Nikon D300s Digital Field Guide

by J. Dennis Thomas

Book Overview

What you need to know to take amazing photos--or shoot movies --with your Nikon D300s camera This portable, full-color guide explains all essential controls, features, and functions of the Nikon D300s... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0470521279
• ISBN13: 9780470521274
• Release Date: November 2009
• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
• Length: 317 Pages
• Weight: 1.44 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.6" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Excellent way to learn the camera.

The D300S has so many buttons and functions that the learning curve is very steep. The Digital field guide is a great tool to learn how all the functions work and how to use them effectively. I would call it a supplement to the user manual. The author takes you through all the menus effectively telling you what they do and how to use them. He starts by telling you what everything is and walking you around the camera. Then gets into the menus taking you on a tour of the ins an outs. The photos and diagrams do a good job of allowing you to understand the camera. This manual should be bought alond side of each camera. Lets face it if you don't know how to use your camera nothing you put on it will work affectively. The price is right and the size allows it to fit in any bag to be ready at a moments notice.I would highly reccomend it to anyone who buys a camera.

Just what I needed to make the switch from film to digital

I've been wanting to make the switch to digital photography for a awhile now and my husband just bought me a brand new D300s. Along with this awesome camera he bought the D300s Digital Field Guide and I have to say, without this book I'd be a little lost. I've been using a Nikon N90s for many years and being that this was a top of the line camera when I bought it. I thought that I'd be able to pick up the D300s and just go with it. Not quite! There are SO many more buttons and features on these digital SLR's that I was just about overwhelmed. This book has helped me so much. The first few chapters go into all of the buttons and controls and tell you exactly what they do. I was really grateful for the chapter on the menus. There are so many options in there that I was afraid to change anything lest I mess up something that I wouldn't know how to fix. Reading through this book has demystified what these menu options do and it also gives you advice on when to change the settings and why. I highly recommend this book to anybody who wants a great easy to read, in-depth guide to their camera. Mr Thomas is a wonderful author. I would love to meet him one day. Next up on the list for me is the Creative Lighting System guide for the new SB-900 I'm about to get! ;)

camera guide and much more

At last my copy of the D300s Digital Field Guide has arrived! Anytime I get a new camera I can't wait for the "DFG" to come out. The book describes all of the bells, whistles, knobs, and buttons so I can easily figure out what each thing does. Not only does this book cover all of the camera functions, but it also helps you learn how to do all kinds of different types of photography from action shots to weddings AND it even helps you to pick out the perfect lenses for your favorite type of photography. This book is a great learning tool filled with practical easy to understand info about the camera and much, much more. PS: The gray card / color checker that comes free with the book is an awesome bonus. It has made my color balancing SO much easier.

Makes the learning curve a little less steep!

I recently purchased a D300s as an upgrade from my D90 because I was trying to get away from the Auto modes and I figured that the D300s would make me step up my game. Well, I didn't realize that the learning curve was going to be so steep. A friend of mine has bought a few of the digital field guide books and loved them (the new Creative Lighting System guide in particular). She told me that the writing was straight, to the point and super easy to understand, and she was spot on. This book breaks down all of the technical aspects and explains them in a no-nonsense and easy to understand way. Not only does the author go through and explain every button and menu option, he explains situations where you might want to use them. My favorite part of the book is the real world applications. These chapters explain a bunch of different types of photography and give real in depth advice on how to achieve pictures just like the pros do. There is also a great chapter on lenses which is very helpful especially because the author doesn't simply recommend the high end Nikon models but also gives you advice on some great lenses from other companies. Let's face it, not all of us can afford Nikon's pro lenses, but we would still like a piece of quality glass. To put it bluntly I was on the verge of getting rid of the D300s and going back to the D90 and the Auto modes, but this book has helped me get over that learning curve, stop being frustrated with my camera and start taking great shots!

A very useful guide

This guide covers just about everything you need to learn about your D300s. I found it to be quite technical without going overboard with jargon so that it's easy enough for the layperson to understand. The section on lenses is completely up to date and even includes the newest lenses some of which aren't even available to the general public yet (the 85mm DX macro lens). The real world applications cover things very in depth, but seem to follow the author's general interests. Not that that's a bad thing, he's very well versed in the topics he knows and the expertise comes through. At the end of the day this book is much more useful than the guide the camera came with and the full color photographs and concise explanations make this book a must have for anyone wanting to expand the knowledge of their camera.