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The Betterphoto Guide to Digital Photography (Amphoto Guide Series)x$13.21
 (76 reviews)
Best Price: $24.95 $13.21
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Customer Reviews
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Highly Recommended
By A2BWKIEQK89KDZ on 2005-10-17
A lot of books these days equate digital photography with Photoshop, which to me is a waste of time. If you don't take good photos to begin with, the end-result will not be good not matter how much post-precessing you do on your computer. This book actually talks about photography techiques in a very accessible fashion. Aperture, shutter speed, iso, white balance are gently de-mystified, while equal emphasis is given on the content and compositon of photographs. As a relative newbie to serious photography, I found this book's explanantions and illustrations to be very good indeed. Highly recommended!
Your Complete Beginner/Intermediate Reference to Digital Photography!
By A10YVQ3BW5MOKX on 2006-02-13
If you are about to buy your first digital photography book or even your new compact digicam
or SLR camera let this book be your first reference. In fact, it can be your only reference as a beginner or even intermediate
photographer.
Why I like it:
--------------
1. Simple language that makes it easy to understand and follow
2. A practical guide that drives you through steps to create your professional photos
3. Covers a variety of aspects concerning photography other than just shooting
4. Full of colorful pictures that clarifies what they are talking about
5. Unbelievable price! A complete photography course in a book that cost no more than $16.47!
6. Written by a great person JIM MIOTKE, he is professional photographer and photography instructor.
Believe me, this book is one of the BEST you could ever read in this area! And the best one to start with!
The choice for the camera novice
By AJZ99WN5R9J9J on 2007-01-10
I picked this book and another by Kelby (The Digital Photography Book) based on reviews from this site and recommendations from several photography forums. When the two are compared, it is no contest Miotke's book wins hands down. That's not to say that Kelby's book is terrible, it is, in fact, quite good.
The Betterphoto Guide provides a comprehensive overview of digital photography and explains the foundation on which it's based. Technical elements like exposure and light are clearly explained in an easy to understand and succinct manner. As my understanding of the different components increased, I quickly moved away from the automatic settings on my camera (Canon Powershot A630) and the quality of my pictures soared.
Another important component of the book deals with the artistic elements of photography (Composition). What, how, and why are all discussed and all the suggestions are immediately applicable. After reading this book, I was able to compose better pictures with a tighter focus and, in addition, have gained a greater appreciation and understanding of other's work.
There are also chapters that discuss the particular components of a digital camera. These help the reader become "acquainted" with his/her particular camera. File settings and there importance are also discussed and will help the reader decide which is right for him/her (if one's camera allows that choice). A digital camera Buyer's guide is included at the book's end, which provides invaluable advice.
This book is targeted at beginners and is a great choice for both DSLR and p&s owners. My only caveat is that it will leave you wanting better equipment and more time to pursue your new habit. Er.. I mean hobby (Kelby moment).
Overall, I find this a beautifully illustrated book that provides a solid foundation on which to launch your photographic endeavor.
Not as good as expected 
By A1M1K07R5L92M on 2007-03-12
This book had a 5-star average review on Amazon when I was deciding which books to buy, and for that reason (and that reason alone), I bought it. I must say I'm a little disappointed. Don't get me wrong --- this is not a bad book. But it's certainly not a 5-star book. If you want a a really good book on digital photography, try Scott Kelby's Digital Photography book. This one is more pedestrian. It's a valiant effort, but most of what's inside can be found (at no charge) on the Web. It's also a chore to read. I find myself browsing rather than reading (by way of comparison, I read Kelby's book more or less cover to cover in one sitting).
All that having been said, it's a better book than Tom Ang's Digital Photography (published by DK).
THE book for those ready to take their camera off the Auto settings!
By A106UZTD6LF15P on 2006-03-29
Most books about digital photography start at the beginning -- what to look for in a digital camera. Most books that teach you how to use the functions of a camera -- F stop, shutter speed, etc. -- are geared towards SLR cameras. But what if you're somewhere in the middle -- you already own a digital camera with manual settings but don't know your aperture from your white balance? Then this is the book for you.
This was the only book I really found that shows, step-by-step, the who, what, where, when and why behind the functions of the digital camera. Easy to read (this is not one of those 400-page "bibles"), with accurate photographs to guide you every step of the way and "assignments" at the end of each chapter to give you a hands-on learning experience, you will see improvement in your photographs right away. Once you grasp the freddom and control you actually have over your photographs you will want to take your camera everywhere and apply what you've learned.
I highly recommend this book, even if you just read the highly informative captions that accompany every photograph int the book.
- Competent but Mediocre
By A1IEAW9IDUO7MG on 2007-04-22
I bought this book--my first about photography because--because of all the positive reviews. The writing is clear and competently explains the most basic concepts of photography. I think those explanation would make useful primer for someone wanting to exploit the capabilities of a point-and-shoot camera. But for anyone wanting more help understanding the greater potential of a dsrl, or even to do interesting stuff with a point-and-shoot, the book is embarrassingly simple.
On the up side, it includes many photographs illustrating such photographic princles as are covered. On the downside, those photographs are uninspired, dull, predictable, and bland. Implicitly, the photographs Miotke uses show us novices what we can achieve if we apply his principles. But those photographs look like what a lot of people produce with ordinary point-and-shoots and without reading any books, so what does Miotke offer?
Not that these photographic principles are themselves eye-opening. Miotke spends some time, for example, explaining that sometimes to improve the framing of a subject, we should get closer to it. Wow! He illustrates this with a picture of a cowboy putting a saddle on a horse. He points out that that picture is kind of ordinary, so his inspiration is to take a tight shot of one of the studded leather saddle straps. Now, that studded strap did look cool, but a better picture? I'm not so sure about that. They both looked pretty point-and-shooty, pretty daddy-playing-with-the-camera-on-the-family-vacation to me.
So much of the praise for this rather ordinary book is so extravagant and uncritical that my suspicion is that at least some of those 5-point reviewers are shills from the "Betterphoto" enterprise. I mean, the book ain't that great.
- excellent primer on digital photography
By A2F2HV96BT58TH on 2006-09-16
This is an excellent, well-written introduction to digital photography. Miotke explains the basic principles of photography, and my guess is that he's done a lot of teaching which helps to make the explanations very clear and systematic. I found the chapters on exposure, aperture, shutter speed, ISO particularly helpful since I'd never totally understood how these related to each other. There are lots of photographs illustrating how aperture, shutter speed, ISO, etc. affect the image, and lots of tips on what one might consider basic settings, and how one can vary them depending on the circumstances. He also has a long section on composition, again with illustrations. There were a few things which he does not cover which I would have been interested in -- e.g. he doesn't explain what the different kinds of lenses are for a digital SLR camera (e.g., what does 20 mm. vs 30 mm. mean). Each chapter contains assignments designed to help one see what one's camera is capable of. He assumes you either have a compact digital cameras or a digital SLR and tailors his explanations to each kind of camera.
- Better than a college course.
By A1EBGF0QRTEMR6 on 2006-06-11
I recently took a black & white film photography course at Northern Illinois University. I have learned more about photography in just the first 100 pages of this Jim Miotke book than I did the entire semester at NIU. He approaches difficult ideas from a variety of different angles. He rephrases and gives multiple examples for almost everything, making it very easy to understand difficult concepts. He uses multiple full-color photos to illustrate each concept and his writing style is very engaging. I would recommend this book to any beginner to intermediate photographer.
- What I was looking for....
By AJ9CSAX51BINF on 2006-09-25
I was getting tired of ordering books on digital photography, only to find out at least half the book was devoted to manipulating your photo on the computer. I've been a hobby photographer for about 10 years, and I wanted an explanation of the differences between 35 mm film cameras and the way a digital works. This book gave me what I was looking for. The side bar hints in each section are great. Now I know why setting my digital the way I would for a film shot is not always getting me the results I expect.
If you want a book that tells you how to use your digital camera when moving from film to digital, this is the best book I've found. It outlines all the basic information you need to make the adjustment.
- Perfect for a digital beginner like me!
By A1XB9B8FLRXZ7N on 2007-01-04
I wanted to learn how to take better pictures with my digital camera (Canon A620) and it has manual settings I can use. I don't know anything about f/stops or aperture settings or even that you could change the amount of light output on your flash - always used a 35mm film cartridge-type camera before. This book teaches me everything I ever wanted to know about camera settings - and I like it! I love the "assignments" at the end of each chapter. I think this has made it easier for me to really know my camera - and my pictures are great! Buy it! You won't be sorry!!!
- Jim Miotkes' book is a must for anyone new to digital photography
By AWJ46IFO177HN on 2006-02-15
Beautifully illustrated with Jims'photographs it also teaches all of the basics for creating great imagery be it digital or film.I found this book very easy to understand,and extremely helpful,just like his courses at betterphoto.com.I look forward to his next book!
- The Better Photo Guide to Digital Photography
By A2DXLLWKH7Z573 on 2006-01-14
I was able to read Jim's book while on a indoor bike. I read and highlighted so much that I burned off several thousands of calories ! I thought I knew a lot about photgraphy, and Jim's book filled me with so many new concepts and better ways to learn complcated issues. For example, the relationship between aperture number(f2.8 means "large aperture" while f/22 means small aperture size). It's seen as a fraction, not a whole number. Then for shutter speeds, " Larger(denominator) numbers = Faster shutter speeds" OR "turning-off your in-camera's noise reduction OR using ISO to to give you a faster shutterspeeds. Also, I really enjoyed his examples, assignments, dozens of timely tips! Lastly, he teaches you "Why you need to know all this"? This is a very readable, enjoyable and well portrayed book.
This is one of my all time favorite books on digital photgraphy. A must read book!
- Better Photo Guide To Digital Photography
By A1T1XNFSCDNFIS on 2006-01-20
I love this book because, being relatively new to digital photography, Jim doesn't go "over my head" with info that I neither need nor understand. Everything makes sense. Although Jim doesn't focus on one particular camera, I feel like he is writing the book for my camera. Buy It!
- It's a great beginner book.
By AF41ZGB6YQZUJ on 2006-08-20
This book is really good for the absolute beginner. It covers the basics without going into too much detail, and there are tons of illustrative pictures. I would highly recommend it as a first book on photography.
- Great book despite talking about point and shoot cameras
By AFKRF79SLNDV8 on 2007-05-14
This book was really helpful. I've been into photography for a couple years now. I enjoyed the time spent on composition and technique a lot. He spent some time going over the basics, which was a good review, but the creative side of the book (although smaller) was much more helpful.
Definitely a book I will come back to over the years.
- Excellent beginners guide
By A3IDFHUI53L11Y on 2007-12-01
I read this along with Scott Kelby's "The Digital Photography Book". They complement each other very well. Kelby's book just tells you what to do without very much about the principles behind the recommendations (which is actually one of its strengths). This book, on the other hand, discusses the fundamentals of photography and the principles of light, exposure, color, composition, etc. The illustrations are informative and high quality, as are the example photographs. There are even little assignments at the end of chapters so you can try to immediately apply what you've (hopefully) learned. It's important to realize that it's a book for beginners. If you know all about f-stops, ISO, aperture, depth of field, rule of thirds, JPEG vs. TIFF, etc then you will likely be disappointed. But if you need a place to start, I don't think you can go wrong with this book. Highly recommended.
- Great starters guide
By A3NSJ94VPH2XYG on 2006-08-20
If you know nothing about digital cameras, then you will learn a lot. If you know the basics, then you will still learn many things about the art of photography. Uses very helpful and easy to understand examples.
- helps to start, that's all...
By A3N3C8JO2KFNLV on 2006-09-21
the book is just to start
Toooo much writing for simple ideas. However, as a first guide is ok.
- Great!
By A1DOIT8AB5DN6W on 2007-02-23
I've been shooting for a couple of year with sometimes pretty good results. I have also read what seems like a million books on digital photography...but NONE compare to BetterPhoto Guide to Digital Photography.
In the first 50 pages I improved my shooting 10 fold by finally understanding my camera and ordinary things like aperture, shutter speed and ISO.
It is my humble opinion, having been a college professor, an IT guy and now a middle aged guy taking pictures, that this book should be used in all photography classes, at all levels, as the standard text.
- An Excellent Basic Text
By A185NX1PF225BZ on 2008-03-29
I am an advanced amature who holds a degree in photography and I was looking for a book to use as a basic text for an introduction to photography class that I wanted to teach. I looked at several dozen and I settled on The Betterphoto Guide to Digital Photography. This is an easy to read, reasonably organized book with exemplar photographs to assist in illustrating the author's topics. For my purposes I wanted a supplimental text that the student could use to help understand basic concepts (exposure, depth of field, shutter speed/motion relationships, with some discussion of the digital aspects of photography such as file types and white balancing)
Any reviewer can find some error, missing information or other criticism of even the best books. When I read reviews, I am interested in the reader's objective for reading the book, because this puts the review in perspective. From the perspective of introducing novice photographers and first time digital users to basic elements of photography, this is about the best I could find that matched my style of teaching.
I found particularly useful the tips and personal assignments scattered throughout the book to encourage experimentation (a very useful learning tool). A small but useful glossery of photographic terms and questions first time digital camera buyers should ask are additional benefits of this book.
My final input comes from my observations of my students. At breaks I found many of them reading the book and refering to the sections as they followed along in the class. I had enthusiastic reports from students that they found the chapters easy to read and they were also quick reading. I incude a text evaluaton question in my class evaluation and the overwelming response was that they found this book very helpful to learn concepts that they had never been introduced to. The book dovetails well with basic class instruction and field assignments.
For the beginner, looking for an easy to follow, simple introduction to the concepts of basic photography, this is a good book. I am very happy I decided on The Betterphoto Guide to Digital Photography for my class.
- A superb book written with a bit of humor!
By A38RI1WDYLTURE on 2008-05-25
I purchased this book for a digital photography course that I teach. I wanted to evaluate the book for use as a textbook for my students and it is fantastic. It is written in plain English, is very understandable, has great examples, and I am now using it for a digital photography course I teach. It covers all the fundamentals as well as some advanced techniques and is a guide that will serve the amateur owner of a digital camera well.
- Well Explained and Simple Reading
By A182ZY39KYI7AQ on 2006-01-17
The boook is wonderful, it is written in everyday language with examples made easy. It is broken down so if you have a problem with a certain area of photography you can read up on your specfic area of concern. Nicely illustrated as well. Recommended Highly!
- Inspiring
By A1JLZUK3FL7DKO on 2006-05-11
What I love about the book is its very practical approach to maximize the use of your camera to enjoy photography. There is a balance between teaching photography through words and pictures.
And if you have kids and love your kids dearly, it is obvious that Jim's favorite subject is his family. For me, that;s called passion.
- Made my photos better!
By A2HY8WTK6FGV7V on 2006-01-15
I bought this book a few months ago, and have read every word, and keep going back to re-read vital points. The Better Photo Guide to Digital Photography is well-written and easy to read, not full of tech-talk or jargon (perfect for me, a real beginner). The book also walks you through everything - from how to learn what your camera can do, to composition, to technical aspects of exposure. The guide focuses on how to take good photos rather than how to edit them later; the author states that you should shoot as if you weren't going to edit later - guaranteeing that you get the best shot from the start.
Especially helpful to me is that each photo in the guide includes meta-data - the shutter speed and f-stop, etc... so you know how certain effects were acheived.
Really the best photo guide I own.
- The Betterphoto Guide to Photography
By AWQ2YSWRRT99 on 2006-01-14
I have been doing photography for more than 40 years and whether you are a newbie, serious amatuer or budding professional this book will be extremely helpful in getting you to achieve better photographs. After you buy your camera buy this book it is well written covers, all necessary essentials and guides you step by step. Jim Miotke also has an excellent DVD called "Digital Photography Unleashed" worthy of the small investment. If you have not visited betterphoto.com I suggest you do. It is addictive and I have been a member since mid 2005. 5 star rating on both book and dvd and can not wait till his next one.
- A Wonderful learning tool
By A39FRCWMVCEHXB on 2006-01-16
This book is must read Jim help you creat wonderful photos step by step very easy to read and understand so you be able to master the essential of digital photography.
If you are trying to learn more about how to properly use your digtital camrea (i.e. aperture, shutter speed, and ISO) this is must read book it such fantastic learning tool Jim give you lots of photos examples and assignment very easy to follow and understnd.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking to get a better understanding of the world of Digital photography .
- Great book for newbie's like myself!
By A3B6R2LWXMYGBI on 2006-01-16
If you just went out and bought an expensive digital camera and want to get the most out of it, this is your book. Jim goes over all the features and options that these amazing cameras offer. More importantly Jim goes into detail about photography terms and technique. The material is well written and easy to pick up. I highly recommend it!!!
- Excellent Digital Photography 101
By A2NC6Y0NTVHBUW on 2006-08-10
I was looking for a guide that would help me gain a better understanding of both digital and SLR photography. Jim Moitke has put together a great text for anyone wanting to learn digital photography without getting a headache..
- This is the one
By A3Q05X1RS12V6T on 2006-11-10
If you are a beginger and you were going to buy one book this is the one to get. I started this hobby a few months ago and have never read a book with such detail.
- Great Intro to the Basics!
By AHONJKOY2LWD7 on 2007-03-12
This book gives a great introduction to the fundamentals of (digital) photography. Concepts are clearly explained and supported with very useful example photos. The writing is very engaging and "readable". There are even "assignments" after each chapter to get you practicing. I think it's good to read the book BEFORE buying a new camera, as it gives you an idea of what to look for in a camera (however, you'll be itching to try out the techniques you've learned, which is frustrating if you have not bought a camera yet!).
The only suggestion for improvement - I'd like to see a summary of all the concepts ("things to remember" while taking pics) that could be used as a quick reference.
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