World Famous Comics: Canon EOS Rebel XSi/450D Digital Field Guide
Canon EOS Rebel XSi/450D Digital Field Guide
By: Charlotte K. Lowrie Publisher: Wiley Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: Wiley Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 288 Publication Date: July 28, 2008
Product Description: Your Digital Rebel XSi/450D, with its 12.2 megapixel resolution, 3-inch view screen, and the option for "Live View" shooting, is designed for simplicity without sacrificing creative freedom. This guide is ideal for helping you use that creative control and get great shots anywhere, anytime. If you’re new to dSLRs, it makes the transition easy. If you’re already comfortable with the various modes and settings, the book helps you make the most of every one.
Set up your camera and learn when to choose automatic, semi-automatic, and manual modes
Understand the camera's controls, menus, and when to use different metering and autofocus modes
Explore Canon Picture Styles and custom functions
Learn to manipulate ISO, exposure, depth of field, and shutter speed
Create intriguing night and low-light images, capture sports action, portraits, and get tips for better macro photography
Very Good Reference This book is a very good reference to use to learn the functions available for the XSi/450D camera. Much more user friendly than the instruction manual included by Canon with the camera.
Still full of lingo that the average user may not be familiar with. If there would be any improvements to this book, I would like to see a little more space devoted to describing and defining some of the more obscure photographic terms that the average user may not come across.
Well worth the cost for a new SLR user! I went from a point and shoot to a Canon Rebel XSI SLR. It has been somewhat of an intimadating experience, but with the field guide book explaining so many features and settings, I can breath a sigh of relief.
It is well layed out and easy to read. The index covers all the necessary cross reference pages so a user can quickly find what he or she needs to operate the camera.
After reading the first couple of chapters, I am now ready to get off the Basic mode settings with confidence.
Boilerplate tech stuff but no help for newbies Totally agree w. Shortstack above, this is a fancy manual, more concerned about completeness and boilerplate than taking the time to select the 30 most useful things a newbie could use. Most owners of this entry-level SLR are stepping up fr. point and shoot, otherwise they'd buy a mid level "prosumer" model. Will someone tell me 10 quick tips to take a portrait. For Instance, how hard it is, and how complicated it is, and if it is worth it, to get a better portrait by just using the portrait button or instead by making real adjustments in say Program or Aperture mode? Two pix, side by side, one taken w. Portrait button, the other taken w. some quick and realistic changes using Program or Aperture mode. Is it worth it? How hard is it? At what point do you need to leave the buttons, and who can realistically do that. Stuff like that, and the same for landscapes, kids, sports, etc. and basically some down and dirty basics for the 99 percent of pics folks like me and Shortstack take. Then you can use rest of book for Advanced stuff, if someone has the time and energy. Scot Kelby's books attempt to do this, but are seriously annoying b.c. of Scot's juvenile and egotistical style,but at least he 'gets' it. When Scot, or someone like him, takes his meds and writes a book dedicated to one camera, like the Canon EOS, SIGN ME UP FOR THAT BOOK. AMAZINGLY, the great how to photo book for interested newbies is YET TO BE WRITTEN. Do you really need to adjust White Balance by having subject hold up a white card? And taking two test photos?? Can't you correct that in like Picassa, and how many serious amateurs do that? Stuff lkke that.
Great Guide Well written, excellent guide for the Canon Rebel XSi. Many of the features that were unclear in the user manual are clearly explained in this guide. After reading this book, I have a much better understanding of my XSi than before, even though I read the user's manual from cover to cover. This book is easy to understand and will put you in touch with all the features the XSi has to offer.
Less helpful than owner's manual I bought this book based on the reviews of the author's "field guide" on the XTi, which were quite positive, with only a few critics. Usually, that's enough to steer me away if there's another choice, but I thought since there were so many positive reviews, the book must be pretty good. I was very disappointed, however, and I agree with the analysis of those critics of the XTi book.
If you're looking for a version of the owner's manual that's larger and in full color, you might be happy with this "field guide", but if you're looking for something to help you take advantage of what the XSi can do (i.e. tips and techniques), you'll be disappointed too. It was actually less helpful to me than the owner's manual was. For example, I'm new to SLRs (as most of the audience for this book should be), and I didn't know very much about the 4 metering modes that this camera offers. Both the owner's manual and this book describe what they do, but only the owner's manual gives a recommendation (spot metering and center-weighted average are labeled "for advanced users"). Perhaps Lowrie wouldn't agree with that, but at least it's something besides the nuts & bolts.
I can't imagine how Lowrie went about taking up so much space without saying something valuable, or even subjective, about this camera. Perhaps it was all the "full color photos". I also can't imagine ever bringing this "field guide" into "the field". I'd much sooner stick the owner's guide in my back pocket. I found Lowrie's blog much more informative and useful than this book.
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