David Busch's Nikon D300 Guide to Digital SLR Photography by David D. Busch Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of David Busch's Nikon D300 Guide to Digital SLR Photography
Book Review: An Excellent D300 Guide Book
Summary: 5 Stars
David Busch's Nikon D300 is an excellent guide for an excellent camera with complex multiple options. I highly recommend it to all D300 users with the possible exception of expert D200 users who need only become familiar with the several upgrades and new options.
The only fault, if it is one, for this extensively detailed guide book is that generic, basic photographic instruction is included and superficially covered when it would have been preferable, from my point of view, for those pages to be used for an easily referenced table listing all the D300 menu options. But, with over 400 pages covering all aspects of D300 use in detail with numerous high quality illustrations, photos and clear, easily followed language, this is a very minor complaint.
The best by far of any camera guide part of my experience yet published and as a bonus, it is priced at less than half the cost of many other photographic books of similar size and quality.
Book Review: An outstanding production
Summary: 5 Stars
It is not often I get emotional about a camera guide book; I can take them or leave them. However, with David Busch's book that casual opinion has had to give way to admiration and gratitude. Admiration for the enthusiasm within (just read the intro!!....) and gratitude for making a fully optioned DSLR and complex Nikon menu clearly accessible at a first reading. I finished most of the book, camera in hand, on the first night I received it (yeah, I know; I should try and get a more interesting life.....).
Be that as it may, I awoke the next morning feeling much relieved about having to come to grips with the D300, and a little sheepish for having taken so long to round out my knowledge of this particular Nikon.
Even though the back says the book is for 'beginners', I can't really imagine beginners wading in with a camera this complex. Even so, as a Nikon user, I learned heaps, and I have been shooting (first film, and then digital) Nikons for around 30 years and upgraded to the D300 from the D200. I think his little tips about bits and pieces to buy is helpful as it allows you to evaluate how well what you have fits the bill.
But most of all, the author is to be congratulated on making a potentially dry and boring subject so easy to read, do and learn. I appreciate this book for its ability to teach effortlessly and if I could, I would give David Busch a hug and a pat on the back for making the why and wherefores of the Nikon D300 so immediately accessible.
Yes I know this only a camera guide.
You should see how I react to Photoshop books I like.... :)
Buy it.
Book Review: Arrogance
Summary: 3 Stars
I have found the Amazon reviews to be very useful most recently in selecting books and other items, so I felt obligated to try to write something about this book that has not already been said. Mr. Busch starts out by stating that his book is additive to the very extensive manual in that it not only will describe all the functions but how you should use them, when and why. To some degree he partially succeeded for some functions but not without providing the following stumbling blocks:
(1) Instead of taking a subject and completing it fully in one place with pictures that are easily seen on the same page, he defers to describing something later in another chapter....which then refers to another chapter.....(and in at least one case the reference was entirely wrong.) In other cases the circular reference gets you back to the starting point without all the necessary information. I am talking about big subjects like focusing, exposure, bracketing. Even though it appears that there is a portion of a chapter related, it takes bouncing around from one place to another to get it all.
(2) There are not only multiple typos but there are outright errors that will throw anybody off the track. When someone takes the time to read these books it would seem the auther and/or publisher would welcome corrections.
(3) What irks me more than anything is the arrogance of the author and publisher in sending this book in our direction without any means of us to notify anybody of substantive errors, typos, suggestions and yes, even quesions. .....whatever. There is no address for finding David Busch. His blog does not allow comments from us commoners as far as I can tell and there is no way for us to get an errata sheet showing any subsequent corrections. I wrote every company listed in the book as being responsible for the publishing and printing of the book and received no answer in over 2 months. It doesn't have to be this way. There is are publishers that not only provides a website to update any book, but admonishes its customers to go to the website before starting. The also provide a continuous errata sheet so that the book remains useful.
In the future, I will try to avoid books in which a customer service contact is not provided for the purpose of corrections, suggestions, questions, etc.
Book Review: Bad Bad Bad
Summary: 2 Stars
This book is just plain bad.
Spends half the book telling you that he will discuss the topic in another chapter.. really bad.
Its a choppy ramble and not a well crafted book.
Try Mastering the Nikon D300 by Darrel Young.. I just bought it and was relived to find it to be the book I was truly looking for.
Book Review: Basically excellent with minor irritations
Summary: 4 Stars
This book is basically excellent - lots of information and very helpful, well presented opinions. Busch not only explains the enormous array of options, he presents his suggestions and includes his reasons for the choices so the reader can decide what to try. My only quibble here would be that not enough time is spent on sports, fast action, photojournalism interests - but this ia really minor as all the information is there.
The annoyances are minor but add up over the course of 400+ pages. I would pay more for fewer pages! The book is far too large to carry around and could so easily have been produced in a more usable size without cutting out one single bit of content. Simply eliminating the constant repetition of what Busch will cover, where he'll cover it, what he has just covered and how other Nikons work or used to work would make the book so much more readable and portable. Also, some illustrations are huge, repetitious and/or not informative. Save the trees, our backs and our tempers, please and give us this excellent guide in a more organized and straightforward manner. I don't think anyone thinks the book is worth more because of it's size.