Rating: 
Summary: Very technical and helpful in the field
Review: This is a very technical book, those dipping into photography as a beginner will really yawn fast. In short not for learning but as a technical reference.Excellent information on everything I can think of, data tables, charts, dials, formulas. In fact got me learning new stuff on light metering and exposure. An initial problem is that the filters are referred in Kodak terms and Wratten, eg 20B, 30R, 20C etc...kinda confusing at times, I still don't quite it much of the time (too lazy perhaps) but minor glitch. One other thing is, read it before you go for the trip! Can really get messy if you need info in a hurry. Really thoughtful that a gray card is included but I prefer the neat idea that the Nat. Geographic Field Guide team did; inside covers acting as gray cards! cool. Saying it as a field guide would be a bit of overstatement, at least for my purpose. The cover is so thin and binding so flimsy that I wonder what the publisher and author are thinking. I had to reinforce it with tapes and thick cardboard, maybe some wont need it but people like me who carry the camera in a watertight bag in one hand and go backpacking might just need to do these. I wish it's smaller (thicker is not a problem) but alas, one can never please everybody... Get this book, even if you think you won't need it (like me), you might just learn new tricks never thought of or come across your mind.
Rating:
Summary: Top Notch Reference for serious photographers
Review: This is the only book I always keep in my photo case. An excellent technical reference. Whenever I find myself scratching my head trying to figure out how to expose for a scene I find the answer in this book. Beside all the usual technical stuff it's full of charts and dials that lets you find out stuff like depth of field and how to expose in near darkness. The best thing I like about this book is that is quiet small (fits perfectly in my photo case) and the inside of the last cover is a Grey card. Neat.
Rating: 
Summary: Some useful info, but not worth [the price].
Review: When I received this book, I thumbed through it and set it aside to be buried by other things. I think that was an indication of how not unexcited I was about the book. It is intended to be carried as a reference, but didn't fit in my camera bag. Got a new, larger, professional LowePro bag. Didn't fit in there, either. The book is supposed to be a "professional" photoguide, but much of the information provided would be so fundamental to a pro that a reference wouldn't be needed (e.g., how to use a light meter.). Some topics seem to be too involved for a discussion in a pocket reference and then are neither succinct nor good. Of course, references to film will soon be outdated, and the book didn't have data for Kodak Supra, which I use almost exclusively. Of course, like most Kodak books (which are otherwise typically excellent) the film references are very Kodak-centric. What is very good are the calculators - one gives you camera settings for unusual situations or ones in case your meter breaks. Another gives filters to correct about any type of light for any type of film. The depth-of-field calculators are useful when I'm shooting 4x5, but they chose to not include them for 35mm, stating that DOF scales are built into the lenses of most 35mm cameras. However, with the rising quality and popularity of zoom lenses, this is a bad oversight, as most zooms do not have DOF scales. The books does have some good information in it, but left with a sick feeling in my stomach. That is the feeling I get when I feel as though I have wasted my money on something. The cover says $29.95, and it's a few dollars cheaper on-line, but I still feel like I got way too little information for too much money. There is a smaller, pocketable version that I haven't looked at yet. Perhaps it retains the best info at a lower price, and in a size that fits in my camera bag.
Rating:
Summary: Some useful info, but not worth [the price].
Review: When I received this book, I thumbed through it and set it aside to be buried by other things. I think that was an indication of how not unexcited I was about the book. It is intended to be carried as a reference, but didn't fit in my camera bag. Got a new, larger, professional LowePro bag. Didn't fit in there, either. The book is supposed to be a "professional" photoguide, but much of the information provided would be so fundamental to a pro that a reference wouldn't be needed (e.g., how to use a light meter.). Some topics seem to be too involved for a discussion in a pocket reference and then are neither succinct nor good. Of course, references to film will soon be outdated, and the book didn't have data for Kodak Supra, which I use almost exclusively. Of course, like most Kodak books (which are otherwise typically excellent) the film references are very Kodak-centric. What is very good are the calculators - one gives you camera settings for unusual situations or ones in case your meter breaks. Another gives filters to correct about any type of light for any type of film. The depth-of-field calculators are useful when I'm shooting 4x5, but they chose to not include them for 35mm, stating that DOF scales are built into the lenses of most 35mm cameras. However, with the rising quality and popularity of zoom lenses, this is a bad oversight, as most zooms do not have DOF scales. The books does have some good information in it, but left with a sick feeling in my stomach. That is the feeling I get when I feel as though I have wasted my money on something. The cover says $29.95, and it's a few dollars cheaper on-line, but I still feel like I got way too little information for too much money. There is a smaller, pocketable version that I haven't looked at yet. Perhaps it retains the best info at a lower price, and in a size that fits in my camera bag.
Rating:
Summary: Not for the beginner...
Review: While this book has a wealth of information ranging from f-stop's to shutter speeds, etc . . . it did not provide the guidance that I expected at the beginner level. Two years from now, if I am still trying better my photographic skills this book will act as a great reference.
Rating:
Summary: Not for the beginner...
Review: While this book has a wealth of information ranging from f-stop's to shutter speeds, etc . . . it did not provide the guidance that I expected at the beginner level. Two years from now, if I am still trying better my photographic skills this book will act as a great reference.
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