Fast Cash Photograph

[I am new to this camera, as I assume most who buy this book are. If you find errors in the review of this book, kindly leave a comment so I can learn.]

I bought this book hoping to easily find and use information I need to take pictures and to speed me through the learning curve. I have used film SLRs and digital point-and-shoots (two Nikons), but the D90 is my first digital SLR.

The book has a similar organization as the user manual – it describes the camera. It would be a better book if it described tasks and how to do them, thus complementing the user manual with a different organization and a thorough index.

After skimming the first half, I came up with three things I needed to know quickly to use my camera. The book did not help in the way I had hoped.

Problem 1: First-time Setup

Chapter 3 covers the setup and options for this complex cameras. Some are things many people won’t use (arcane features, or the “retouch” features which are like Photoshop-lite inside the camera, or “Pictmotion” to make camera-based slideshows). Some are things you might want to play with after you get to know the basic things to optimize for your use, such as customization.

There are also a few key things that many people will want to change from the first time they use the camera.

For example, by default, every time you remove the memory card to transfer pictures to a computer, they would reset the sequence numbers to zero. I think I am in the majority of users who would prefer that each picture have a unique sequence number that continues to the next number when you return the memory card to the camera. It’s hard to understand why Nikon thinks that reseting each time should be the default, but at least they gave us an option to change it to how I expected it to work.

The book should have a brief guide of the top 5 settings that new owners may want to consider changing for their first use of the camera in Chapter 1. Google on “Ken Rockwell D90 Camera Settings” (without quotes) and you’ll find a longer list like I have in mind. Chapter 3, which is the D90 menu in exhaustive detail, is the longest chapter by far in the book, and it belongs later in the book, following the chapters that go into detail on exposure, advanced tips, lenses, lighting, etc.

Problem 2: Learning to use Aperture Priority

During a shoot, I needed to learn Aperture Priority mode to maximize depth of field for macro shots. Having read the book, I set the mode dial to A, and proceeded to change the aperture on the lens; the result was a flashing “FEE” error in the camera. I have learned, not from this book, that this happens when the aperture ring is not locked – in other words, you can’t use the aperture ring to adjust the aperture. I consulted the book to learn what the camera wanted me to do to change aperture settings.

Aperture Priorty Mode is not listed in the index, even though using the mode knob is fundamental to using the camera.

I went to the table of contents. There is no major heading there for Exposure Modes, but after scanning a lot of entries I eventually found the section. In Chapter 4, Fine-Tuning Exposure, he tells you why you would use Aperture Priority Mode, and when to adust the aperture… but does not tell you HOW to actually set the aperture! In the brief description of Chapter 1 “Advanced Modes” (which should be called “Exposure Modes”), he gives a brief explanation of the four exposure modes, but nothing about adjusting aperture or shutter speed.

I guessed that maybe I should use the Command wheel, which he says is used to adjust settings for various modes. No dice.

Eventually I found my answer by googling on “d90 aperture priority mode” (don’t use quotes). It turns out that the SUBcommand wheel, the one in the front, is used to adjust the aperture, and the Command wheel for shutter speed. Why don’t they use the same one? Because in Manual mode, you need to use both, and it is less confusing to have the SUBcommand wheel behave the same for M and A modes. By the way, you cannot adjust the aperture without the light meter enabled. To do that, you press and release the +/- button, the AF button, the AE button, or the metering mode; or press the shutter button half way and release. THEN you can adjust the aperture.

Back to the book. Does he cover this when describing subcommand wheel? Yes and no. If you look under the details for the subcommand wheel in Chapter 1, he gives setting the aperture as an example of when the subcommand wheel is used, but does not mention pressing a button to enable it. In the explanation for Manual Exposure Mode in Chapter 4 (which is AFTER the section on Aperture Mode), he does mention the roles of Command and Subcommand wheels, but does not explain that they only work when the light meter is active, or that you must press one of a few buttons to activate it. None this is listed in the index under “aperture”; none of it is explained in the Aperture Mode section.

It’s the same problem for Shutter Priority Mode: in that section in Chapter 4, he tells you when you want to use this mode, and when to adjust the shutter speed, but not HOW to adjust the shutter speed (using the command wheel), or that you need to press a button first.

Problem 3: Making HD Movies

D90 gets a lot of buzz for being able to create HD (720p) movies. I wanted to try it out. In the index, there are entries for HDTV and for movies, but they talk about the five minute limitation of movie clips, and settings for movie resolution. I have heard of “LiveView” (a meaningless term that serves to hide some potentially useful features), and figured that he would have a subsection in the LiveView section to walk you through making a movie.

He has a section on continuous shooting, but if there is any place that outlines how to actually shoot a movie with the D90, I still have not found it. FYI: the D90 user manual (English version) outlines the process on page 50. I expected more discussion on this feature – not in the user manual, but in the book on the D90.

Bottom Line

I am disappointed by the book. The index is incomplete. The table of contents is not a good alternative, because it is organized by camera features rather than by task. Vital information is missing in the in-depth section, or missing altogether. And it has a lot of stuff I don’t need for field use, making it heavier to carry.

Amazon defines two stars as “I don’t like it”. I think it is OK for some people.
Rating: 2 / 5

Having just purchased a Nikon D90 I elected to get Busch’s book to try and learn as much as I could about this versatile SLR. I was not disappointed. The book explains in some detail most of the functions available to the photographer. The only carp I have is that not all functions are addressed or fully explained. The interaction between the different camera elements can be complex. However, Busch does preface his tutorials with the assumption that the reader has a basic understanding of SLR and camera principles. Overall the book has helped me get a grasp of how to use the D90 and get great results. I would recommend this book to anyone acquiring a D90 as it is well organized and written to be understood as long as you have a grasp of photography and camera basics.
Rating: 4 / 5