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01-29-2010, 04:08 AM   #1
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Honesty........

Right you lot...how many have sat down and read their camera manual from front to back...and remembered what they read. ???????
whilst holding the camera and putting it into practice??????

01-29-2010, 04:37 AM   #2
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First thing I did with all three DSLR, (well even with my ZX but that one wasn't as hard) Sat down and played with it while reading the manual. I must admit that there are some "gee whiz" features that I kinda glossed over, especially on the K20D. For instance, I very very rarely use live view.
I also tried to make a habit of re-reading the manual once a month for the first 6 months to firmly install it in my brain.

NaCl(RTFM is a religion with me)H2O
01-29-2010, 04:49 AM   #3
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Yes, I read my camera manual all the way through....no, I don't remember everthing I read. I'm not that concerned with keeping my manuals in perfect shape, so I'll keep them stashed in my camera bag for reference for a while, until I get familiar with the features I use the most.
01-29-2010, 04:55 AM   #4
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Yes. I am pretty compulsive about that. But, you need to remember that when you get a new model, you only need to remember the changes from the previous model. Also, as mentioned above, I don't pay much attention to features I don't use or seldom use.

01-29-2010, 05:15 AM   #5
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Yep. Had no idea about what my K10D could do, still don't! I'm still sitting down most days with manual in one hand and camera in the other...
01-29-2010, 05:20 AM   #6
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Thanks....

Thanks for the prompt replies....I posted this for the benefit of beginners and the importance of doing it.
01-29-2010, 08:16 AM   #7
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QuoteOriginally posted by Daveinozbikes Quote
Right you lot...how many have sat down and read their camera manual from front to back...and remembered what they read. ???????
whilst holding the camera and putting it into practice??????
I did it, too, with my first couple of DSLRs. I won't claim to have read every single word on every single page. I probably skimmed some of the very dry technical stuff. I did read carefully the info about how to use the camera.

However, I must say that I found the Pentax user guides to be very badly written. I found the Magic Lantern guides (for example, the K10D guide by Peter Burian) to be much better than the Pentax user guide, so I purchased those guides for the K100D (my first DSLR) and the K10D (my second). And I read THEM from start to finish.

I hasten to add that, like TaoMaas, I don't remember everything I read.

Will

01-29-2010, 08:35 AM   #8
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First couple DSLR's I bought I did then I found out about the Magic Lantern book and started using that. To me well worth the price and much easier to digest. Most of the basic operations are the same or very close. jim
01-29-2010, 09:00 AM   #9
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I have probably read the manuals more than many people, but having played with so many Pentax bodies, there really aren't many surprises anymore...each new model I pick up seems pretty intuitive now...Pentax seems to try pretty hard to be consistent & logical about operation, and there are a lot of visual cues for what's going on.

Unfortunately, the manuals seem to gloss over some of the things that need explaining most--like flash and why you might or might not want to couple AF and AE points, etc.
01-29-2010, 09:04 AM   #10
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I read the entire manual for my K100D before I ever took a shot. I used to keep it in my camera bag for the first year or so. I don't think I read the entire manual for the K200D, but I also kept it handy in case I needed to look up how to change some settings.

While it's not a perfect formula for understanding photography in general, I'd say the manuals do help you understand how your camera works and how you can fine-tune it to serve your needs.
01-29-2010, 09:15 AM   #11
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I've read and re-read my manuals as well as getting Yvon Bourque's excellent books that extend the user manuals. I don't remember everything in them but I know where to look it up. Even with all of that, sometimes there is something that either I didn't understand or forgot and need to ask a question on a forum like this. The flashing F-- deal was one of those questions. But...read the manual, you just have to.
01-29-2010, 10:18 AM   #12
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I tried to read all of mine when I first downloaded it from Pentax. But I have to say a lot of it was confusing and I didn't know what some of it meant. This is my first every DSLR. But my plans are to order the book from Pentax so I can carry it with me. I'm not going to print out 211 pages of the .pdf manual and it would be to big to fit in my camera case and too unwieldy to try and read in windy situations.
01-29-2010, 10:28 AM   #13
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When I ordered my K-x the shipping time was "1 to 2 months" (lucky for me it was less than two weeks.) So I downloaded the manual and began learning all the features. I also find that trying to figure out the answers to some of the questions posed in forums helps in retaining what I've read.

Oh, and I limit my reading to record mode...don't really care about playback.
01-29-2010, 10:31 AM   #14
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Yes I did.
And also have the pdf version in my tabletpc, and my eBook readers, and one of these are always with me.
Rereading the important parts make it’s understanding second nature - repetition many times conducts to perfection.
01-29-2010, 10:36 AM   #15
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I'm a "play first, read later" type of person. From video games to electronics, I like to try out what I can, based on what I already know. Then, if there are features that I have no clue about, or don't know how to perform a certain function, I'll refer to the manual. That's when I'll typically read from cover to end.
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