Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi/400D Digital Field Guide | Charlotte K. Lowrie

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi/400D Digital Field Guide | Charlotte K. Lowrie | The missing manual; very thorough

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	Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi/400D Digital Field Guide Charlotte K. Lowrie Wiley, 2007 - 288 pages average customer review:based on 139 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Excellent book

I'm a book/manual addict, so LONG before I purchased the camera, I downloaded the owner's manual from Canon. After reading it several times, I bought this one. This has about the same data that the manual has, but the presentation is MUCH better. Additionally, this has data on general photographic method and knowledge.

If you are a Professional or a HIgh End User or an Experienced Amateur, AND if you're intelligent enough to understand that reading manuals is important, this book very likely, no matter how well done, won't be for you, it's a straight out (albeit, once again, very nicely presented) tech manual for the Canon XTI. If you're relatively new to photography or to "real" (SLR or DSLR) cameras, this one you'll likely love.

My daughter is currently reading the book, as it appears she's going to be assigned on as a yearbook photo at her HS.

I had to WAIT, and she gets one given to her. Ah, The Injustices Of The Generations (VBG).

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The missing manual; very thorough

It's like an in-depth and extended version of the camera's manual. Very thorough, feels pretty complete. A great value, and very strongly recommended for any XTi owners.

This Should be the Product Manual!

When I say that this should be the product manual, I'm serious and mean that in a good way. This really is the book that SHOULD come with the product when you purchase a $600+ digital SLR camera. With a level of detail that consumers should expect from the product company, Charlotte Lowrie delivers a great manual for learning the ins and outs of the Rebel XTi.

The "Quick Start" guide that came with my Rebel XTi consisted of a handful of pages that were the size of playing cards. Sure, they explain that you're supposed to turn on the camera, select the simplest mode, and then start taking pictures, but what does that teach me about using my camera?

Lowrie takes it a few steps further and actually explains things along the way in her version of the "Quick Start." She not only explains what to do, but also where to find the controls and what it all means.

Like the "Quick Start" guide, the product manual that came with the Rebel XTi is fairly small when you consider the price tag of the camera. Sure, it will tell you what each control and setting is, but most everything was just the name of the control and a brief, if any, explanation. Small photographs crowded with labels were prevalent and made it difficult to truly grasp the capabilities of the camera it came with.

As with her version of the "Quick Start" guide, Lowrie again takes things a step (a few steps, actually) further and explains what all the controls are with excellent descriptions and close-up, easy-to-understand images. Her diagrams with just the right amount of labeling and her easy-to-read tables are also spot on.

Having read both this book and Bryan Peterson's "Understanding Exposure," I think this book falls short of explaining the creative modes (the latter part of the book) as well as Peterson. Peterson's first-hand examples will help you take better photographs than this book because of how in-depth they go into what makes good photography. The Rebel XTi Digital Field Guide spends more time on the controls/workings of the camera and has to sacrifice some of this more in-depth explanation of creative photography by comparison.

BUT (and that's a big BUT!), this book is, first and foremost, about your Rebel XTi and it's hands-down a great book for getting more intimate with your Rebel XTi and Canon should hire Lowrie to write their product manuals for future products. A book like this will quickly make even the most intimidated consumer fearless with their new product, as it did with this digital SLR newbie and his Rebel XTi. I could actually imagine future consumers who got a book like this with their product absolutely raving about Canon and how they deliver product manuals that actually mean something and are actually helpful.

Product manuals that have meaning and are helpful? Hey, I can dream, right? Thankfully, with this book, I don't have to.

This isn't a knock on this book, but if you already know anything and everything about your Rebel XTi and want to learn more about creative photography, skip this book and get Peterson's book.

However, if you're new to the Rebel XTi (particularly if you're new to digital SLR) or want/need to get more intimate with the settings/controls available to you with your Rebel XTi, then you NEED this book and will be more than happy with the price tag after you've finished it.

As a digital SLR newbie, I got both books and couldn't be happier with my decisions!

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A must have for all Canon XTI owners

I purchased this book on preorder months after I purchased my canon XTi. Since I got the camera before this was available I found it frustrating to learn how to use this cameras abilities to it's fullest. The manual from the manufacturer is a joke,giving only the most basic info.

Tjis book does a good job of explaining techniques on how to use the creative modes of the camera to get artistic shots. Classes can do this too,but this book is a good reference to remind you of odd effects you may not use often.

I highly recommend XTi owners invest in this guide.

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Not quite what I was looking for

I bought this book with the intention of learning more about my Rebel DSLR. I am pretty disappointed with this title.

The first issue I have with this book is the photos are entirely uninspiring. Next, everything you need to know to get started is available in the Rebel manual, which I have read and just paid for again apparently.

If you've never taken a decent photo before in your life, if you've never used an SLR of any type, if you've need a very rudimentary understanding of the histogram, apertures and shutter speeds, or if you've managed to lose your Rebel XTi Manual from Canon, you might want to pick up this title.

Otherwise I don't think there is anything offered here you can't obtain with experimentation and experience.

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