A Short Course in Nikon Coolpix 990 Photography (Spiral-bound)

~ Dennis P. Curtin (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The Nikon Coolpix 990 digital camera is one of the best. If you own one of these cameras and want to get the most from it, here's the book for you. Complete, clear explanations show you how to use this versatile camera's many controls to get much better and more interesting photographs. To get the most from this, or any camera, you need to understand both concepts and procedures; the "whys" and "hows" of photography.

Concepts of photography are the underlying principles that apply regardless of the camera you are using. They include such things as how sharpness and exposure affect your images and the way they are perceived by viewers. Understanding concepts answers the "why" kinds of questions you might have about photography.

Procedures are those things specific to one kind of camera, and explain step-by-step how you set your camera's controls to capture an image just the way you want to. Understanding procedures gives you the answers to the "how" kinds of questions you might have. For example, among the many things you'll see are how to throw the background out of focus, how to keep everything in a landscape sharp, how to avoid or creatively use blur; how to photograph sunrises, sunsets; and how to take pictures at night with city lights, the moon, or fireworks.

This book is organized around the concepts of digital photography because that's how photographers think. You think about scenes and subjects, highlights and shadows, softness and sharpness, color and tone. The procedures you use with the Nikon Coolpix 990 camera are integrated throughout the concepts. They appear in those places where they apply and are described step-by-step. This integrated approach lets you first understand the concepts of photography and then see step by step how to use the Coolpix 990 in all kinds of photographic situations.

From the Publisher

"A Short Course in Nikon Coolpix 990 Photography" is printed in black and white using modern printing-on-demand technology so it can be produced quickly and then kept up-to-date. Because the books are written in PageMaker and published on a fully digital system, they can be available for sale a day or two after completion. A traditional publisher might take up to six months for this process and by the time they got a book into the bookstores, it would be covering the previous camera model, not the current one. This book doesn't have the same high-quality printing found in books that are printed in mass quantities. However, the quality is amazingly high considering the fast turnaround times this new technology makes possible. Without this new technology, this book couldn't exist because the digital camera market moves much too fast for traditional printing technologies.

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Product Details

• Spiral-bound: 106 pages
• Publisher: ShortCourses.com (July 1, 2000)
• ISBN-10: 1928873081
• ISBN-13: 978-1928873082
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.3 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,758,458 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good for beginners, better than nothing for others, December 17, 2000

By	J. G. Heiser (Sunninghill, Berks) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

A Short Course in Coolpix 990 Photography

I have to admit that when I first thumbed through this skinny book, I was a bit disappointed. It covers a lot of basic photography concepts, like depth of field, that I didn't really feel the need to go over. It seemed like a real beginner's book. But, once I started reading it, I found it to be extremely well written and informative.

The author has a gift for explaining technical concepts very clearly and concisely. This is a very information dense book, and a clever beginner might not need any other books. Every concept is precisely explained and illustrated through photographic examples or diagrams. It is a beginner's book, but swallowing my pride, I have to admit that it has been a good review for me.

More important for my needs, after using a 990 for 2 months, and then reading this, it has helped clear up several confusing areas in camera operation, and brought several features to my attention that I hadn't noticed when I first read Nikon's manual. A typical gem of knowledge is the explanation that the brightness control, unlike exposure compensation, adjusts midtones, which can save detail in shadow or highlights. I wouldn't have known if I didn't have this book.

Complete beginners should probably read a lengthier generic book on photography, but I never expect any single book to suffice for learning a new discipline. This would be a very good second book on photography, reinforcing the lessons from the first book with specific instructions on how to apply those lessons on this camera. Experienced photographers will probably wish for a more detailed and in-depth book. I do, but there doesn't seem to be one available. Given that this is the only supplemental book on the Nikon 990 , I think it is worth the money.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Rather Disappointing, July 31, 2001

By	T. Clark "tomc" (AL United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a nice book for those who will not read the Nikon user's guide. There is nothing technical here that is not in the user's manual, and no special tips or tricks. Any general photographic advice can often be found in better, free tutorials on the Internet. (e.g. see Luminous Landscape) A much better guide is Mastering Nikon Digital Cameras, an e-book (CD) by Peter iNova. His e-book should be recommended accessory #1. I bought the Short Course based upon advice from Steve's Digicams, and was disappointed in his recommendation. I looked at Short Course once, and put it away, to sell whenever I sell my CP 990. I have referred to iNova's book repeatedly, and keep finding new tips, from which I derive new thoughts and ideas.

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars "Home made manual" with the price tag of a Hardcover book!, January 27, 2001

By	J. L. Ramirezmagnani (Houston,TX) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

It is fine for the novice trying to understand general photography, but if you are new to digital photography this "manual" makes it hard to understand the Nikon Coolpix 990.I was not impressed with this "manual" The owners manual is much better for explaining, through photos & diagrams, (which this "manual" has few of for the camera) the workings of this digital camera. NO index makes it very inconvenient. Stick with the owners manual till a better book on this camera comes out.