Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi/450D (Focal Digital Camera Guides) 1st Edition

I thought this was a lot better than what came with the camera. If you are new to DSLR's pick this up. He basically goes button by button, menu by menu and talks about everything. It is basic, but it is assumed you know nothing. I like the simplicity of the layout. This is my fourth digital camera, my first DSLR. So, while I was familiar with a great many of the features of the camera, it was was nice to have someone to take me by the hand and flesh out some of the finer points.

If you're new to DSLR's, particularly the Canon XSi, this book is a wonderful introduction to this awesome camera and a pretty good primer on basic photography as well. Packed with tons of color photographs and descriptions of every feature, button, dial, and menu on the Canon XSi, it could also be a handy reference guide for users of any skill level. You will know how to set virtually any setting on the camera after reading this book (maybe not necessarily correctly, (at least until your photography skills improve), but at least you'll know where to find and set it. What I appreciate most is the fact that the author doesn't gloss over anything. For example, instead of merely showing one photograph of the mode dial and then a bunch of descriptions, he goes step-by-step of each mode and includes a color photo of each mode setting engaged. While this may seem a little redundant at first, I think it adds to faster learning because you immediately visualize the setting from the photo in addition to the description. For visually oriented learners, this is better. He makes no assumptions of skill level and approaches the topic in easy enough fashion for a complete beginner. Like most other books on the XSi, the beginning includes a quick start guide to get you up and running in minutes in full auto mode with the camera. It also has a basic photography section explaining concepts of shutter speed, aperture and depth of field, resolution and composition. If you are new to the camera and need to get up and running as quickly as possible, this is your ticket. Although, if you never intend to venture beyond the comfort zone of full-auto, you can probably stop reading here (and likely would have been better off buying a point and shoot). But if you invested in this camera, odds are, you need more creative control than most point and shoot cameras offer. So it's time to move on to the other chapters and find out how to make the most of your new toy. Here's an overall break down of the different sections of the book and what's covered:Quick Start and Basic Principles of Photography (already described above)Part 1: The CameraThis section goes into very specific detail about the camera itself with very detailed descriptions of all features, why they are needed, where to find them, and how to set them. All of the topics are accompanied by plenty of full-color photographs. Photographs of things such as every menu screen offer a nice visual guide to everything this camera offers. I really like this section as it is more detailed than a lot of the competitors, especially for new users. In addition to the camera, SD cards and card readers are also briefly discussed.Part 2: The SoftwareI think this section adds additional value to the book. Photography, like anything else, requires baby steps to perfect. Although seasoned users may scoff at this section (and the bundled Canon software), I think new users will find the bundled software more than adequate, especially for the RAW conversion capabilities (where the bundled software actually outshines some commercial image editors like Paint Shop Pro X2). New users need to spend time learning how to use the camera and take good photographs. Truth is, most casual photographers likely won't even need any additional editors beyond the bundled software, especially anything as robust as Photoshop. If they do find themselves looking for more editing power, eventually they can decide on a different editor, but for now, I suggest using the bundled software, saving your money, and eventually investing in a better lens than the kit lens, even if it's only a sub-$100 1.8 50MM. You'd be surprised at how much more versatility even this inexpensive lens gives you in addition to the kit lens. The book offers helpful explanations of the EOS Utility, Zoombrowser EX, Digital Photo Professional, Picture Style Editor and Photostitch. Users are taught how to import images from the camera, process and manipulate the photos in the various programs. Although this section is obviously nowhere near as exhaustively detailed as the camera section, there are some glaring omissions that should have been included. Simple, yet VERY important features such as batch processing are never mentioned in the book. This is not an "advanced" feature and I do not think it is beyond the realm of understanding of even very new photographers. Even if the author chose not to go into specific details, you'd think he'd find it slightly important to inform users that they have the ability to process multiple files at once, such as converting several RAW files to JPEG at once or applying the same editing function (like resizing) to several images at once. With the growth of social networking and photo sharing sites, it would be nice for users to know they can make all of their full-sized vacation photos a more web-friendly smaller size with simply a few keystrokes.Part 3: LightA brief section describing how to shoot in various lighting situations. a brief 13-page read that, while not offering a lot of useful information, will still give new photographers a rough idea of how light and lighting situations can change due to various factors.Part 4: LensesAgain, a section more geared towards newbies, describing the various lenses available for the XSi. Different lens types are introduced and described. Really new users unfamiliar with the different types of lenses (zoom, telephoto, fisheye, wide angle, fast lenses, etc) will find this information useful. Otherwise, this is as basic as it gets.Part 5: The SubjectsAnother brief section offering tips to bring the most out of the subjects you photograph. Tips on vacation photography, photographing people, pets, action, etc. are covered.Part 6: AccessoriesSelf explanatory. Items such as the Canon Speedlight flash, light meters, battery grips, and other available accessories are described. Nothing really useful beyond a few simple descriptions of the items and their capabilities.Over half of the entire book is devoted to parts 1 and 2. The remainder of the book reads pretty quickly, (none of the remaining sections exceeds twenty pages in duration), and doesn't offer much more beyond what was previously covered by the first two sections and the quick start guides. This book focuses on the camera and, (glaring omissions aside), the bundled software, more than anything else. And that's the reason why it exists. If someone wants a book more dedicated to the art of photography, then they should definitely buy that instead. An advanced user likely wouldn't need a book like this at all, although I think it is very good as a quick reference, given the amount of detail and photographs.I've read other Canon XSi books and this is the most "user-friendly" for those new to DSLRs like the XSi. It's not a perfect book, but it does what it was intended to do. It teaches a new Canon XSi user all about the camera, the included software, and offers some basic photography tips.

This is a book that is very thorough in bringing information to the reader. It has information that goes beyond basic camera use and is stimulating to a photographer when ideas run dry.

All print, past chapter 1 is vertical. Unable to read.

OK!

Just what I wanted. Good price. Quick delivery.

This a nice book particularly for beginners, who are buying their first Canon SLR. I like the fact that its not a tome, but gives you all the basics to get up and running with your XSi/450D camera.The book begins with a quick start guide for your camera, which wasn't really necessary. The next section "Basic Principals of Good Photography" was right on the money for me. It explains some basics about how digital cameras work and how you can get the best out of your SLR. At first glance I thought it would be too basic but I was wrong. In fact, it's great to do this "refresher" on Aperture and Depth of field, reciprocity, digital resolution and compression and so forth.Th next section gets into taking pictures with the camera, which will be too basic for those who've had prior experience with SLR cameras. The software section is next which details the Canon camera software, and wasn't too useful for me as I was familiar with it already. However it does have some tips that will be useful for you if you're working with it for the first time.The other sections like "Light" and "Subjects" are pretty basic and have been very well covered in other books devoted to these subjects. Most people will be familiar with these principles. The Lenses section was useful to me as it gave me just the information I needed for the lenses that can be used with this camera without getting too full blown or technical. The last section accessories also had some basic tips great for new owners, especially amateurs. To some extent this book will help Canon create more sales!