149 of 151 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Perfect companion guide for my new D300, June 20, 2008
This review is from: Nikon D300 Digital Field Guide (Paperback)
I found this Nikon D300 Digital Field Guide to be a perfect companion to the D300. It's concise, portable and packed full of great advice to help you take great photos.
The first section starts out with the Quick Tour, which gives you a nice overview to get you started. If this isn't your first DSLR you may not find this as helpful as a dSLR rookie would, but it is filled with the right information to get you familiar with the camera quickly.
The next few chapters are the nuts and bolts of the book. These chapters break down what all of the buttons do as well as tell you about all of the modes and other features. The author describes them in good detail and points you to other sections of the book if the option is described in further detail elsewhere. I found this very helpful. Chapter 2 also has a great description of histograms and how to best use them to help you get the best exposure. Personally, this description of histograms really helped me a lot.
The last chapter in the first section deals in depth with all of the menu screens and options. There are a lot of menus and custom settings and they are laid out in the same fashion as they are on the camera, which makes things easy. The section that covers the Custom Settings also gives you advice on when you might want to use or modify these settings.
One section that I really need to point out is part about the AF fine-tuning. The manual does little in the way of clarifying how this works. The author really goes into detail here explaining how to use this. If you need to fine tune any of your lenses this is the book to buy to figure out where to start.
The second section is comparable to taking a short course in digital photography basics. From describing the different types of lenses and which ones to choose to some great information on general photographic concepts and lighting, this section has it all.
The first chapter in the second section deals with lenses. The author describes each type of lens and its practical applications. He also describes ways in which to use the lens, if not practically, artistically. This is a very informative chapter.
The next chapter is an overview of the basic photography concepts, shutter speeds, apertures, ISO, as well as tips on composition. This is a general overview, while interesting and informative for newcomers to photography; advanced users may not find much new here, but the basics are clearly explained with great photos as examples.
The sixth chapter deals with lighting. It's filled with useful information about different types of lighting equipment and suggestions of affordable alternatives that allow you to achieve professional results on a budget. The lion's share of this chapter is dedicated to using the pop-up flash as well as Nikon's other Speedlights. This includes a description of all of the different flash modes in detail and an explanation of when you might want to use them.
The Real World Applications chapter is pretty cool. It gives different scenarios and different types of photography you might encounter and breaks it down, offering tips and suggestions on what lenses to use and which modes, etc. One of the things I found interesting was that the author did not always follow his suggestions to the T. When he does break from his advice he tells you why he did that. This gives you the idea that although there are general guidelines to each type of photography, you know that you don't have to follow them in every situation. I found this honest and refreshing. The Art Photography section was my favorite. It had some very interesting concepts and gadgets that I had never heard about before, such as TtV or Through the Viewfinder photography.
The final chapter in this section deals mostly with the in camera editing menus. Although I myself don't use these options, preferring to use Photoshop, I can see how this chapter would be of great benefit to someone who just wants to print photos straight from the camera. The rest of the book is filled with tidbits of information such as different accessories available and online resources. Nothing groundbreaking, but it's interesting enough.
I found this book to be well written and very easy to get through. It's very informative and well presented. The full color images in this book are all first rate. This book is perfect for a newcomer to photography and even more advanced users. Though I'm not sure I'd recommend this book for a professional as it may be a little too basic for their needs.
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130 of 132 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Extremely helpful and succinct, May 15, 2008
This review is from: Nikon D300 Digital Field Guide (Paperback)
When I bought my D300, I had the best intentions to read through the
manual that came with it - I promised myself that if I was spending
this much on a new camera that I'd really take advantage of its full
potential. But I found the manual to be frustrating and not
surprisingly, boring. My biggest complaint was that the manual
explained the function of a button or setting without ever teaching me
how it would actually affect my photos. So I bought this book hoping
it would increase my understanding of how to use my D300's controls to
get the best possible pictures. I wasn't disappointed. This book
takes you through your camera's settings and menus step-by-step,
explaining not only the function of each setting, but also when you
should use it and how it will make your pictures better - exactly what
I was looking for. It also has a large section that talks about the
basics of digital photography. While I had heard a lot of these basic
rules of photography before, I felt like it was a great refresher
course and I learned some new tips for getting great pics. I
feel more confident using my D300 after reading this book and my
pictures have improved as a result. Highly recommended.
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129 of 131 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great D300 book for on the go, May 21, 2008
This review is from: Nikon D300 Digital Field Guide (Paperback)
This book is perfect for use in the field. I bought this book specifically because it was a small format book I could take along with me for guidance. When I am unsure what menu settings to use, I take this book out of my bag, look up the options, and make adjustments quickly. When I see an opportunity for a great shot, I can look up specifics about shooting different objects in different environments and read three or four pages of advice, illustrated with awesome full color pictures. This book covers all the digital photography basics. It does include all the settings you need for the practice photos, including aperture, shutter speed, ISO setting, etc. Plus the lens used is listed. This book was a great investment - it's helped me get more comfortable with my D300 and I expect that my pictures are just going to keep getting better as I keep using the book to build my knowledge of the camera and of photography in general.
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