Magic Lantern Guides: Nikon D80
by Simon Stafford
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Book Reviews of Magic Lantern Guides: Nikon D80
Book Review: Get a Clue, It's a Guide Not the Nikon D80 Bible
Summary: 5 Stars
This is my 3rd Magic Lantern Guide By Simon Stafford, and as usual it is just what I expected. Consise, clear, and to the point, READ: the title of the book is Magic Lantern GUIDE, Guide, get it? It is not the comprehensive D80 Bible, it is a Guide. Please review a book for what it is, not what what it is not. The title alone should tell you what it is not, C'mon people get it together, giving the book 1 star because of the editing? Please give me a break, an give a break to those who come here for a review of the content of the book, not its grammer.
Conclusion, If you want something to supplement your owners manual, this book is great. If you are looking for a book that is a concise, deep delving book into the D80 find it elsewhere, this is not it. It was not meant to be. Another good D80 book is the D80 Digital Field Manual, by David Busch. The two of these together make for a great resource for the D80.
Get the Magic Lantern Guide, you will like it!
Book Review: Excellent D80 Guide
Summary: 4 Stars
Not only does the author significantly expand on the Nikon D80 Manual with helpful details, he adds background assisting with understanding the different camera settings. This guide is for new users wanting to improve technique as well as the intermediate and advanced users. It will be of little use to "point and shoot" users satisfied with preset modes. It includes a handy concise wallet-sized field reference guide covering the different settings. I strongly recommend this book to any D80 users desiring a better understanding of the camera settings as well as clarification of the sometimes confusing Nikon D80 Manual. Several inconsequential typographic errors and the poor quality of the photographic reproductions prevent me from giving the five stars that the writing content deserves.Book Review: Somewhat helpful toward understanding the D80
Summary: 3 Stars
This guide is better than the user manual that came with the camera, which is not saying much. My number one complaint is that the index is woefully inadequate, especially for a person at my level where I am just learning the terminology. I have tried to find information through the index and have resorted to paging through the entire book to find the information I was looking for. Also, as others have noted, there are many typos, which is distracting. Where was the quality control on this? Many more examples would also be useful.
However, the glossary was helpful with understanding basic terminology and acronyms (like what TTL means -- a pretty silly acronym). It could be more comprehensive, though.
Book Review: Excellent compliment to D80 user's manual for intermediate and advanced photographer
Summary: 4 Stars
This book is an excellent compliment to the user's guide that comes with the camera. The user's guide discusses about 2/3 of what the camera can do and this book the remaining third. It discusses many important details that are missing from the users guide. Examples include metering patterns, setting grid patterns in view finder (a topic not even mentioned in user's guide), excellent discussion of "noise" at high ISO ratings and long exposures (for example, it tends to occur at the upper part of a frame), etc. The information in the book is much needed for any intermediate, advanced and professional photographer. However, for the novice the information contained therein is definitely overkill.Book Review: I should have known
Summary: 3 Stars
Bought new, the book comes wrapped in clear plastic. I should have known why, or at least suspected why. Except for the cover, none of the accompanying photographs in the book are in color. The descriptions of some of the features tell you how they work, but don't say how to do them. In other words, there's no reference to the camera or its menus. For example; Exposure Delay mode (CS-31) gives a good description of the feature but leave you guessing how to actually do it. The pull-out quick reference card included with the book is a handy feature. A much better book for the D80 novice is; Nikon D80 Digital Field Guide by David Busch. By the way the D80 is a great camera.