Customer Reviews

Nikon D70s/D70 (Magic Lantern Guides)

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

 

 

This book seems to be an expanded version of the owner's manual for the D70. It could be that my expectations for this book were unrealistic; however, I found little in this book that was not already covered in the owner's manual that comes with the camera. The book is relatively devoid of examples as well as photos. For someone who is a novice, there are very few step by step instructions. The explanations of the technical workings of the camera are good; however, for those who are looking for tips and insight into how to take photos in specific circumstances with the D70, this book seems to fall short. If you are someone who has lost their owner's manual and want a good (or better) replacement, this is the book to get.

It's really unfortunate that this Magic Lantern guide is nothing more than a better-written replica of the D70 user's manual.

On the plus side, it *is* better written than the half-Japanese, half-English manual that comes with your Nikon D70. The topics are covered more logically and explanations of the features are given more clearly. You also get a few sample photos (e.g., fill-in flash, multiple-flash) that give you an idea about what some of the features may do to your photographic work.

But beyond rehashing what's already covered in the manual -- and replicating exactly the same tables -- the book doesn't offer any practical advice. For instance, how exactly should we use the i-TTL flash to improve flash photography? What metering system *really* works? What settings can improve the image quality of my pictures? These are not explained at all.

If you are looking for a good D70 guide with practical advice, check out Thom Hogan's self-published e-book "Complete Guide to the Nikon D70," on his website bythom.com. (I'm not affiliated with Hogan or his website in any way.) Hogan's e-book is more expensive but also much more extensive, and he gives you concrete recommendations you can use (e.g., set sharpening to none, now!). Hogan's book is about 3.5 stars; if he had written and/or edited better and included a few real-world sample photos, I'd rate it 4 or 4.5. In any case, that e-book is better than this Magic Lantern guide.

I have no idea what the previous reviewers are doing comparing this book to the owner's manual, much less calling it a "re-hash." I guess they must have received a different manual with their camera than I did. I found the stock manual to be poorly written, vague and epidermal at best. Crappy photos and illustrations. Way lame, especially for a $1G+ camera. This book features clear and concise explanations, outstanding photos, and a far more comprehensive and lucid discussion of camera technique and use of controls. Plus, the author is unafraid to chide Nikon for certain decisions and provides useful work-arounds to most challenges. I purchased the book a week before I received the D70 and, boy, I'm glad I did. You will be, too. Highly recommended and well worth the double-sawbuck!

I think a cursory look at this book would give the appearance of a rehash of the manual, but once I had a chance to actually read several sections in depth, I relized that it gave me significant insight concering not only what functions were on the D70s (as in the manual), but what settings/features should be changed from defaults. All the advice seemed very well placed, especially in terms of auto ISO (leave it off), focus assist light (also off), how to work with P mode, etc. Of the several books I've read about the D70S, I actually find this one the most useful by far.

I purchased this book several weeks ago after getting my new Nikon D70s and I, personally, think it's a great complement to the camera's manual. Yes, it does cover many of the same topics as the manual (in fact, as I flip through it, I usually have the manual close by), but it's a bit easier to read and uses language that us amateurs (who are new to the DSLR world) would find very useful, epecially when trying to navigate the technical specs of the camera.

I probably wouldn't recommend this book to the veteran Nikon user (it may be a bit too redundant), but if the D70s is your first DSLR, I certainly think it's worth the money if you're serious about really understanding the D70s and what it can do.

Finally got the help I needed. Maybe others think the instruction book that came with the D70 was fine, but I had problems figuring it all out. This guide really helped me and I highly recommend it. Mr. Stafford sure knows his stuff and adds lots of tips and hints and some things he does NOT recommend...all very useful.

If you really want to understand how your camera works, this is the book to buy.

The manual that came with the camera was impossilbe for me to understand. Thank heavens for this guide... I finally figured out how to operate the camera and what the different settings do. Maybe I need "remedial help" but this book certainly was worth the price. Love the camera too...thanks to the Magic Lantern.

This book is a terrific guide to helping understand all the functions of the D70/D70s. The explanation is more understandable than the owner's manual. I think this is a must for all new users of the D70/D70s.

This book has very little that a careful reading of the Nikon manual doesn't provide. Some very useful items about the D70 are hard to find - i.e. the index is incomplete. An example is the cabability to set the file number sequense. While there is a specific bold heading on the topic in the text, there is no index item. One has to dig through 25 pages of the "Set Up" index item to find it. Also, physically the book is inferior (that's being polite). After only 5 months of ownership, the book is literally falling apart because the publisher used an cheap/inferior binding process. I now have 4 groups of pages that have fallen from the binding. That makes it useless as a field manual.

With this book even a person like me who had no knoledge about digital photography like me could take pictures like a pro. Very easy to follow.Best book I've ever bought.