Customer Reviews

Nikon COOLPIX Digital Field Guide

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

 

 

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.

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!

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.

Very basic, that's all that can be said. And it chose to cover a whole range of models, so at least half of the book won't pertain to YOUR camera. The general photography info is delivered in a hasty manner with too few examples. It would be hard to actually learn a lot from this book. A little, yes. Some tips, some clear writing. But it's not the "missing book" you wish came with your camera, whatever model you might have.

Great introduction to the Nikon Coolpix cameras and to digital photography in general. There are useful tips and it highlights some really useful features. As a complete novice, I learned what the various modes were for as well as introducing me to basic things like depth of field, exposure composition, etc.

Also important: I also learned what the camera can't do.

ok book. Gave good instructions and was pretty easy to use. It was a little bit of a hassle wading through the different cameras to get to mine but other than that I learned some nice things about my camera that I didn't know.

Even though this book didn't cover my Coolpix 8800 the description of the features of the Coolpix P,S and L series was very good and was helpful in understanding my camera's features and capabilities as well. In addition almost two thirds of the book goes on to provide an excellent tutorial on digital photography in general which would be useful for anyone. The author illustrates most of his tips and techniques with color photos which really help to understand the points he is making.

The chapter on "Getting the most out of your Nikon Coolpix camera" can be applied to almost anyone who owns a digital camera or who is thinking of getting one. Also his chapter on "Photography and Composition Basics" is very useful for beginning photographers or even as a good short review for others. The chapter on"Techniques for Great Photos" provides a concise explanation and color photos of good techniques for a whole range of photography types such as abstract photography, sports photography, child photography, and night photography just to name a few.

Overall I was impressed with this book as a good concise overview of point and shoot cameras and digital photography with some emphasis on the Nikon Coolpix cameras.

this book is clear - a really big help as i couldn't figure those tiny little instructions which came with the camera. (i want my old film camera back :)

Nikon COOLPIX Digital Field Guide

I collect older/used camera's and so many times they come to me without the original instruction manuals.
so this book was helpful to understand a few of my older nikon digital cameras.

Recently purchased the Nikon Coolpix camera and really wanted as much information as possible for correctly using it. This is a very worthwhile tool - especially for digital camera beginners.