Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi/400D Digital Field Guide (Paperback)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: picture style, creative zone, index display, Digital Rebel, Creating Great Photos, Press the Set (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

This full-color book is designed to tap the exploding market in serious digital photography with over 250 pages of new and beautiful photos, essential photography how-to information and no-fail formulas for getting great digital pictures with the newly announced Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi/400D. It goes above and beyond competitive digital SLR books with step-by-step techniques that cover exposure, composition, and professional shooting tips on perspective, impact, and more. Charlotte K. Lowrie, author of two previous Digital Field Guides (see below), is an acclaimed photographer who was managing editor of editorial content for MSN Photos and now writes online instructional content for Canon.

Charlotte K. Lowrie (Woodinville, WA) is a freelance editorial and stock photographer and an award-winning writer. Her work has appeared in Popular Photography & Imaging and PHOTOgraphic magazines, and she is the author of the bestselling Canon EOS Digital Rebel Digital Field Guide as well as Adobe Camera Raw Studio Skills, the Canon EOS 30D Digital Field Guide, and Teach Yourself Visually Digital Photography, Second Edition, all from Wiley. Charlotte also teaches photography classes through BetterPhoto.com.

From the Back Cover

Photography is now. Don't miss another magic moment

Miss the moment, and it's gone forever. That's why you bought a digital SLR—and why you need this full-color guide that covers not only using every feature of your XTi/400D, but also getting great shots in more than two dozen situations. You'll find step-by-step techniques that enhance exposure, composition, and perspective, plus professional advice for photographing children, pets, sporting events, concerts, street scenes, landscapes, even fireworks. Wherever you take pictures, take this book along.

• Master your Digital Rebel XTi/400D's features so you get the best shot every time
• Experiment with different settings, lighting, and lenses
• Review the basics of good photographic technique
• Get advice on effective ways to shoot indoors or out, take panoramic views, capture action, and create fine art photos
• Learn to use Custom Functions to customize your camera's operation

Visit our Web site at www.wiley.com/compbooks

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Wiley (February 12, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470110074
• ISBN-13: 978-0470110072
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (108 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #34,652 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #7 in

  Books > Computers & Internet > Digital Photography & Video > Camera Guides

• This is item 2 in The Digital Field Guide Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must-Have Book for new Rebel XTi Owners, June 10, 2007

By	G. Okada "akguy" (Anchorage, Alaska) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Digital Rebel XTi/400D is the latest of the Digital Field Guide series that provides the reader an in-depth guide to maximizing the use of digital gadgets from cameras to iPods. The Canon Digital Rebel XTi/400D is the newest prosumer single lens reflex camera from Canon that debuted a little less than a year ago. I got mine in December 2006.

The first two chapters are specific to gaining a good understanding of the Rebel XTi/400D camera. The manual that came with my Digital Rebel is woeful: its small size makes it very user unfriendly. The Digital Field Guide series features attractive two-column, all-color design. I agree with the jacket that this is a book that you'll want to take along with you as you get familiarized with your new camera.

Chapter 1 explains how to set up and operate the Digital Rebel XTi and Chapter 2 covers using the camera. Interespersed throughout the book are colored icons indicating a Cross-Reference, Note, Tip, or Caution. These inserts provide concise advice for the newbie. The Digital Rebel XTi sports many features and I particularly appreciated layouts that showed the same photo using different styles or settings. For example there is a layout showing a home that was taken with the 6 different picture styles the camera has from Standard to Portrait to Monochrome. You can visually see the difference using each style. The quality of the photographic reproductions shows subtle differences.

Chapter 7, Techniques for Great Photos, is where this Digital Field Guide shines. Initially I thought that this was a generic section with minor tweaks and photos to adapt it to the Canon Digital Rebel XTi camera. A quick trip to a bookstore where I checked out other Digital Field Guides for popular cameras like the Nikon D80 showed that I was wrong. Digital Field Guides have a similar sequence of chapters but each has a different author and is written for the specific camera. In this chapter it explains in great detail, including equipment, settings and other criteria, to take superb photos of pets, street scenes, sunrise and other applications. The author, Charlotte Lowerie, provides excellent photographs with clear explanations on what Canon equipment and the specific techniques and camera settings that were employed.

Buying a single lens reflex digital camera is a major investment and the promise of producing stunning photographs is enticing. But a camera is just a piece of equipment; it is how you use it that will produce quality photos. Wiley Books' Digital Field Guide for the Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi is a must-have book. There is a wealth of information and the high quality photographs support the advice provided. I agree with the book's jacket that this is the one book that will accompany my camera on major photographic treks. I highly recommend it for Digital Rebel XTi owners. For that matter, I recommend the entire Digital Field Guide series!

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A generally good guide, May 10, 2007

By	Snoosh "snoosh" (New Jersey) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This book is a blend of specific info on the Canon Rebel XTi (about 40%)and general photography (about 60%). It is generally well written and clear, but does have some odd oversights (e.g., on one page it mentions JPEG photo files as being "lossy" without explaining the term, and most people have no clue, but then later on the same page explains non-lossy under a different type of file). Once in a while, the author inserts a little humor and vitality, usually via parenthetical remarks, which I enjoyed, more would be better. The book is useful for explaining how to use the XTi and its features, but it's more about general technique. For someone new to digital photography or digital SLRs, it would be very useful. I would recommend it to people who are moderately experienced amateurs. Pure beginners might find it handy but a little confusing, while advanced would find it interesting but a bit old hat and less helpful.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I've Learned So Much, March 15, 2007

By	Jody "bigdumptruckdotcom" (Leominster, MA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

I'm new to the world of dSLRs, and when I got an XTi for Christmas, I went into a panic because there was so much I just didn't understand, right down to standard terminology. I was afraid I would use the camera in auto mode forever.

I bought this book a week ago, and I have learned *so much*. It is exactly what I was looking for...poking through other photography books they would make suggestions for the best settings for certain types of photography, but this book tells me EXACTLY how to do it using the XTi's buttons and menus. The day I found the page that explained settings for photographing snow and rain (i.e. do you want to see the drops stopped or blurred? Here's how to do both) I was in heaven. Great investment!