Nikon D300 Digital Field Guide

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 288 pages
• Published by: Wiley May 12, 2008
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0470260920
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0470260920
• Book Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Weighs: 1.2 pounds

Product Description
Citing the Nikon D300's high-ISO performance, sophisticated autofocus system, 6 frames per second shooting speed, and an astoundingly sharp 3-inch LCD screen, all for less than $2,000, PopPhoto declared the Nikon D300 the camera of the year for 2007. Nikon D300 Digital Field Guide is filled with everything you need to know in order to take amazing photographs using your Nikon D300. This full-color portable guide walks you through the essential controls, features, and functions of the Nikon D300 digital SLR using step-by-step instructions and full-color images of each menu screen. This robust guide not only shows you how to adjust white balance, autofocus, exposure, and choose lenses, it also teaches you when and why you should adjust each of these key settings. The Nikon D300 Digital Field Guide goes beyond camera settings to offer you a refresher guide to the principles of digital photography, covering the essentials of lighting, composition, and exposure. Filled with amazing examples, this book also presents a variety of tips and tricks to capturing portraits, candids, sports, travel, macro photography, and much more.

Back Cover Copy
Harness the power and potential your D300 promises

With 12.3 megapixels, a three-inch LCD, Live View, and the ability to shoot up to eight frames per second, your D300 is an awesome camera. The more you know about using it, the more you'll get for your money, so take this guide with you on every shoot. Along with detailed instructions on using every feature, it provides full-color images of menu screens, helps you select lenses, and offers guidance for getting awesome images in many situations.

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  Become familiar with the function of the D300's controls
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  Refresh your knowledge of photography basics such as ISO, aperture, and depth of field
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  Explore the possibilities with each type of lens and a variety of light sources
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  Experiment with useful tips and advice for more than 15specific shooting situations
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  Learn the secrets of getting great portraits, action shots, or night photographs

Reader Reviews
I found this Nikon D300 Digital Field Guide to be a perfect companion to the D300. It's concise, portable and packed full of great advice to help you take great photos. The first section starts out with the Quick Tour, which gives you a nice overview to get you started. If this isn't your first DSLR you may not find this as helpful as a dSLR rookie would, but it is filled with the right information to get you familiar with the camera quickly. The next few chapters are the nuts and bolts of the book. These chapters break down what all of the buttons do as well as tell you about all of the modes and other features. The author describes them in good detail and points you to other sections of the book if the option is described in further detail elsewhere. I found this very helpful. Chapter 2 also has a great description of histograms and how to best use them to help you get the best exposure. Personally, this description of histograms really helped me a lot. The last chapter in the first section deals in depth with all of the menu screens and options. There are a lot of menus and custom settings and they are laid out in the same fashion as they are on the camera, which makes things easy. The section that covers the Custom Settings also gives you advice on when you might want to use or modify these settings. One section that I really need to point out is part about the AF fine-tuning. The manual does little in the way of clarifying how this works. The author really goes into detail here explaining how to use this. If you need to fine tune any of your lenses this is the book to buy to figure out where to start. The second section is comparable to taking a short course in digital photography basics. From describing the different types of lenses and which ones to choose to some great information on general photographic concepts and lighting, this section has it all. The first chapter in the second section deals with lenses. The author describes each type of lens and its practical applications. He also describes ways in which to use the lens, if not practically, artistically. This is a very informative chapter. The next chapter is an overview of the basic photography concepts, shutter speeds, apertures, ISO, as well as tips on composition. This is a general overview, while interesting and informative for newcomers to photography; advanced users may not find much new here, but the basics are clearly explained with great photos as examples. The sixth chapter deals with lighting. It's filled with useful information about different types of lighting equipment and suggestions of affordable alternatives that allow you to achieve professional results on a budget. The lion's share of this chapter is dedicated to using the pop-up flash as well as Nikon's other Speedlights. This includes a description of all of the different flash modes in detail and an explanation of when you might want to use them. The Real World Applications chapter is pretty cool. It gives different scenarios and different types of photography you might encounter and breaks it down, offering tips and suggestions on what lenses to use and which modes, etc. One of the things I found interesting was that the author did not always follow his suggestions to the T. When he does break from his advice he tells you why he did that. This gives you the idea that although there are general guidelines to each type of photography, you know that you don't have to follow them in every situation. I found this honest and refreshing. The Art Photography section was my favorite. It had some very interesting concepts and gadgets that I had never heard about before, such as TtV or Through the Viewfinder photography. The final chapter in this section deals mostly with the in camera editing menus. Although I myself don't use these options, preferring to use Photoshop, I can see how this chapter would be of great benefit to someone who just wants to print photos straight from the camera. The rest of the book is filled with tidbits of information such as different accessories available and online resources. Nothing groundbreaking, but it's interesting enough. I found this book to be well written and very easy to get through. It's very informative and well presented. The full color images in this book are all first rate. This book is perfect for a newcomer to photography and even more advanced users. Though I'm not sure I'd recommend this book for a professional as it may be a little too basic for their needs. Comment | | (Report this)