Photo Digital Frame

Review by Veronica Casablanca:

It’s about time we had a book of techniques for using digital single lens reflex cameras. For a long time, only the pro photographers could afford a digital single lens reflex, and they mostly already knew everything they needed to about photography. But now that the Canon Digital Rebel is available for less than 00, and the Nikon D70 costs only a few hundred dollars more, there are millions of serious amateur photographers who are moving up to a digital SLR and who need some tips on how to use them.

For example, I was completely in the dark about some funny spots on my photos, and I learned from this book that they are dust on the sensor and how to remove them. I also wondered about sports photography because shutter lag with my old Minolta digital camera made shooting action almost impossible. I got some great tips about action photography from this book and have already taken some great pictures at my son’s basketball games.

I like that this book is aimed at the SLR owner, who is likely to be very serious about photography. It offers lots of tips and tricks that go beyond the mundane and show you how to use a digital SLR to take better pictures. Although the explanations are not complicated, the author goes into lots of depth, making this book very comprehensive. I purchased his previous book on Mastering Digital Photography, and found that this one had not much overlap, so I could enjoy both. It covers the topics with more of an SLR slant.

SLR photographers who are shooting digital must have this book to learn how to get the most from their cameras, and to pick up some valuable photography advice. I recommended it highly.

Review by Sooz:

I know bad reviews get rated as “not helpful”, but I’ll put this in anyway in case it helps someone who is really trying to master digital SLR. I found this very repetitive and dull. The photographic reproductions are very poor. Too much “digital history” weighed this down and the author makes continuous references and plugs for his previous books. He should have started this one where his other books left off and not made continuous summaries and references to his previous book. It came across very “cut and paste”. Very annoying. The glossary is the saving grace and why I gave it two, rather than no stars. Very disappointing because this genre needs a good bible. An attentive publisher and editor could have trimmed this into a useful reference.

Review by Fotógrafo:

Always eager for something to read in English, I picked up several of this author’s books on a recent visit to New York. This one I actually got for a friend of mine back home, but I found myself totally absorbed in it on the plane ride. What a great idea this is!

You’d think that digital SLRs are too “advanced” a topic for a simple book like this one, but Busch obviously recognizes that many DSLRs are going to be purchased by people who have never held such a camera in their hands before. They are so affordable now that it just makes sense to get one and gain all the flexibility and expandability they offer, rather than invest in an expensive compact digital camera with far fewer features.

But what do you do when you’re confronted with all those buttons and dials, and, even, a lens that comes right off the camera and can be replaced with another one? I’d say you should read this book. It starts at a very basic level, never talks down to you, and provides exactly the kind of information that new DSLR users need to begin taking pictures. I wouldn’t recommend this book to experienced DSLR owners. It’s really too basic for them. But that’s a good thing for everybody else.

Review by M. V. Smith:

Digital SLRs have become so affordable that many point-and-shoot photographers are rushing to upgrade from their snapshot camera to a DSLR. Hold your horses! As a long-time DSLR user, I can tell you that there is a LOT to learn about using these wonderful, complex cameras. Before you start out on the wrong foot and encounter disappointment, you should read this book first.

It’s not an advanced or even intermediate DSLR guidebook. It’s best for those who are just starting out and feeling their way, and need a quick introductory course in topics like the basic controls of a DSLR, using aperture priority or shutter priority, continuous or single autofocus, what different lenses do, and so forth. All those questions you’re too embarrassed to ask your experienced friends are answered here.

The topics are divided into bite-sized pieces that can be explained in two pages, so all you need to do is leaf through the book to find what you want to know, and read just the essential information. I really liked that this book is not specific to a particular camera model, making it more useful to those who own SLRs from Pentax, Konica Minolta, Olympus, Samsung, and other manufacturers who aren’t “honored” with books dedicated to their cameras alone. This book works with all brands.

The Quick Snap Guide won’t replace your camera manual. It won’t even replace more advanced photography books. It’s what you need to get the understanding you require to begin using your digital SLR camera properly. I’m recommending this book to all my friends who need a jump start.

Review by owner of nikki-the-wonder-dog:

Okay, I admit it- I am very much a noobie to dSLR cameras. I have been reading some of the same sort of generic books that many others have that are recommended to all photographer-wannabes and I’ve been slowly ascending the dSLR learning curve. But I wanted a book slanted towards beginners or intermediate users that was specifically meant for XSi/450D users. THIS IS THE BOOK! And I have had it on pre-order for almost a month as it was to be one of the first books out specific to this camera.

It has been worth the wait! The very first chapter tells you how to get out there and start taking photos that are much more than merely acceptable. The second chapter is a virtual roadmap to the camera with plenty of large color photos detailing the location and purpose of all the various buttons and knobs. And from here on, the book just gets better! There are chapters on setting up your camera, getting the right exposure, working with light (natural and flash), downloading and editing images, and a great deal more.

My favorite is an entire chapter devoted to working with lenses. For an absolute beginner like me, this chapter has been sooo helpful. Not only does this chapter explain various lens types but it also explains the dos and don’ts of how best to use them. And wonder of wonders, there is even a section in this chapter subtitled “Ingredients of Canon’s Alphanumeric Soup” that gives simple explanations of the data engraved or painted on the barrel or the ring surrounding the front of a lens. To professional or even advanced amateur photographers I’m sure that this is information assimilated long ago, but then this book isn’t so much geared towards you. This sort of information is invaluable to dSLR beginners such as me and perhaps even to many intermediate level photographers.

Throughout the book there is extensive use made of fairly large color photographs and I should probably also mention that there is a good size glossary in the back followed by an extensive index.

I notice that Busch is nothing if not a prolific writer and based on the large number of favorable reviews on most of his books, he’s a darn good one. And finally, no…I don’t know the guy but I think I would probably enjoy being a student in a class if he taught them because he writes on a level that I can understand- not too simplistic and not too far over my head.

Review by Ekaterina:

I’ve mastered the controls of my Rebel XSi, but what I really need is some guidance on how to apply those features to take better pictures. That’s what this book does, in spades. Unlike the manual that comes with the camera, this book goes into a great deal of detail on WHY you would use each feature. For example, in the section on Picture Styles, the book shows how to use this setting, then explains how you can use Picture Styles to create a soft, romantic look, or reproduce the appearance of certain types of film. The description of how to choose a format setting was followed by two pages explaining when you’d want to use JPEG, when you’d want to use RAW, and when you might want to use both. These explanations of why I want to use features goes far beyond what you find in the factory manual.

I also liked the more than 200 pages of advice on how to use the XSi to take better pictures. For example, in Chapter 4, there are descriptions of WHEN and WHY you’d want to use each of the different metering modes. I learned that there are some situations in which Aperture Priority may work best for sports (I’d always thought that Shutter Priority was the only choice for action.)

In sum, this book has it all. It’s a great introduction to the Canon EOS Rebel XSi, but is also a comprehensive photography book that clearly shows how to use the camera’s features to improve your images.