Digital SLR Cameras & Photography for Dummies

My copy is copywrite 2009. Still nicer than having to look up everything online.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who doesn't really know much about how digital SLR cameras work. The book provides a general overview of the main areas of interest to beginner photographers, but the book is rather basic though, so unless you are a true beginner, the book is probably not for you. Personally, I think the main value of this book is that I now understand enough about the different terms/principles to seek out more specific books for further reading. For example, I ordered "Understanding Exposure", and I'm probably also going to get a book specifically geared toward low light shooting as well.

This book is definitely written with an eye towards those just getting their feet wet with digital SLRs. The technical portions of the book are excellent--you will have a much better understanding of the capabilities of your camera and, more importantly, harnessing those capabilities. Other non-technical sections, such as pointers on composition, are helpful as well. Finally, while not as crisply written as other sections, the book includes a decent discussion on available software and the process of editing images. If you are buying your first digital SLR, add this book to the order. One hint--READ YOUR CAMERA'S MANUAL FIRST. It makes it much easier to digest the information provided and immediately experiment with your new understanding of your camera's functions.

Like many snapshooting amateurs, I upgraded from an ordinary point/shoot digital camera to a digital SLR because I wanted to take advantage of the features these new cameras offer. Plus, a camera like my Olympus E-500 doesn't really cost much more than the high-end non-SLR cameras. However, once I got my camera, I didn't know what to do with it. This book cleared everything up for me. It provided a clear explanation of the advantages of digital SLR cameras, plus it listed some of the drawbacks I was not aware of at first, such as the inability to shoot movies. Then it told me about all the different controls and how to use them. There were great sections in this book on how to take specific kinds of pictures and how to choose an image editor. The editing portion got me started and inspired me to buy a Dummies book on Photoshop Elements so I can learn more. As I said, this book really told me what I could do with my new camera. There was even a section in the Parts of Tens that listed things you'd never thought of doing with a digital SLR and I certainly hadn't. Thank you for a great introduction to my new camera.

You can always count on Dummies books to present complicated information in an easy-to-absorb style, and this one is even better than most. New D-SLR owners will find everything they need to know to master their cameras. Veterans will discover new features and new techniques, too. All the illustrations are in full color, so you can see exactly what kind of results you'll get if you follow this book's advice. There seem to be a lot of D-SLR books on the market now. Many of them concentrate on the technology or spend too much time describing how to "fix" your pictures in Photoshop. This book has exactly the right mix of nuts and bolts, tips on what you can do with image editing, and, throughout the text, lots and lots of photographic techniques of the sort you really won't find in many of the other D-SLR books.

The Dummies people have finally recognized that books about digital photography deserve to be published in full color, and this one amply demonstrates the reason why. It's written by the leading author of DSLR books (I also own his Nikon D70 guide), and is filled from cover to cover with wonderful full color photos and shrewd advice for getting the most from your camera. If anything, this book is even clearer than the usual Dummies book, taking you through every step in choosing, using, and accessorizing your digital SLR. It's perfect for new DSLR owners who are puzzled by the many options, features, and settings found in these cameras. It's also a good guide for those seeking to improve their skills. I now fully understand things like continuous autofocus and single autofocus, how to select lenses, when to use aperture and shutter priority, and why I should not ever use my D70's full "automatic" mode. Unlike some other DSLR books I've seen, this one covers both cameras and photography thoroughly, so you'll learn how to use your camera as well as how to take better images.