Most Helpful Customer Reviews
59 of 59 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best Nikon D80 Guidebook Available, June 4, 2007
This review is from: Nikon D80 Digital Field Guide (Paperback)
I recently purchased a Nikon D80 as a backup to my Nikon D200, and have been more than happy with it. It offers many of the features and all of the image quality at a lower price. I was also very happy with this author's Digital Field Guide for the D200, and decided to check this book out. I was not disappointed.
The occasional typo or misstep didn't bother me. I'm more interested in the kind of information a book can provide me, and this one delivers. It combines detailed information on using the D80, in much more depth than the tiny black and white manual that comes with the camera. The first third of the book leads you through a quick tour and roadmap with large, full color photos that make it easy to find, understand, and use each control as well as chapters on using each of the features and menu choices. It tells you how to select settings, and why, in a much clearer form.
The next part explains the fundamentals of exposure, using lenses, and working with all forms of light, using the capabilities of the D80 camera to their fullest extent. As with the D200 book, my favorite part was the large chapter that described several dozen typical photo taking opportunities and how to capture them using the D80 and its available lenses and accessories. Quite useful and specific!
I enjoy the Field Guide concept, and like having all the essential information I need to operate my D80 in one book, whether I am traveling light and using my D80 as my only camera, or whether I am using it together with other cameras (it's nice to have settings information at hand, because other models use different settings and have different controls.)
I didn't like the other D80 guides, particularly those that had only black-and-white photos, and those that were e-books or DVDs that I couldn't take with me in the field unless I also took along a laptop. This book goes everywhere!
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34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
One of the Best Nikon D80 Guides, July 18, 2007
This review is from: Nikon D80 Digital Field Guide (Paperback)
The Nikon D80 was designed for people like me: Jumping from an advanced digital point & shoot to this excellent SLR- both using Secure Digital cards. I'm not a pro, but I have a moderate knowledge of digital cameras. The Nikon D80 Digital Field Guide fits the type of consumer that Nikon targeted for the D80.
This book is an attractive supplement to Nikon's D80 instruction booklet. Nikon's booklet is factual but the organization is fragmented. With Nikon's booklet, new D80 users will spend more time flipping pages than taking pictures. With the D80 Digital Field Guide, facts are presented in an organized, clear, concise, and easy to understand manner. A pro that have been using digital SLR's for years wouldn't need a book in this genre, but I did and have found this book extremely useful!
I did receive a very early edition of this book. It is true that there are missing hyphens & a wrong USB port photo. Books like this are rushed for publication because Nikon will eventually make a replacement for the D80 that will make this book obsolete. That's the nature of technology today. Looking past the first printing errors, I find that the good far outweighs the bad- therefore the 5 star rating. The few mistakes are very obvious and repetitive. They do not deter the user from learning the D80 and photography. I suspect that printing errors will be corrected in later editions.
This color guide is attractive and formatted like a Frommer's travel guide. The price (an amazing $13.59 at Amazon) also makes it a bargain in comparison to other books in this category. I highly recommend this book.
I want to give this book 5 stars, but the Amazon's edit selection will not allow me to change it from a 4 to a 5! This book deserves 5 stars.
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27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best Guide Available!!!, October 26, 2007
This review is from: Nikon D80 Digital Field Guide (Paperback)
I love this guide! I got this guide just before a trip to Alaska and by the time I got back home, it was well used with many "dog-earred" pages. It is now THE guide which goes with me and my D80. I am a novice, but I knew enough about photography to be concerned about the huge amount of bright light and over abundance of white from glaciers.
From reading the guide and learning more about exposure, lighting and white balance, I was able to shoot with auto ISO, f11 and/or f13 at 1/200.
The glacier photos were beautiful and successful shots.
Busch's D80 is much better than Nikon's manual which comes with the camera, or the Magic Lantern guide which both left me confused and still with unanswered questions.
The Table of Contents and Index is precise and detailed, making it easy to find the information one needs. The glossary is written in language that a beginner like myself can understand. While it teaches specific D80 functions, it also teaches general photography using the D80. A favorite addition is Chapter 7: Photo Subjects. He describes different subjects and concerns one may need for a specific photo. He presents a "Table" describing set-up, lighting, lens, camera settings, exposure, and accessories one may need such as a tripod. This section provides the photographer with opportunites to "practice" specific shooting circumstances and be successful with the photo.
This D80 guide is a real MUST HAVE guide.
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