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David Busch's Nikon D90 Guide to Digital SLR Photography

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David Busch's Nikon D90 Guide to Digital SLR Photography

(59 customer reviews)

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Description

Welcome to the D90, Nikon's newest full-featured--yet compact and affordable--digital SLR camera. David Busch's Nikon D90 Guide to Digital SLR Photography shows you how to maximize your camera's robust feature set, blazing fast automatic focus, the real-time preview system Live View, HDTV movie-making capabilities, and the Retouch mode that allows you to edit your picture in the camera, to take outstanding photos. You'll learn how, when, and, most importantly, why to use each of the cool features and functions of your camera to take eye-popping photographs. Introductory chapters will help you get comfortable with the basics of your camera before you dive right into exploring creative ways to apply the Nikon D90's exposure modes, focus controls, and electronic flash options. You'll also find loads of helpful information and tips on choosing lenses, flash units, and software products to use with your new camera. Beautiful, full-color images illustrate where the essential buttons and dials are, so you'll quickly learn how to use your Nikon D90, and use it like a pro!

Product Details

Author:	David D. Busch
Paperback:	379 pages
Publisher:	Course Technology PTR
Publication Date:	May 26, 2009
Language:	English
ISBN:	1598639056
Product Length:	9.12 inches
Product Width:	7.44 inches
Product Height:	1.0 inches
Product Weight:	2.34 pounds
Package Length:	9.2 inches
Package Width:	7.2 inches
Package Height:	1.1 inches
Package Weight:	2.35 pounds
Average Customer Rating:	based on 59 reviews

Customer Reviews

Average Customer Review: 4.5

( 59 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

128 of 132 found the following review helpful:

Easily the superior guidebook for the Nikon D90 May 30, 2009 By Terrence
I'm only halfway through reading this 392 page book, and I've already learned twice as much about my D90 as I did from the other guide I foolishly bought while waiting for this one. It's filled with information I couldn't find anywhere else, including wise advice on using all the features of this great camera.

I bought my Nikon D90 primarily as a backup to my D300, and it remained in that role for several months because I didn't really know how to use it. The other book I got explained all the buttons and dials, but didn't provide the kind of in depth information I wanted on using the D90's features. I was very pleased with Busch's D300 book, and so got this one when it became available. What an eye-opener. After reading through Chapter 4 I can hardly wait to get out shooting again, as I didn't realize just how much I can do with this camera. I've learned that it's a lot like my D300 in many ways, but with some nice new features that I can apply to my work.

The author devotes the first three chapters to introducing the camera, its controls, and menus, explaining how and why you should make each setting. Later chapters describe techniques for optimizing exposure, using the D90's autofocus features, and how to work with electronic flash. This book had the best explanation of using the Nikon GP-1 geotagging unit that I've seen. While it doesn't spell out all the ways you can actually use GPS information, it provides enough detail that you can get a feel for it and decide for yourself whether you want to invest in this accessory.

I found the 30-page updated explanation and evaluation of Nikon brand lenses extremely valuable. No other book goes into so much detail on this important topic. Despite the Nikon D90's bargain price, it's a fairly advanced camera, and really deserves a book like this one, which starts off simply and then digs deep to offer the kind of information we really need to take better pictures.

110 of 113 found the following review helpful:

Exactly the right information, exactly the right way Jun 03, 2009 By Grampa
I wanted a book that explained in depth how to use my new Nikon D90. David Busch's Nikon D90 Guide to Digital SLR Photographydid exactly that. It's well organized and describes everything in a logical way, so you can familiarize yourself with your camera, and then go on and master every control and option. There are nine chapters.

-Chapter 1: This is a quick start to using the camera, from initial setup to an introduction to drive modes, exposure modes, metering, and focus options.
-Chapter 2: Nikon D90 Roadmap. This chapter is a 35-page guided tour of every single feature and control of the camera. It shows you how to use each button and dial, and how they affect your pictures.
-Chapter 3: This chapter is worth the price of the book alone. It is 90 pages long, about three or four times as large as similar chapters in other books, listing each menu option and telling you why each is important. That's what I needed. Don't just tell me what choices I have, tell me why I need to choose one over the other!
-Chapter 4: This book is about exposure, histograms, etc. I have an entire book on this topic, but this chapter explains it better.
-Chapter 5: Advanced shooting. The author has an exhaustive section on autofocus, which I have found to be one of the trickiest aspects of this camera to master. I finally understand exactly how phase detection and contrast detection and Live View work.
-Chapter 6: Wow. A big chapter just on the various Nikon lenses available. I couldn't live without this.
-Chapter 7: This one covers the mysteries of light and has an introduction to the Nikon Creative Lighting System.
-Chapter 8: This chapter is an introduction to the software available for the Nikon D90. It does not provide step-by-step instructions on using Nikon Capture NX2 for example, but it provides enough of the flavor for me to know I am going to stick with Photoshop Elements.
-Chapter 9: More books need a chapter on troubleshooting. If you were afraid to clean your own sensor (the built-in sensor cleaning isn't perfect) you'll be confident after you read this chapter.

All in all this is the dream guide to using the Nikon D90. I recommend it to anyone who really wants to understand their camera in more detail than the small camera manual provides.

52 of 55 found the following review helpful:

What every D90 owner needs. Jun 01, 2009 By Keith Allen
The other camera guidebooks don't seem to "get it." This one does. It provides exactly what a new Nikon D90 owner needs to get up to speed quickly with this great camera, with exactly the right explanations and exactly the right level of detail. For example one of the other books I checked out had a total of 30 pages devoted to the menus and setup options that I found most confusing. David Busch's guide has a comprehensive chapter with a whopping 95 pages on the same material. He list's every menu option and explains how to use it and why to make a particular setting. Then, if you want to know more, he provides a reference to a later chapter that explains the photography concepts behind his recommendations in more detail.

I like that approach much better -- give me just what I need to know first, with as much detail as needed to let me understand it, then move on to the next topic. This approach lets me learn at my own pace, while still providing the background that helps me master a subject.

I've purchased four books by this author, including his guidebook for my previous camera, a Nikon D60, and was pleased with every one of them. He has a knack for explaining complex things in a very clear way, and certainly has pulled it off with this one.

60 of 70 found the following review helpful:

Not useful as a quick-start guide or field reference Sep 07, 2009 By Mark Colan "duke-of-url"
[I am new to this camera, as I assume most who buy this book are. If you find errors in the review of this book, kindly leave a comment so I can learn.]

I bought this book hoping to easily find and use information I need to take pictures and to speed me through the learning curve. I have used film SLRs and digital point-and-shoots (two Nikons), but the D90 is my first digital SLR.

The book has a similar organization as the user manual - it describes the camera. It would be a better book if it described tasks and how to do them, thus complementing the user manual with a different organization and a thorough index.

After skimming the first half, I came up with three things I needed to know quickly to use my camera. The book did not help in the way I had hoped.

Problem 1: First-time Setup

Chapter 3 covers the setup and options for this complex camera. Some are things many people won't use (arcane features, or the "retouch" features which are like Photoshop-lite inside the camera, or "Pictmotion" to make camera-based slideshows). Some are things you might want to play with after you get to know the basic things to optimize for your use, such as customization.

There are also a few key things that many people will want to change from the first time they use the camera.

For example, by default, every time you remove the memory card to transfer pictures to a computer, they would reset the sequence numbers to zero. I think I am in the majority of users who would prefer that each picture have a unique sequence number that continues to the next number when you return the memory card to the camera. It's hard to understand why Nikon thinks that reseting each time should be the default, but at least they gave us an option to change it to how I expected it to work.

The book should have a brief guide of the top 5 settings that new owners may want to consider changing for their first use of the camera in Chapter 1. Google on "Ken Rockwell D90 Camera Settings" (without quotes) and you'll find a longer list like I have in mind.

Chapter 3, which is the D90 menu in exhaustive detail, is the longest chapter by far in the book, and includes picture editing and slide-show features. It belongs later in the book, following the chapters that go into detail on exposure, advanced tips, lenses, lighting, etc, and it might be useful to have separate chapters for setup for shooting vs post-processing.

Problem 2: Learning to use Aperture Priority

During a shoot, I needed to learn Aperture Priority mode to maximize depth of field for macro shots. Having read the book, I set the mode dial to A, and proceeded to change the aperture on the lens; the result was a flashing "FEE" error in the camera. I have learned, not from this book, that this happens when the aperture ring is not locked - in other words, you can't use the aperture ring to adjust the aperture. I consulted the book to learn what the camera wanted me to do to change aperture settings.

Aperture Priorty Mode is not listed in the index, even though using the mode knob is fundamental to using the camera.

I went to the table of contents. There is no major heading there for Exposure Modes, but after scanning a lot of entries I eventually found the section. In Chapter 4, Fine-Tuning Exposure, he tells you why you would use Aperture Priority Mode, and when to adust the aperture... but does not tell you HOW to actually set the aperture! In the brief description of Chapter 1 "Advanced Modes" (which should be called "Exposure Modes"), he gives a brief explanation of the four exposure modes, but nothing about adjusting aperture or shutter speed.

I guessed that maybe I should use the Command wheel, which he says is used to adjust settings for various modes. No dice.

Eventually I found my answer by googling on "d90 aperture priority mode" (don't use quotes). It turns out that the SUBcommand wheel, the one in the front, is used to adjust the aperture, and the Command wheel for shutter speed. Why don't they use the same one? Because in Manual mode, you need to use both, and it is less confusing to have the SUBcommand wheel behave the same for M and A modes. By the way, you cannot adjust the aperture without the light meter enabled. To do that, you press and release the +/- button, the AF button, the AE button, or the metering mode; or press the shutter button half way and release. THEN you can adjust the aperture.

Back to the book. Does he cover this when describing subcommand wheel? Yes and no. If you look under the details for the subcommand wheel in Chapter 1, he gives setting the aperture as an example of when the subcommand wheel is used, but does not mention pressing a button to enable it. In the explanation for Manual Exposure Mode in Chapter 4 (which is AFTER the section on Aperture Mode), he does mention the roles of Command and Subcommand wheels, but does not explain that they only work when the light meter is active, or that you must press one of a few buttons to activate it. None this is listed in the index under "aperture"; none of it is explained in the Aperture Mode section.

It's the same problem for Shutter Priority Mode: in that section in Chapter 4, he tells you when you want to use this mode, and when to adjust the shutter speed, but not HOW to adjust the shutter speed (using the command wheel), or that you need to press a button first.

Problem 3: Making HD Movies

D90 gets a lot of buzz for being able to create HD (720p) movies. I wanted to try it out. In the index, there are entries for HDTV and for movies, but they talk about the five minute limitation of movie clips, and settings for movie resolution. I have heard of "LiveView" (a meaningless term that serves to hide some potentially useful features), and figured that he would have a subsection in the LiveView section to walk you through making a movie.

He has a section on continuous shooting, but if there is any place that outlines how to actually shoot a movie with the D90, I still have not found it. FYI: the D90 user manual (English version) outlines the process on page 50. I expected more discussion on this feature - not in the user manual, but in the book on the D90.

Bottom Line

I am disappointed by the book. The organization does not help me with the tasks at hand. The index is incomplete. The table of contents is not a good alternative, because it is organized by camera features rather than by task. Vital information is missing in the in-depth section. And it has a lot of stuff I don't need for field use (like picture editing), making it heavier to carry.

Amazon defines two stars as "I don't like it". I think it is OK for some people.

40 of 48 found the following review helpful:

Not necessarily the best to start with Oct 22, 2009 By Cynthia Nichols "cinichol"
Because the Busch book claimed it was so much better than the owner's manual, I decided to actually start with the Busch when I got my new camera. After becoming thoroughly confused, however, I went back to the owner's manual (the thicker one plus the little quick guide) and everything was vastly clearer and easier. The Busch book just doesn't get the newbie taking pics quickly at all.

Busch's structure--spending a HUGE hunk on "setting up" the camera, while constantly referring to later sections of the book--just didn't work well for me. Busch's book is also not good for just picking it up and perusing parts and segments...It needs to be read straight through in a concentrated way. Which isn't bad--just not what I was looking for necessarily.

That said, there are of course parts which are informative and the pics are nice. Not a bad book to have, but not great for the newbie.

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