Customer Reviews

Nikon D80 Digital Field Guide

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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!

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.

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.

Busch's field guide provides all of the essential information one needs to fully operate and appreciate the D80's features. In addition Busch provides several chapters that help you get the most out of your camera. I'm an advanced amateur who is new to digital photography. I've read a couple of other books on the D80 but this was the best.

O.K. here's the deal. You go out and purchase a Nikon D80, bring it home, open the box and begin to pour through the manual. About 1-2 minutes in you begin to yawn and do your best to keep your head up. You begin to nod off gaping at the one-dimensional black and white figures on the page accompanied by droll (and vague) language seemingly devised in legalese by out-of-work lawyers. You fight to remain conscious while the right side of your brain hopes you'll gather all the neceassary information through osmosis.

Fast forward to David D. Busch's "Digital Field Guide". Information and illustrations that leap from the page and grab you by the lapels and enlighten you like a Buddhist monk at your local monastery. It's all covered here. And let's face it we can use all the help we can get in this digital new frontier. Basics like exposure, lighting and composition. Also types of lenses, ISO settings, aperture or mode, shutter speed and tips on downloading and editing your photos. You have a great camera in the Nikon D80. You need a great guide to get you where you're going. You wouldn't buy a Porsche and place a VW engine in it.You want the best to go with the best. The same applies here. This guide has all the essentials. Ya gotta buy it. After all, you're worth it.

I thought I knew my D80 reasonably well. However, I gained many new insights from the book. I like the inclusion of actual colored pictures of controls and actual colored pictures of results in the small book. I already have marked many pages for future reference.

I recommend you skim over the book and then go back with camera in hand and run through the controls and procedures detailed in the book.

I would definitely recommend this guide to any new user of the Nikon D80 camera. It is easy to follow and looking up information is much easier than the owner's manual.

I bought this along with the Lantern Guide for my D80 because the manual is somewhat lacking in details. This Digital Field Guide has the details and the application of them in various situations. It has helped me to quickly get to know my new camera.

After trying to make sense of the owner's manual I bought this guide from Amazon and have been very pleased. The photos let me take my camera and know exactly what I am looking at. The text I find to be very concise and easy to follow and with a few exceptions, it has been a huge help in my learning curve on this camera. My only real disappointment has been the size of the book because it is not easy to carry in the field.

This book is an easy read and packed full of good information. I would recommend it to anyone with a D80.