guide goes beyond camera settings to offer you a friendly guide to the principles of digital photography, covering the essentials of lighting and composition. Filled with amazing examples, this book also presents a variety of techniques for getting great photos, including specific tips and tricks for capturing portraits, candids, sports and action shots, travel pictures, macro photography, and much more.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Your guide to the camera that fits your lifefstyle

Your COOLPIX camera can do it all — from photographing your children at play to photographing the Eiffel Tower at night. Whether you have a P, S, or L Series camera, this book gives you the details on how to use all your camera controls to get the best shots possible, along with practical advice on essential photography topics from the best settings to choose to exposure to composition and more. This is the go-anywhere guide for you and your COOLPIX.

• Explore your COOLPIX camera's image capture modes, including novel color options

• Work with exposure compensation, blur detection, in-camera crop, and D-Lighting settings

• Learn about the basic rules of good composition

• Get tips on accessories, in-camera editing, downloading pictures, and printing

• Learn to capture dynamic and creative shots of concerts, animals, people, nature, cityscapes, and more

About the Author

J. Dennis Thomas has been an avid photographer since his teens. He currently owns Dead Sailor Productions, a photography and graphic design business, and has worked with such companies as RedBull Energy Drink, Obsolete Industries, Secret Hideout Studios, and Digital Race Photography. Denny's work has been published in several regional publications and is shown in various galleries throughout the country. He is also the author of the Nikon Creative Lighting System Digital Field Guide and the Canon Speedlite System Digital Field Guide.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (October 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470168536
• ISBN-13: 978-0470168530
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 0.5 x 6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #133,013 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #23 in Books > Computers & Technology > Digital Photography & Video > Camera Guides

More About the Author

J. Dennis Thomas is a freelance photographer and author based out of Austin, Texas. He has nearly 25 years of experience behind the lenses of Nikon cameras. His work has been published in many regional and national publications including Rolling Stone, SPIN, Elle, Ebony, W magazine, Country Weekly, and Thrasher magazines. He has written twelve highly successful Digital Field Guides for Wiley publishing and a comprehensive book about concert and live music photography for Focal Press.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great guide to any Nikon point and shoot, October 3, 2007

By 

consumer22 "consumer22" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nikon COOLPIX Digital Field Guide (Paperback)

I've had my Nikon Coolpix for about six months now, and until I picked up this book I never felt comfortable using anything but the default settings. My coolpix is considered a point-and-shoot, but I didn't find it to be nearly that simple. This book not only showed me HOW to use the different settings, but it helped me understand WHEN I should use them too. This book covers both the equipment side of photography with your coolpix, and photography basics like composition, and lighting. I highly recommend this book - I feel more confident using my camera and my pictures have been better now that I have started using the different modes appropriately.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wiley Publishing Does It Again!!I, February 3, 2008

By 

Mary H. Gamble (California and Arizona) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Nikon COOLPIX Digital Field Guide (Paperback)

The Nikon Coolpix Digital Field Guide is a wonderful supplement to the less than perfect "manual" that came with the Coolpix camera. The book covers the Coolpix L,S, and P series. At first I found this to be confusing and just wanted to "get on" with information for my camera. After recognizing the book set-up, I found it very helpful because if I didn't get it the first time, I could "peek" at the other series and reaffirm the information. Also,the book only uses two chapters where it specifically talks about your particular Coolpix camera series.

I started off with the "point and shoot" auto/default setting for everyday photos. The Coolpix offers So Much More and when you're ready for optional settings, menus, and modes, this book teaches it to you
in an easy to read and learn format. If you're a "visual learner" like myself, you'll love the life size and BIGGER than life size camera diagrams, menus, and settings which accompany the written part. The author uses "cross referencing", "tips", "notes", and "caution" tags to emphasize a point made in the sub-section just read.

After the introduction to the camera, menus, and modes, the book goes on to explain "how", to create great photos simply using the "point and shoot" OR "optional settings" function. The author also explains general photography and composition basics. My favorite part is the "Technique" chapter of 65 pages where the author shows a photo (17 different categories), then explains how he took the photo. He then gives you a "Practice Picture" and "On Your Own" challenge with all the needed settings to have your photo turn out just as great!

The book concludes with additional accessories and equipment you may want at a later time. The book also devotes a chapter to editing using your Nikon Picture Perfect which came with your Coolpix. You'll love the glossary at the end because it offers simple definitions of common terms used throughout the book.

This is a must-have book if you have a Coolpix camera!

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The perfect guide, October 12, 2007

By 

Matthew Keefe "mkeefe" (Natick, MA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Nikon COOLPIX Digital Field Guide (Paperback)

The Nikon Coolpix Digital Field Guide is a wonderful companion for any Nikon Coolpix camera owner. In just a few minutes of reading I learned about settings on my camera that I didn't even know existed. I liked the fact that in Chapter 1 the author compared various Coolpix cameras and I am sure others would think this could be annoying since you already own one. However I on the other hand found it nice to know what else was available. This book is so in depth the author even takes you through each screen and menu while explaining what they all do. This chapter alone proved to be more useful to me than the entire manual that came with the camera. Call me crazy, but being a photographer I prefer visual learning over long paragraphs of text.

No book about photography should be without a guide on composition and this book is no exception, the author explains the various rules you as the photographer should follow and adapt to. To me chapter 6 goes right along with the composition steps to include overall best practices of photography. Of course now that you have shot all these great photos it is safe to say you want them on your computer, well if that is the case than chapter 7 has all the information you need. The book ends off with a glossary of common photography terms that you will hear in various shooting locations.

Overall I have found this book to be very beneficial for not only Nikon Coolpix owners, but any photographers. You can take the concepts thoroughly explained within this book and adapt them to your own shooting habits, which in the end will make you a better photographer. I highly recommend this book and already have to my friends.