I’ve been reading through the Canon EOS 7D Digital Field Guide by Charlotte Lowrie and have to say that I’m impressed with the book. I’ve never bought a book like this before having always relied on the manual that came with the camera and other online guides. While I still like the camera manual and love scouring the interwebs for new information, this book provides a great deal of value to a photographer with a Canon 7D…especially when you’re out in the field shooting.
When you pick up a book like this, you know what you’re in for…a walk-through of all the settings of the camera and how to use those settings. But more than that, the author provides a great deal of insight into how she users her camera in different situations…which is extremely interesting for me. These types of personal touches allow me to see how other photographers think and use their gear.
The book is split into twelve chapters with a ton of information in each chapter. The chapters are:
- Ch 1 – Roadmap to the 7D
- Ch 2 – Camera Setup and Image Playback
- Ch 3 – Controlling Exposure and Focus
- Ch 4 – Getting Great Color
- Ch 5 – Customizing the 7D
- Ch 6 – Shooting Live View and Tethered
- Ch 7 – Using Movie Mode
- Ch 8 – Working with Flash and Studio Lights
- Ch 9 – Lenses and Accessories
- Ch 10 – Event and Action Photography
- Ch 11 – Nature and Landscape Photography
- Ch 12 – People Photography
The titles of the chapters are pretty self-explanatory.
Chapter’s 1 through 7 provided the most value for me as they explored camera functionality and usage. I spent the majority of my time with this book in these first seven chapters. Chapters 8 through 12 provide general information about photographing in particular situations and how to setup the Canon 7D for those situations…good chapters but not as ‘meaty’ as the first seven.
The real strength of this book is the ability to communicate camera settings and functions clearly and quickly. The manual that comes with the 7D is good, but is a technical manual…this book provides a bit more for the reader to soak in.
For those of you who might be beginners looking for a book on photography and using the 7D – this is not the book for you. A Few reviews I read on Amazon take a negative stance towards this book because it doesn’t “explain” photography as it relates to the 7D…that isn’t the purpose of this book. Its purpose is to explain the functionality and settings of the camera.
If you have a Canon 7D and can’t (or don’t want) to decipher the camera manual, this book is for you.
Related posts:
- Bryan Peterson’s Understanding Photography Field Guide – Book Review
- Moose Peterson’s Guide to Wildlife Photography – Book Review
- Book Review: Guide to Photographing America’s National Parks
- Scott Kelby – New Digital Photography Book Input
- Scott Kelby’s Lightroom 2 for Digital Photographers Book Review
Pingback: EricDBrown-Photos