Rating: 
Summary: Chockful of the best info for the serious Amatuer
Review: An excellent reference for photographers above the "point and shoot" group --and could prove very helpful to this large group of photographers also. It should be in camera bag. This is NOT a text book but it has the needed information that you require to make a good photograph when you snap the shutter.
Some topics might be over your head today, but if you are really serious about being an above the average snapshooter and want to become a good photographer this is for you. You will grow into it and find The Kodak Professional Photoguide is indispensible. The chapters are tabbed and will take you quickly to reference materials on every techinical subject concerning picture-taking to which you would need to refer.
IF you are not into film but go digital, it will not be as useful but has some good information on exposure (existing light, metering in artificial light, lighting ratios for portraits, etc). Information you can adapt for using filters, flash and taking care of your camera lenses. For instance camera lenses are different than eyeglass lenses and can be damaged by using eyeglass cleaning techniques.
I use both digital and film and find this book is indispensible for for the serious amateur photographer using either digital cameras or film cameras.
As for the Pro, I am not one and cannot make any comments concerning this book there, except to say many of the pros that I have met have this book with them in the studio and many carry it in their bags in the field.
And it can be bought "used" for half the price. The "used" copy that I purchased was in fact just as good as "brand new".
Rating:
Summary: If you're a serious amateur photographer, buy it.
Review: For any serious amatateur photographer (and I can't say about professional photographers, because I'm not one),
the Kodak Professional Photoguide is indispensible. It's
seven tabbed chapters take one quickly to reference materials on every techinical subject concerning picture-taking to which you would need to refer. For instance, the chapter entitled "exposure" contains
detail information on every metering technique
except the Zone System, as well as containing handy
tables on, for instance, ISO film speeds in 1/3 stop intervals, lighting ratios, exposure correction for leaf shutters, and
an existing light dial that gives standard exposure times
for a variety of hard to meter situations (i.e. moonlit
landscapes).
If you don't know what any of the above topic are, then the
book is too advanced for you. Order Ansel Adams triology
(The Camara, The Negative, The Print) and Hornstein's books,
read them, then buy the Kodak Professional Photoguide.
The only draw backs to the Photoguide are:
(1) the descriptions of film are exclusively for Kodak
film. Kodak could be a little more ecumenical on this subject; but they are in the business of selling Kodak
film, so this is forgiveable; &
(2) the 5th edition dates from 1995 and the film information
is in fact getting a bit stale. Kodak has introduced
not only its APS line of film since 1995, but several
new ektachrome films as well as Royal Gold 200 and discontinued
a couple of films described there...this, however, is no reason not to buy this book.
Rating:
Summary: If you're a serious amateur photographer, buy it.
Review: For any serious amatateur photographer (and I can't say about professional photographers, because I'm not one),the Kodak Professional Photoguide is indispensible. It's seven tabbed chapters take one quickly to reference materials on every techinical subject concerning picture-taking to which you would need to refer. For instance, the chapter entitled "exposure" contains detail information on every metering technique except the Zone System, as well as containing handy tables on, for instance, ISO film speeds in 1/3 stop intervals, lighting ratios, exposure correction for leaf shutters, and an existing light dial that gives standard exposure times for a variety of hard to meter situations (i.e. moonlit landscapes). If you don't know what any of the above topic are, then the book is too advanced for you. Order Ansel Adams triology (The Camara, The Negative, The Print) and Hornstein's books, read them, then buy the Kodak Professional Photoguide. The only draw backs to the Photoguide are: (1) the descriptions of film are exclusively for Kodak film. Kodak could be a little more ecumenical on this subject; but they are in the business of selling Kodak film, so this is forgiveable; & (2) the 5th edition dates from 1995 and the film information is in fact getting a bit stale. Kodak has introduced not only its APS line of film since 1995, but several new ektachrome films as well as Royal Gold 200 and discontinued a couple of films described there...this, however, is no reason not to buy this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Definitely for the pros
Review: I bought this as an update to the old Kodak Master Photoguide, which was smaller and is now out of date only because the films have changed. This books is an excellent reference for photographers. It should be in your field kit. It contains a number of essential reference tools, ranging from a description of current Kodak films, to aides for estimating exposure, reciprocity correction, and proper filtration. The topics are not exhaustive, as one would expect from a textbook. But then, this isn't a text, it's a field handbook. As such, it fills a need very well.
Rating: 
Summary: Put this in your toolkit
Review: I bought this as an update to the old Kodak Master Photoguide, which was smaller and is now out of date only because the films have changed. This books is an excellent reference for photographers. It should be in your field kit. It contains a number of essential reference tools, ranging from a description of current Kodak films, to aides for estimating exposure, reciprocity correction, and proper filtration. The topics are not exhaustive, as one would expect from a textbook. But then, this isn't a text, it's a field handbook. As such, it fills a need very well.
Rating:
Summary: A very good pocket reference
Review: I think every advance amateur should have a copy of this guide in his/her bag. If for nothing else, the condense film guide and the color conversion/compensation dials alone are worth the money. Yes, you can get the same information somewhere else, but this is the only pocket guide that consolidates everything. Professionals may also benefit from it when they have to change from their routine, such as going to a different film. This book is not for beginners.
Rating:
Summary: A very good pocket reference
Review: I think every advance amateur should have a copy of this guide in his/her bag. If for nothing else, the condense film guide and the color conversion/compensation dials alone are worth the money. Yes, you can get the same information somewhere else, but this is the only pocket guide that consolidates everything. Professionals may also benefit from it when they have to change from their routine, such as going to a different film. This book is not for beginners.
Rating:
Summary: Indispensible Reference
Review: I used the 1975 edition of this book throughout my career in photography. There's so much to remember anyway about photography,,, why remember more than you need to! This book with all it's dials and charts, will give you just about all the answers you need to know regarding low light or really bright exposures (you can easily arrive at the correct exposure for uncommon lighting situations), depth of field, film types and film capabilities, etc. etc. The pages of this book are packed with all the info and tools you need to arrive at the answer to your questions, and those rotating dials are truly "bigtime" problem solvers. You gotta get this book!!!
Rating:
Summary: The word "Professional" is key
Review: I wasn't paying close enough attention when I purchased this guide - it's definitely above my level. I'm sure it's chock-full of useful tidbits for professional or pro-am photographers, but I looked through it with a growing sense of frustration, confusion and futility. There are sections on film types, film care and storage, exposure, filters, flash, lenses, and other important items, but the level of information presented is rather advanced. There are multiple graphs, calculators, and spinning dials to compute correct values. An 18% gray card in the back is very useful for metering, but not worth the price of the whole book, of course. The size of Kodak's guide is pretty convenient - small enough to fit into most bags without taking up too much space, but not so small that it's unreadable (though the print size is very small.) The charts are in color, and are easy to read. I can't really comment about the actual content provided - while it *looks* very good, I can't be absolutely sure how useful it will be to a true professional. My feeling is this: if you're a photographer who has a solid grasp of the complexities of the art, but want to take your skills to the next *technical* level, this may be for you. If you, like me, are a relative beginner, who wants to learn how to take better photos overall, this is definitely not it. Perhaps consider Ansel Adam's series instead - a prominent photo magazine editor recommends beginning with _The Negative_.
Rating:
Summary: Definitely for the pros
Review: The key word on this photoguide is "professional". I'm a professional wannabe, with decent talent and experience, and I found this guide to be a bit over-whelming. But, maybe I'll grow into it and become a better photographer along the way!
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