[houstonmacgregor]

As a newbie into digital and the more modern accessories, I read the instruction manuals and feel totally lost.

For instance the AF 360 flash with Speed sync, trailing shutter etc.

I need not give similar examples as far as the camera with JPEG, noise, white balance, again etc.

What I and I imagine many of us amateurs need are suggestions for books, journals, etc to out this into language that connects to us.

There are so many out there that digging through them on our own would be another adventure in futility.

Thanks.

[Ash]

The camera and flash manuals are incredibly good resources (except the Pentax flash manuals have poorly arranged information), so they would be your first port of call to understand how those functions work and when to use them.

If the terminology is difficult to understand, you may not necessarily need books to tell you about them, some of the photography sites online can be searched for these terms and provide an explanation that will at least help you know what they do.

Like high speed sync, which enables you to use flash when you want your shutter speed to be faster than the camera's set flash sync speed, typically 1/160 sec. And second curtain sync (which I presume you mean by trailing shutter) is useful for when you need to use flash to capture a moving object with a sense of motion in the shot. By having the flash fire right at the end of the exposure the appearance of the object will be as if it is streaking forward rather than backward (which would happen with first curtain sync, the standard flash mode).

I may be explaining these terms poorly, but if they still baffle you there are numerous books aimed at beginners in digital photography which you can find at most bookstores. At your stage, it won't matter too much which one you choose - just one where you flick through and can understand the language used. It's the more advanced books that you'll find are fewer and far between.

Anyway, good luck and don't be afraid to ask.

[bigben91682]

You specifically mention sync speed, I found this video a while back does a fantastic job explaining how shutters work and how it relates to the maximum sync speed of a camrea.

YouTube - Digital Photography 1 on 1: Episode 1

Check out the other videos from Snapfactory on youtube as well. I've found that, while a bit cheesy, they are extreemly informative.

[Wombat]

Don't forget your local library. They may not have the very latest books but often there are excellent ones for beginners. If you ask at the desk you may even find a librarian who's a keen photographer, who can help you.

[rfortson]

As a newbie into digital and the more modern accessories, I read the instruction manuals and feel totally lost.

For instance the AF 360 flash with Speed sync, trailing shutter etc.

I need not give similar examples as far as the camera with JPEG, noise, white balance, again etc.

What I and I imagine many of us amateurs need are suggestions for books, journals, etc to out this into language that connects to us.

There are so many out there that digging through them on our own would be another adventure in futility.

Thanks.

One of the forum members has a book about the K10D (Google "K10D book" and you'll find it). I like the Magic Lantern guides as well.

For general photography, two books that I highly recommend are "The Digital Photography Book" by Scott Kelby, and "Understanding Exposure" by Brian Peterson. Kelby's book is written like it's one friend telling another how to do something specific (like blur the background on your shots). Each page is a standalone tip/lesson, written very non-technical. Peterson's book is a little more into general photography and how shutter speed, aperture, and ISO combine to give the correct exposure, and how there are many different ways to get the "correct exposure".

Another tip is to join some local groups. Some people learn best by watching others. Go to Meetup.com to find photography groups (there are a few in Houston). Also, Texasphotoforum.com is a good local resource, and they arrange group get-togethers quite often.

BTW, I'm in Houston as well (Clearlake). We are you located?

[mel]

Don't forget your local library. They may not have the very latest books but often there are excellent ones for beginners. If you ask at the desk you may even find a librarian who's a keen photographer, who can help you.

Just what I was going to say kind of. I am a librarian currently working in a public library in the suburbs of the Washington DC area. Yes ask at the reference/information desk. They are there soley to help you. Additionally, the topics in life that undergo the most rapid change are usually the topics that are heavily scrutinized in Collection Development. My particular library system takes great pains to keep books on technology as up-to-date as the market allows. Often books on these topics are pre-ordered, prior to publication, so we can make them available as soon as they are released.

However, if your library doesn't have helpful books, your librarian can also help you find magazine articles, white papers, and such, that can help answer your questions.

Good luck with your research.