Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Another Book Review: Digital Photography

Back in September when I first bought my Canon Rebel Xsi, Red loaned me a book she had bought and read after purchasing her Canon 40D. The title is Mastering Digital SLR Photography (second edition) by David Busch. Its subtitle is: the serious photographer's guide to high-quality digital SLR photography. I seem to grin when I read that. That's because I really don't consider myself a "serious" photographer. I don't plan on being a professional; I just like to take pictures of what strikes my fancy. Mostly I like to take photos to have a record of what I have seen and enjoyed around me, and something to remember it by.
But back to reviewing the book. I would definitely recommend this book if you want to learn more about high quality photography and to learn more about your digital camera's features and quirks, if you own a Nikon or Canon. Other brand names were not mentioned very often. On a personal level I found the book more technical than what I would want to read and learn about my camera. Mr. Busch got into mirror size/design and pentaprisms which did not interest me. But he did have several chapters that were worthy -- like the chapter on a camera's buttons and menus and what each of them are capable of doing and when it's best to use a certain mode, like aperture-priority or shutter-priority or using manual focus. Another chapter I liked reading was about the various lenses one can use and which lenses are best for landscape or macro photography, etc. The chapters on action photography and close-up photography were good, too. Mr. Busch is a professional photographer, so he does give some excellent tips on composition and depth of field, too. Overall, if I had to rate this book on a 1 to 5 scale I would give it a "4." A lot of my photography is learning by doing, or even better yet asking my daughter (Red) about certain buttons and when to use them. She may not always have the patience with me, but she also knows that experimenting with one's toy is the best way to get to know it. Happy picture-taking everyone!

6 comments:

Kathie Brown said...

Mary, thanks for the recommendations! I knew about Bosque del Apache, but not the other places you mentioned. I don't know when we will get back there but I can't wait to go again.

Happy Halloween. Thanks for stopping by!

Larry said...

Thanks for the review. Now al I need to do is get the DSLR camera!

Anonymous said...

I opted out of the SLR camera because I didn't want to have to learn so much. I often have regrets. BTW- the Sharks are doing good. I couldn't believe they beat our Pittsburgh Penguins, were you at the game? I have a soft spot for the Sharks and the Wild, though.

Shelley said...

I need something like this!!

Mary C said...

Kathie, I'm glad I could help. And I'm sure I missed many other great places to visit, but the ones I did mention to you are probably by far my favorites. I hope you can get back to New Mexico soon. There really is a lot to see, and its logo "land of enchantment" is quite apropo.

Larry, thanks for stopping by. I thought you already had a DSLR camera. Do you have a point-and-shoot? Of course, I still can't do without mine - so now I carry two cameras with me.

Linda, I had felt the same way at first about owning/using a DSLR - having to learn so much -- but it's really not that bad, and I'm happy to see that some of my photos are crisper, and best of all this camera is faster at focusing. Other than quick focusing I also like the idea of just having what I want focused on to come out clear/crisp with the background on the "fuzzy/blurry" end. For some unknown reason I can't get that same result with my Kodak. Regarding the Sharks - yes, I was at the game (both Tuesday and Thursday nights). And since you mentioned the Wild, the Sharks play them here at home tomorrow night. Do you think you'll get to see the game on NHL Center Ice?

Hi Shelley. There are quite a few books "out there" on digital cameras, etc. But since my daughter recommended I read it, I thought it would be a good idea to give a review on it since other bloggers may be wondering what's out there and if it's worth reading.

Heidi said...

I liked it a lot. I bought two of them shortly after I got my camera, and learned the most from this one. It's great for referencing too!

 

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