Someone on this forum asked a rather remedial question regarding the D850. I downloaded the manual to find the answer. One of the first things that caught my attention was on the very front page of the manual.

I quote, "Read this manual thoroughly before using the camera".

I wonder how many follow this "prime directive". I know when I got my D700, the only thing I did prior to reading the manual, was put a battery in the charger. Then, I could do two things at the same time, charge battery and read. I didn't even pick up the camera until I'd read through the entire manual. Yup, feet up on the desk, a cup of coffee nearby, the battery in the charger, and the manual nestled in my lap. I read every page.

Then, I placed the fully charged battery in the camera and read through the manual again. This time working on each section with the camera in hand.

Oh, I did the same thing when I got my D800e. Though very similar to the D700, I still read through the entire manual before picking up the camera.

I wish girlfriends came with the same sort of documentation.

--Bob

Years ago I read the manual in Bob fashion. Nowaday, I read the manual too but I read the PDF version keeping my manual in pristine condition. Oh yes I do read the manuals thru. I also read manuals on cameras that I don't own. In fact I read the manual on my cameras before I bought them now because I can get them without buying the cameras. I read the manual then went to the store to check the camera out. That way I know how to use it when I am at the store.
If I compare several cameras as potential purchases I would read all the manuals before making decision.

Someone on this forum asked a rather remedial question regarding the D850. I downloaded the manual to find the answer. One of the first things that caught my attention was on the very front page of the manual.

I quote, "Read this manual thoroughly before using the camera".

I wonder how many follow this "prime directive". I know when I got my D700, the only thing I did prior to reading the manual, was put a battery in the charger. Then, I could do two things at the same time, charge battery and read. I didn't even pick up the camera until I'd read through the entire manual. Yup, feet up on the desk, a cup of coffee nearby, the battery in the charger, and the manual nestled in my lap. I read every page.

Then, I placed the fully charged battery in the camera and read through the manual again. This time working on each section with the camera in hand.

Oh, I did the same thing when I got my D800e. Though very similar to the D700, I still read through the entire manual before picking up the camera.

I wish girlfriends came with the same sort of documentation.

--Bob

I am an inveterate manual reader. Which I did when I got my a6300. But after reading it, I had no idea how to really work the camera (I re-took up photography after a multi-decade hiatus, having learned with B&W film, in the darkroom, where basically you controlled the aperture and shutter speed, after selecting whichever seemed right for what you were trying to shoot).

Yes, it told me what all the function buttons were, but nothing about what they would do. So I struggled along with some basic settings, trying different things without any understanding of what I was doing until I found UHH and learned that I was not a complete idiot - in one of the posts, someone mentioned Friedman's and Busch's Guides and I downloaded the former, ready to download the latter as well if needed. I read the guide, camera in hand, and finally - FINALLY - figured out what these settings were meant to do. I got the camera set up the way I wanted, started shooting again and - voila - now had the camera I thought I had bought! Since then, I'm a happy camper - love the camera.

I don't know whether useless manuals are just a Sony problem (and I sent them a rather pointed note...), but if other camera manuals are similar, the whole industry needs a good kick in the _____. In any case, they have created a nice little business for Friedman and Busch and, frankly, I had no issue spending the $15 for the Kindle version.

How is someone new to digital photography, or even photography itself, supposed to make anything out of this?

"5. Select [Set] and press the Q button.
Selecting [Set] saves current settings, overwriting the registered settings.
To cancel the registration, select [Reset].
Settings that can be saved to the Custom Modes Menu directory€ (P. 165)
Settings are preset in each Custom Mode. Selecting [Reset] > [Full] when resetting
camera settings restores the preset settings for each Custom Mode. See Default Custom
Mode options€ for default settings (P. 175)."

Someone on this forum asked a rather remedial question regarding the D850. I downloaded the manual to find the answer. One of the first things that caught my attention was on the very front page of the manual.

I quote, "Read this manual thoroughly before using the camera".

I wonder how many follow this "prime directive". I know when I got my D700, the only thing I did prior to reading the manual, was put a battery in the charger. Then, I could do two things at the same time, charge battery and read. I didn't even pick up the camera until I'd read through the entire manual. Yup, feet up on the desk, a cup of coffee nearby, the battery in the charger, and the manual nestled in my lap. I read every page.

Then, I placed the fully charged battery in the camera and read through the manual again. This time working on each section with the camera in hand.

Oh, I did the same thing when I got my D800e. Though very similar to the D700, I still read through the entire manual before picking up the camera.

I wish girlfriends came with the same sort of documentation.

--Bob