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05-07-2010, 04:54 PM   #1
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Recommended book or some other resource???

I shot a K-x for the past month and just now bought a K7. I'm looking forward to moving into a semi-pro camera! Photography has captivated my interest for years and now that I have a "nice" camera, I'm wondering if anyone has resource recommendations for me? Basically, I just want to make sure that I am maximizing the full potential of the camera...

BTW, you guys run a great forum here! Thanks!

05-07-2010, 06:35 PM - 1 Like   #2
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The Magic Lantern series is normally an improvement over the stock manual that comes with the camera. It might have a bit more reference material, as well. The funny part in the K100D ML was the black-and-white photos about white balance.

If you mean photo books in general, you might as well get Understanding Exposure as everyone will recommend it. It has useful information though some is a bit dated.
05-07-2010, 07:03 PM   #3
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QuoteOriginally posted by SpecialK Quote
The Magic Lantern series is normally an improvement over the stock manual that comes with the camera. It might have a bit more reference material, as well. The funny part in the K100D ML was the black-and-white photos about white balance.

If you mean photo books in general, you might as well get Understanding Exposure as everyone will recommend it. It has useful information though some is a bit dated.
I was just about to recommend the exact same books (manual first, then understanding exposure).
05-07-2010, 07:53 PM   #4
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you HAVE to get this book, Understanding Exposure. Its the best ever, I swear and so does everyone else on this forum.

05-07-2010, 08:29 PM   #5
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QuoteOriginally posted by Ubuntu_user Quote
I shot a K-x for the past month and just now bought a K7. I'm looking forward to moving into a semi-pro camera! Photography has captivated my interest for years and now that I have a "nice" camera, I'm wondering if anyone has resource recommendations for me? Basically, I just want to make sure that I am maximizing the full potential of the camera...
I am regretting not marking some interesting threads within the past few months. One is a sticky thread here, Usage of the Green Button. Other threads have discussed how people use TAv mode or other advanced features of the K-7. The manual tells you how to turn stuff on and off, not necessarily why you would ever want to. These threads often have that "why" information. I might still end up locked in familiar modes and methods, but it's interesting to see other ways of accomplishing the same task.
05-09-2010, 07:09 AM   #6
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Thanks everyone! You've got me convinced!

Anyone have these two books used, that I could get for a discounted price?
05-09-2010, 08:02 AM   #7
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Last I saw Understanding Exposure was fairly cheap on Amazon.

05-09-2010, 08:57 AM   #8
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QuoteOriginally posted by hockmasm Quote
you HAVE to get this book, Understanding Exposure. Its the best ever, I swear and so does everyone else on this forum.
Not me. I complain about it every chance I get.

Seriously, it's an okay book, but doesn't deserve all the love it gets. The basics of the three key factors in exposure are explained in a competent-enough way, but there's actually not much emphasis on understanding what's going on, despite the title.

The book's explanation of aperture, shutter speed, and ISO as a triangle is an example of this problem. Sure, there's three things, and as we all know from Schoolhouse Rock, triangles have three sides — but really the relationship is mathematically more linked than that: the factors are not like a triangle, but like the height, width, and depth of a box (where the volume of the box is the amount of exposure you end up with).

When you double one parameter, you double size of the box — and the exposure of the photo. When you double the length of an edge of a triangle, what happens to the area of the triangle? (Break out the trigonometry!) And some combination are flat-out invalid — try making a triangle with sides of length 1, 2, and 7. But the exposure parameters aren't constrained that way at all!

That may sound like a nerdy obsessive complaint, but there's more to it. If one explains with this accurate geometric relationship (visually, even -- it's easy to show with diagrams), it both shows the surface level ("there's three things!") and opens up deeper understanding.

And the rest of the book follows from that: good beginner-level advice and tips, without much of a framework for deeper understanding.

Last edited by mattdm; 06-07-2010 at 02:05 PM. Reason: typo
05-10-2010, 04:11 PM   #9
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QuoteOriginally posted by mattdm Quote
(Break out the trigonometry!)
I just finished College PreCalculus...

Really though, I appreciate what you say. You really make me want to read the book now... just to see what's wrong with it! (yeah right)
05-15-2010, 07:24 PM   #10
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QuoteOriginally posted by Ubuntu_user Quote
I just finished College PreCalculus...

Really though, I appreciate what you say. You really make me want to read the book now... just to see what's wrong with it! (yeah right)
LOL! There's nothing wrong with a book that gives you a basic understanding. It's a starting point and a decent reference for someone who has no prior training/experience/knowledge.
05-17-2010, 08:53 AM   #11
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1- If this book isn't enough for you guys, what other(s) book(s) did you read and like better than this one ?

2- Is there any book about flash ? only 1 subject: flash?
05-18-2010, 12:18 PM   #12
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check the books in my signature. they're golden tools!
05-19-2010, 02:12 PM   #13
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QuoteOriginally posted by TanGU Quote
1- If this book isn't enough for you guys, what other(s) book(s) did you read and like better than this one ?

2- Is there any book about flash ? only 1 subject: flash?
I found Scott Kelby's book on Digital Photography helped me to learn the digital side of things. I've been using Pentax SLR cameras since 1961, so the basics of exposure, ISO (formerlay ASA/DIN) shutter speed and aperture and how they work together. I just did not know how the digital sensor and all the extra gadgets fit into the mix.

CAVEAT: Scott has a really warped sense of humour - he admits it himself. Read a bit, but ignore the chapter intros - they are just bad puns and worse. Think of something you would like to do with your camera, and look it up. Scott gives one page lessons about one single thing at a time. Perfect for me, despite the lame jokes.
06-07-2010, 06:24 AM   #14
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QuoteOriginally posted by mattdm Quote
Not me. I complain about it every chance I get.

Seriously, it's an okay book, but doesn't deserve all the love it gets. The basics of the three key factors in exposure are explained in a competent-enough way, but there's actually not much emphasis on understanding what's going on, despite the title.

The book's explanation of aperture, shutter speed, and ISO as a triangle is an example of this problem. Sure, there's three things, and as we all know from Schoolhouse Rock, triangles have three sides — but really the relationship is mathematically more linked that that: the factors are not like a triangle, but like the height, width, and depth of a box (where the volume of the box is the amount of exposure you end up with).

When you double one parameter, you double size of the box — and the exposure of the photo. When you double the length of an edge of a triangle, what happens to the area of the triangle? (Break out the trigonometry!) And some combination are flat-out invalid — try making a triangle with sides of length 1, 2, and 7. But the exposure parameters aren't constrained that way at all!

That may sound like a nerdy obsessive complaint, but there's more to it. If one explains with this accurate geometric relationship (visually, even -- it's easy to show with diagrams), it both shows the surface level ("there's three things!") and opens up deeper understanding.

And the rest of the book follows from that: good beginner-level advice and tips, without much of a framework for deeper understanding.
I might agree with you a little bit. I just finished this book.

Yes it give us good tricks. But it doesn't explain much about light. Also i found the quality of the picture to be a lot grainy! His wife look good tough

I might try the "The Photographer's Eye: Composition and Design for Better Digital Photos" by Michael Freeman, because Composition is my weak spot

I like another book about flash...
06-08-2010, 11:44 AM   #15
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QuoteOriginally posted by hockmasm Quote
check the books in my signature. they're golden tools!
Those were the first two I bought. Both good books for the basics of exposure and composition. I understood the relationship between Aperture, shutter speed and ISO before getting understanding exposure but it gives some decent tricks on metering and exposure in uncommon situations.
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