speters Loc: Grangeville/Idaho

They are not junk!!!! They tell you exactly what one needs to know, they are not an instruction on photography in general, but are specific on how to get to your wanted settings in the best and fasted way! They're not a book but a manual (that's why there are books for the other stuff)!!

Jakebrake Loc: Broomfield, Colorado

Agreed! I have all of his books for my Canon's. Very informed with step by step instructions, well written with excellent color photographs. Now if he would just write one for my G3X!

rwww80a Loc: Hampton, NH

Don't buy a camera specific book. These instruction manuals say turn the knob or press the button and an adjustment is made. They don't tell you what effect the adjustment does to the photo.
Buy a book or series of classes so she can learn about photography and what the various settings mean and how their combinations result in in a good picture. Try Nikon School or your local camera shop.
Pretty good with a camera phone, remember they are automatic, set up for what the camera program wants to do.

appealnow Loc: Dallas, Texas

David Busch's Nikon D3400, Guide to Digital SLR Photography. I picked up my copy for the D5100 at Half Price Books.

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

Thank you! I have sent you an email.

MrGNY Loc: New York

Don’t forget the built in guide on the camera it is good for learning to do things in a pinch.

seano

YouTube has many excellent free videos on Nikon!

srat50 Loc: Ware, Massachusetts

U-Tube is better and its free.

SteveR Loc: Michigan

The usefulness of books are not as reading materials to be read from cover to cover, in most cases, but as reference materials. As you work through your camera, they give you more information on settings than manuals. When questions arise, the book is the place to go for answers, much as the old software manuals were.

Since focus in a major part of photography, I do suggest Steve Perry's book on the Nikon focus system and how to use it to augment any other book that might be purchased.

dyximan

I agree it is a great camera with a number of great features and easily exceeds the needs and capabilities of the most photographers if used to its full potential, but the young ones will figure out its potential much quicker than this of goat

SteveR Loc: Michigan

Just remind her that if she uses exposure compensation she needs to return it to 0 before the next photo.

insman1132 Loc: Southwest Florida

What a great grandparent you are!! I envy your granddaughter! Can I suggest that there are a lot of videos on that camera on YouTube?? Take a look. I always start with YouTube and then search for a book for further camera education.

Let us know what you decide!

pnittoly Loc: Mountainside, New Jersey

I’m a novice. I have Steve Perry’s e-book. Excellent. Additionally, he promptly answers questions by email.
David Busch is very good reference and certainly provides helpful info beyond what is contained in the few pages Nikon includes with the camera.

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

It is the other way around. It is what great granddaughters they are. They are smart, ethical, work hard at school, pick great friends, are skilled in drama, sing extraordinarily well, play musical instruments and are critical thinkers. A bonus is that they are both drop-dead-gorgeous. When they wear the "get the boy" clothes, there is not a single boy at their high school that is not rendered speechless.

The really good news is that their mother, my daughter-in-law, decided we should be a consistent and regular part of their lives from birth. As an "old person" nothing could have been more thrilling.

As far as deciding about a book, I won't. She knows how to learn and learn quickly. But, she will do it her way, not mine. At this point, I'll probably be giving her two books that she may never more than open. Her way of learning is not mine.

What will be the most interesting is how she adapts to the Nikon D3400. It would not surprise me if it rarely sees the light of day. It is large, cumbersome and has a terrible user interface. She may find that current DSLRs are a pain in the butt.

Photocraig

I find David Bush's books helpful. I got the Kindle version for my departed Canon 50D. I'm looking for a good one on my new Canon 77D.

BUT, there are a number of good full how to tutorials on the operation of this and many other cameras. Tony Northrup and Jared Polin both do very easy to follow step by step, function and feature and button by button you tubes. They're free! Jared's 77D got me going and it was excellent. But they don't go in depth on how to do some more creative things. But others do.

A you Tube search should do the trick!
C