Customer Reviews
Learn about the 40D and support Christianity... 
2008-08-06
I purchased Charlotte K.L.'s Canon Digital Rebel XTi field guide book and learned a lot about the XTi, which was why I went for her 40D book.
I must say I felt extremely uncomfortable with the Christian references - while some may consider the religious captions irrelevant, it still bothered me. I am not a religious person (nor am I an atheist). I found the religious references pointless and irritating.
Page 210 of her "40D Field Guide Book" (caption to the photo):
"The images in figures 9.10, 9.11 and 9.12 were shot for a cover and liner for a Christian music CD featuring Jessie Butterworth and the Overlake Christian Church worship team. The goal was to capture the spirit and energy of the concert for the cover and illustrate the concert experience with images for the liner. This is an establishing shot of the overall concert stage with vocalists and musicians. Exposure: ISO 400, f/2.8, 1/20 sec., using an EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM lens."
While I understand Christianity is a major part of our world's religion, to me, 3 mere religious related captions in a 300 something page technical book, is aggressive.
I read three books on the 40D 
2008-07-24
Long story short: 1st choice Charlotte K Lowrie, 2nd choice David D Busch
and 3rd Rob Sheppard.
Now for long story. Having read Lowrie's books before I knew I could glean some good information from this book. This book is in color, a must. Lowrie's tables are easy to read and understand, the index has everything you can imagine in it.
I find myself going back to this book all the time. Example; 4th of July, index, fireworks photography, page 228-229, shutter speed 1-2 seconds, and I'm off to the party. I ordered Lowrie's book on the 5D just to read it, even though I'll probably won't buy the 5D camera. I have found mistakes in all of the books. Page 30, image 1.14, after reading the caption, I thought I bought the wrong lens and went to Canon's web site to see if there was 24-70 "IS", no, but I wish or on page 33, 25-105 f/2.8L IS USM. Wouldn't that be a great lens if it were real. There was one more about that 24-70 "IS" page 34. Any one of these authors could do a better job of writing an owners manual than Canon. For me Lowrie's book is the best.
helpful book to understand the EOS 40D 
2008-07-11
I wanted a book to learn how to use things like the C1-C3 modes, and how/why to change picture style settings. The book does a reasonable job with the C1-C3 modes. I would have liked more detail on the custom picture styles. I like the comparison pictures (this picture taken with this setting, same picture taken with that setting). I just there was a lot more of this in the book. This book was helpful but there is room for improvement. Relative to one reviewers complaint this is mostly a christian book: does a few pictures (less than 10%) in a religious setting make the book a religious book? (If you are looking for a book for taking pictures in a religious setting then you will be totally - this is not the book).
Very disappointing 
2008-07-10
I opened this book yesterday and immediately returned it. Perhaps the worst layout I've seen for an instructional guide to a digital camera. Confusing and unorganized to say the least.
Besides, if I wanted to partake in a class in Christianity, I would attend a church. Why is it that authors such as herself and Scott Kelby are so intent on informing us of thier faith and beliefs?
Great reference 2008-07-05
This is a great reference for those looking for detailed information on some of the features that are not very well documented by Canon.
Excellent book! 2008-07-01
In the Canon EOS 40D, speed and reliability meet superior image quality and affordability. And the more you know about your camera, the better your images will be. So don't wait another minute. Learn how to work with color spaces and white balance, use Live View, set up the 40D for your shooting style, set and evaluate exposure, and more. Get helpful tips and advice that you can use every time in this handy guide that goes wherever you take pictures.
An over sized owners manual with a few good tips 2008-06-24
This is a great owners manual and it has a few good tips but that is about it. The chief benefit is it reinforces what I had seen before and that is not a bad thing. I did transition from 20D so I did glean a few good pointers and I am not disappointed.
Canon EOS 40D Digital Field Guide 2008-06-10
Written for Ann Friedenreich SCG Photos
In general, the field guide genre of photography/camera books is an amazing way to get lots of info in a book small enough to tote. The Wiley edition of the "Canon EOS 40D Digital Field Guide" at first flip seemed like it would be a verbose little guy, but then I found the table of contents...and it was love at first sight! That old adage, a picture can say a thousand words, was as true now as ever. I stopped at the tomatoes, on the 2nd page of the table (chapters 2&3),thinking that it might be about color, before I even read the topic line. And yes; it was was about color. It was also about balance, color spaces and picture styles, but it was about color too...which is what I wanted to read about. I couldn't say that the other photos in the table of contents were as right on as the tomatoes, but having photos mark the different topics was helpful.
There were ample notes/tips/cross-reference spots, charts and tables, photos and illustrations throughout the book. Having said that, I would like to offer that, I'd like to have seen more color throughout the book...all of the black print made it a bit tedious for me, and bold face type is boring. Maybe the direction, step by step, list paragraphs/sections could have been printed on a color background or have different color type just to break up the black type. It would not take up more space or make any drastic change, just a little eye candy to keep the reader on a high note.
Overall the book is a great little helper that packs lots of info. I also appreciated the glossary and appendices at the end which had lots of internet hot spots to visit. I'd give this book 4.5 stars out of 5!
Not for the novice! 
2008-06-08
I would have to give this book a 3-star rating, not due specifically to the content but more to the organization and level of difficulty. I approached this reading with no film background, a newly acquired passion for digital photography, and my very first D-SLR, the Canon EOS 40D. Fortunately I had read other 40D books so I had a basis for comparison. Had this been the first one I had read on this camera, I might have just put the setting on "Automatic" and left it there. I would not recommend this book for a beginning photographer.
This Digital Field Guide is literally PACKED with information, tables, cross reference notations and subjects that go way beyond my level of absorption at this time. Though I feel the book has a "busy" visual appearance, it might appeal to the Canon EOS 40D owners who either come from a film background, previous D-SLR's, or both and understand the basic language of exposure settings, focus, shutter speed, etc. I didn't have a solid footing in these areas and found the book to be overwhelming and somewhat discouraging.
If you are a more experienced photographer who has a new Canon EOS 40D, I encourage you to give this book a read. If you know all the content when you finish, you're in good shape! The book provides a number of in-the-field tips dealing with different types of shooting. There is a chapter on RAW capture for those of you who are leaning in that direction, and a very impressive appendix covering topics such as camera specifications, a glossary of photography terminology, and a list of professional websites and resources. For you lens aficionados there is a whole section of the book devoted to various lenses and what they do. You just need lots of money!
Happy Reading!
Not a waste of time 2008-06-07
This book is a good next step after one has thoroughly read the Canon EOS 40D owners manual; which a lot of folks fail to do. The manual tells you what "this button" is, and what "this button" does; this book will tell you how. It may not be complete enough for the seasoned DSLR user, but it likely was not intended to. It is after all, a paperback called "field guide". I think this book could serve as a good reference and review source for many and an excellent starting point for the beginner.
While I was not personaly offended by the author's frequent reference to her spirituality, I can see where a reader of any other faith, or none at all might be. I see no useful purpose in such rhetoric in a book about a camera.
