Magic Lantern Guides: Nikon D80
by Simon Stafford
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Book Reviews of Magic Lantern Guides: Nikon D80
Book Review: I guess I had different expectations.
Summary: 3 Stars
I'm classified as probably an upper-level intermediate; definitely not a professional, but I have a good grasp of Photography 1A sorts of information. As I said in the title of the review, I think my expectations were that I'd get more of the tricks of the trade as they specifically applied to the D80. Coming from a D70, I already had a good grasp of a lot of the functions that carried over to the D80. I found the first 80 + pages were sort of a more in-depth restatement of the owner's manual with greyed out paragraphs that periodically had the author's "Notes" or "Hints" on a particular aspect of the camer's operation.
Towards the middle and back of the book the author dealt more with the sorts of things I was looking for along with more "Hints" and in-depth explanations of things like how to assess a Histogram and short cuts to take to bypass menu driven items by using the command wheels....those were the sorts of things I was interested in. I bought the book used through Amazon so I can't really complain about the price, but I got more out of Ken Rockwell's website one-page explantion of the Custom Setting Menu's options for the Function button (item #16) than I did from the book. I was influenced by the reviews and was fluctuating between this book and the one that's rated poorly for grammar and editing, but fairly good for content. I rated the book as a three stars mostly because I guess my expectations were a bit higher than what I found in the 300 plus pages of the book. I hate to criticize a product that I know the author put a lot of time and effort into, but I'm still looking for something that gives me more D80 tricks of the trade and less basics or restatements of the owner's manual. I do realize that for the sake of relevancy and continuity, the author, or any author, would have to follow and restate the manual to some degree in order to clarify the functions and procedures.
Book Review: Thorough and clear, but not creatively helpful
Summary: 4 Stars
While I strongly disagree with those who so vehemently criticize Nikon's D80 manual (I actually think it is quite well written and very helpful, and refer to it often), I do think that this Magic Lantern guide is a must for D80 owners.
By the time I had finished my first reading of this book, I had a thorough and in-depth understanding of the workings of my Nikon D80 camera. The suggesions which accompany many of the sections were somewhat helpful, but nothing to write home (or even to Mr. Stafford) about.
Other than the many and annoying "typos" and poor editing (commented on by others, as well), the main shortcomings of this book (in order of importance) are: 1.) it provides little or no creative information about using the D80 or improving your photography with this camera generally (although, to be fair, that is not the reason I bought the book in the first place); 2.) there are not nearly enough illustrative pictures, and none are in color (which I understand is a printing cost-saving measure); and 3.) the index is much to meager - it could have been twice as long.
Still, I highly recommend this book to D80 owners (whether, like me, you have previously used a film or digital SLR, or you are completely new to SLR and/or digital photography). This is a valuable tool in learning your D80 and in making it more than just a "point and shoot" camera.
Book Review: Just What I Needed
Summary: 5 Stars
I am an advanced amateur just trasitioning from film to digital. I bought the D-80 because I wanted a camera I could grow into rather than out of, and all opinions/reviews seem to agree this is such a a camera. However Nikon's operating manual did not enable me to feel I was ever going to be able to understand and learn to harness the camera's potential. I wanted something that would help me get organized and feel I was on a path that would enable me to understand and become confident with the camera. This book turned it all around. It provides an organized, logical, tutorial that clearly explains what the D-80 does; how to make it work for me; and supplements this with just the right amount additional information which promotes the feeling of not only how but why as well. I now feel I am going to be able to learn to use the camera and has enabled me to relax and look forward with confidence to using this remarkable tool. The little wallet-sized cheat sheet enclosed with this book is like training wheels that will prevent me from crashing and feeling I am never going to successfully master and fully enjoy this fine machine. The book's clarity and organization have enabled me to overcome my anxiety. It is "Just what I neededd". I think most new owners of the D-80 will agree it is just what is needed.Book Review: Good content but needs an editor
Summary: 3 Stars
I would give this book 5 stars for content and 0 stars for editing. Unfortunately, the poor editing spoils an otherwise great book. Others have commented on the poor index. Again, this is the fault of the publisher. Magic Lantern should be embarrassed to have done such a poor job in the editing and indexing department. They owe the author much more than an apology. In fact, in my opinion the author should look for a new publisher. He's much better than they are. I also agree with the comments of the other reviewers that the pictures should be in color. As far as the content is concerned, the book is fantastic. It is informative, helpful, and complete. The writing style would be easy to follow if it did not have so many errors. If you own the D80, this book will give you more information about how to use it. It is an excellent supplement to the manual. However, I would wait for the 2nd printing before buying it and hope that the errors will be corrected. Another good option would be the "Nikon D80 Digital Field Guide" by David Busch. It's in the same price range, is well written, has color pictures, and has been better edited.Book Review: Thorough and Concise
Summary: 5 Stars
This book goes way beyond the owner's manual by giving you in-depth background for the technologies built into this camera as well as first-hand advice for using its comprehensive features. The author give quite a bit of information that helps explain how the camera works, coupled with his own experiences and opinions with various available options.
Some have complained about the fact that the book contains black and white photos, as if they expected to see what kind of images the D80 can produce. When you think about it, all photographic images in a book printed on a conventional printing press are altered from what you'd get shooting with the D80--they've been converted to a different color space (CMYK or grayscale) and converted to dot patterns or screens needed to recreate an image that a printing press can produce, not what you'd see on your computer screen or the display screen of the camera.
Lots of good stuff in there and a book I'll constantly refer back to.