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Gift Book on Nikon D3400 for Granddaughter???
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Dec 13, 2017 13:37:23   #
bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA
 
This week my granddaughter was given a Nikon D3400 with two lenses for her 16th birthday. She is a good photographer using various phones and P&S cameras. She has a lot of fans on Instagram. She has never had a DSLR.

I know nothing about the camera or how good the included Nikon instructions are. Amazon has books from Julie King, David Busch, Jeremy Baston and others. Julie King seems to have the most reviews.

Can anyone recommend one of the books?

Thanks.

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Dec 13, 2017 13:42:34   #
Rongnongno Loc: FL
 
bsprague wrote:
This week my granddaughter was given a Nikon D3400 with two lenses for her 16th birthday. She is a good photographer using various phones and P&S cameras. She has a lot of fans on Instagram. She has never had a DSLR.

I know nothing about the camera or how good the included Nikon instructions are. Amazon has books from Julie King, David Busch, Jeremy Baston and others. Julie King seems to have the most reviews.

Can anyone recommend one of the books?

Thanks.

Nikon manuals are.... Junk. The give instruction on how to select what but not why. The why is the main question and buying books is... Expensive for nothing.

The last time I checked books in the library they all had one thing in common: Much verbiage, a single gold nugget and that's it.

If you considering getting her books, forget it. Get her into a seminar or something that interest her. She will learn more there than in any book.

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Dec 13, 2017 13:48:45   #
snfapm1983
 
I agree. The smart phone generation doesn’t read books for fun. All their information is electronic. Save your money and spend some hands on time with her and her camera.

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Dec 13, 2017 13:52:03   #
bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA
 
"If you considering getting her books, forget it."

I'm sure you are right. I'm fishing for someone to strongly suggest a specific book that probably is not there.

This teen is a bright one! (She just got picked to go to a debate tournament at Stanford.) Google, YouTube and social media friends that enjoy photography will get her going before I'll get a chance to help much. Truth is she is already well ahead of me on the art of composition.

A good laugh? She was unwrapping. Before she ever put a lens on it, she had the iPhone app working.

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Dec 13, 2017 14:00:58   #
Mac Loc: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia now Hernando Co. Fl.
 
bsprague wrote:
This week my granddaughter was given a Nikon D3400 with two lenses for her 16th birthday. She is a good photographer using various phones and P&S cameras. She has a lot of fans on Instagram. She has never had a DSLR.

I know nothing about the camera or how good the included Nikon instructions are. Amazon has books from Julie King, David Busch, Jeremy Baston and others. Julie King seems to have the most reviews.

Can anyone recommend one of the books?

Thanks.


I have found David Bush's books to be very helpful.

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Dec 13, 2017 14:03:39   #
bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA
 
Mac wrote:
I have found David Bush's books to be very helpful.

Thanks. I'll take a look at some previews.

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Dec 13, 2017 15:20:55   #
67skylark27 Loc: Fort Atkinson, WI
 
Secrets to the Nikon Autofocus by Steve Perry - Back Country Gallery.
This will demystify a lot of settings on the D3400 for her. Best
15-20 bucks you can spend. Have her read it, try some of the settings
and read it again focusing on the points that are tough to wrap
your head around.

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Dec 13, 2017 15:25:00   #
bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA
 
67skylark27 wrote:
Secrets to the Nikon Autofocus by Steve Perry - Back Country Gallery.
This will demystify a lot of settings on the D3400 for her. Best
15-20 bucks you can spend. Have her read it, try some of the settings
and read it again focusing on the points that are tough to wrap
your head around.


Thank you for the suggestion! "Have her read it..." Maybe tempt her or invite her. Teens, at least the smart ones, don't get had these days!

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Dec 13, 2017 20:17:35   #
repleo Loc: Boston
 
Mac wrote:
I have found David Bush's books to be very helpful.


Me too.
David Busch's Nikon D3400 Guide to Digital SLR Photography is available as a digital Nook book from Barnes & Noble. She might find that more useful, but I don't know how you would wrap it.

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Dec 13, 2017 21:45:29   #
bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA
 
repleo wrote:
Me too.
David Busch's Nikon D3400 Guide to Digital SLR Photography is available as a digital Nook book from Barnes & Noble. She might find that more useful, but I don't know how you would wrap it.


Thanks for the recommendation.

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Dec 14, 2017 05:57:36   #
mas24 Loc: Southern CA
 
bsprague wrote:
This week my granddaughter was given a Nikon D3400 with two lenses for her 16th birthday. She is a good photographer using various phones and P&S cameras. She has a lot of fans on Instagram. She has never had a DSLR.

I know nothing about the camera or how good the included Nikon instructions are. Amazon has books from Julie King, David Busch, Jeremy Baston and others. Julie King seems to have the most reviews.

Can anyone recommend one of the books?

Thanks.


You should find some tutorials on You Tube. David Busch's books are also good. Many cameras only come with an instruction guide today. If your granddaughter has a small size table, she can download the entire manual via PDF. It is not so great to view on a smartphone screen. The D3400 is Nikon's entry-level level camera, that is advertised a lot as a bundle. It appears to be selling well. And it is a good camera. I would recommend her buying a spare battery and SD card. She will enjoy that camera too.

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Dec 14, 2017 06:03:35   #
CRoy
 
Bought the D3400 for my adult daughter last holiday season. For an entry level camera it takes amazing photos. However, my daughter never uses the Bluetooth feature. I personally prefer the WiFi capability over the Bluetooth but for the price of the D3400, it is certainly worth it. Definitely get an extra battery.

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Dec 14, 2017 06:33:47   #
LarryFitz Loc: Beacon NY
 
Start scheduling photo day trips with her.
Get her signed up for uhh

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Dec 14, 2017 06:39:04   #
Reenie
 
Secrets to Nikon Autofocus by Steve Perry is VERY helpful and easy to follow.

Reply
Dec 14, 2017 06:42:09   #
jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY
 
bsprague wrote:
This week my granddaughter was given a Nikon D3400 with two lenses for her 16th birthday. She is a good photographer using various phones and P&S cameras. She has a lot of fans on Instagram. She has never had a DSLR.

I know nothing about the camera or how good the included Nikon instructions are. Amazon has books from Julie King, David Busch, Jeremy Baston and others. Julie King seems to have the most reviews.

Can anyone recommend one of the books?

Thanks.


These videos are excellent.

https://www.creativelive.com/class/nikon-d3400-fast-start-john-greengo?via=catalog-class_2

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