micro wrote:
I've had my DLSR for about 7 months now and I stil... (
show quote)
I couldn't agree more. The pages on my manuals for my cameras and flashes are curled and knarly from being read and referred to so often. My manuals are kept in my backpack with my gear, ready to be referred to at any time if needed.
'When all else fails, read the directions'
How long did it take me to learn that lesson?
Nope, not telling.
There is something is the male species that resonates with "Manual? I don't need no stinkin manual" or something analogous. I'm a staunch member of that fraternity, or I was. But I'm getting better with time...
Camera manuals are notoriously bland and boring. Hence the proliferation of how-to-use-your-camera books. Most are just regurgitations of the OEM manual with a different organization, better explanations, more illustrations (and in color), and generally easier to read. But I still buy them from time to time anyway.
I keep one in my back pack -- a field guide to my DSLR. But I only refer to it when I'm really confused and no one is looking -- I must still be afraid to even appear like I may have failed to honor the fraternity's motto. Oh well, c'est la vie!
JoeB
Loc: Mohawk Valley, NY
skidooman wrote:
micro wrote:
I've had my DLSR for about 7 months now and I stil... (
show quote)
I couldn't agree more. The pages on my manuals for my cameras and flashes are curled and knarly from being read and referred to so often. My manuals are kept in my backpack with my gear, ready to be referred to at any time if needed.
quote=micro I've had my DLSR for about 7 months n... (
show quote)
I have to agree too. The key to reading it is to do it in small section, does not have to be in order. I too carry mine in my back pack, read it on the plane when traveling and sometimes at night, helps me sleep. I place a tab in each section as I read them just to keep track. The manual is not like a novel, you never really finish it as very often I need to review certain items.
"Read the Manual" no truer words.
I would go a step farther and get an after market book. Take notes, write a cheat
sheet and keep it in your pocket when you go shooting. David Busch and David
Taylor are the two that I have. (I am a book junkie).
Sweet Willie
Read the Manual! Dang, ain't that like asking directions? We can't do that.
reading the manual is a very good option but if it gets complicated (and it will sometimes) just ask the kind and very knowledgeable folks here on UHH...can't beat first hand experience. I know I did and I continue to improve.
RMM
Loc: Suburban New York
I recommend downloading a copy of the manual. The manufacturers have most of them online as PDFs, and there are other sources, too. Having it on your computer means you can open it in Adobe Reader (or Preview) and search for things. That can be faster than using the table of contents or index, especially since the index doesn't always have the reference I remember from my reading.
Festina Lente wrote:
There is something is the male species that resonates with "Manual? I don't need no stinkin manual" or something analogous. I'm a staunch member of that fraternity, or I was. But I'm getting better with time...
Camera manuals are notoriously bland and boring. Hence the proliferation of how-to-use-your-camera books. Most are just regurgitations of the OEM manual with a different organization, better explanations, more illustrations (and in color), and generally easier to read. But I still buy them from time to time anyway.
I keep one in my back pack -- a field guide to my DSLR. But I only refer to it when I'm really confused and no one is looking -- I must still be afraid to even appear like I may have failed to honor the fraternity's motto. Oh well, c'est la vie!
There is something is the male species that resona... (
show quote)
FL,
I think it originates from the time of Moses when his wife kept saying "Why don't you just stop & ask for directions?" and he replied "I don't need to. I know exactly where I'm going."
PD
What kind of camera did you get?
I read the manual, I have the Dummies book, a video, and I still am lost but not as lost.... Sometimes, having someone say it a different way makes a lot more sense than the way the manual words things.
micro wrote:
I've had my DLSR for about 7 months now and I stil... (
show quote)
And if step two of that two step program doesn't work, repeat step one.
RMM wrote:
I recommend downloading a copy of the manual. The manufacturers have most of them online as PDFs, and there are other sources, too. Having it on your computer means you can open it in Adobe Reader (or Preview) and search for things. That can be faster than using the table of contents or index, especially since the index doesn't always have the reference I remember from my reading.
I found an app for iphone 'Nikon Manual Viewer', so have the full manual always with me, plus apps 'D5000 guide' by Ken Rockwell, 'PocketChris', and Nikon Learn & Explore - all either free or cheap. Whenever i'm left waiting around anywhere, in i dip:-)
I also have the Kindle app, so even if i don't have the Kindle with me, i can still access 'Dummies', Tony Northrup's 'How to Create..., and 'Mastering the Nikon D5000' from NickoniansPress.
Overkill? probably, but i have to really beat stuff into my dumb ol' head :roll:
RTFM rules! (so i'd best not ask any dopey questions around here...)
Thom Hogan's "Complete Guide," series beats any I've seen so far.
I have one for my D5100 that has nearly six-hundred pages of valuable and complete information.
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