Mastering the Nikon D810 (The Mastering Camera Guide Series)

I have used Nikon SLRs since the 1960s - Nikkormat, FA, F90, a couple of Fs and F2s, F4, and F100. Most recently I have used the D300 and D700. Last summer I rented a D800 for two weeks of shooting on a trip to Dartmoor and Cornwall. The results with the large image sensor were spectacular and significantly increased my flexibility in editing. To learn about the new features of the D800 I printed out a copy of the how to guide by a photographer with a prominent on-line presence who publishes reviews, how to stuff, etc. After reading repeated claims of his that all of the other pros he knows don't bother with RAW, but just shoot jpeg, that small jpegs are just fine, the the "P" mode on the camera stands for "Pro mode" (whereas in fact it stand for "programmed", i.e. camera choses aperture and speed, etc etc. I concluded that I could not rely on this person for advice. So I ended up using my intuition and familiarity with the D300 and 700 models.When I decided to get the D810 I needed a reference to fill me in on details, on differences, and perhaps some not obvious features to take advantage of. I picked Young's book based on other reader comments. This was a GREAT choice! It's well written, in so far as a book about how to use a camera can be, good interactions of humor, certainly doesn't talk down to you, and is WAY better than the manual. AN example of the humor: in contrast to the aforementioned web personality who equates "P" mode with "professional", David Young equates it with "Party" which is quite apt. I am about half way through it but already have found it to be exceptionally useful in learning about the camera, especially its many improvements over the D300 and 700 (and more since I never read anything about these). For example there is a clear and thorough discussion of focus and exposure and flash modes. If you are already familiar with previous DSLRs by Nikon you can quickly skip over parts of many chapters, but make sure that there are no hidden gems in there. A highlighter is very useful while reading to mark the new (to me) and relevant info. Young gives cross references to pages in the Nikon Manuel for the camera but when I bothered to look at them I found that all I needed to know was stated in a much clearer fashion in his book.My only minor quibbles are the ordering of chapters ( for example, why have the one on the Playback menu at the beginning of the book - there is no need to follow the order of the Nikon menus!) and a few (very few actually) garbled sentences. Also, I question the need for illustrating so many steps on how to choose each of the menu items. The words he gives would probably have sufficed. And I wish there were an e-version so that I could pull out the things I have highlighted and kept them with me on trips. None of these detract from my 5 star rating. Overall, though, it is a highly useful book and is teaching me how to take advantage of all of the camera's features.Finally, I looked through the negative, ie. 1-3 star reviews. One person was REALLY upset by the order of chapters, as I noted about the Playback discussion. Seems to me you just need to read the book in a non-linear fashion. Doesn't detract in any way from its usefulness. There were complaints about the print size - hmm. The font size is comparable to or larger than that in most quality paperbacks. I wear glasses with pretty strong corrections and actually found the size of font to be very good. Ditto for the physical size of the book - a bit larger than the typical quality PB but not so large that I could hold it with one hand and the camera in the other (and no, I do not have large hands!). There also was a comment that the book did not improve upon the manual that comes with the camera. Really?? Also, this is definitely NOT a how to take good pictures book, 'tho it does contain many pointers on taking advantage of the many capabilities of the D810. Rather it is a book on how to use the camera. Also, the author assumes some familiarity with photographic terms such as RAW, RGB, sRGB, etc. My guess is that given the backgrounds of most people who would buy this camera, the assumption is a good one.

Easily readable and very thorough. When the author tells you what settings he uses, he explains why those work for him, and why you might want to use different settings, depending on your own style. The other book Amazon has for about the same price has what I see as some major drawbacks (in the free sample section the other author recommended just setting the ISO at 200 and leaving it - thereby eliminating one of the best features of the camera, to wit: the 14.8 dynamic range available at ISO 64. The same guy recommended removing the covers to the HDMI, USB and one other port, which compromises the weatherproofing). Mr. Young brooks no such foolishness. I traded up from a D300 I'd been using for the last 8 years, and although the controls are similar, this book really does an excellent job of fleshing out just what you can do with each of the settings and controls. I still take it with me when I go on photo trips to use as a reference.

I am an avid amateur photographer and have owned several of the best Nikon DSLRs. Owners manuals just don't do it for me and I have always bought Darrell Young's "Mastering the Nikon ---" books. I have tried other well known Nikon camera authors and unfortunately they just don't have the writing style and flow that Darrell Young has. I purchased the D810 when it was first released by Nikon and although I have spent a lot of time with the camera, Darrell Young' D800 book and the owners manual I was just basically treading water until this book was released. Although I thought I knew this magnificent camera well, I have picked up many ideas and pointers that will make my use of this camera much more effective. The book is easy to read and follow and I will use it very frequently to get to know my camera better. The D810 is a complex camera and this book explains and provides advice on its menu settings in a way that I can understand and follow.

I dont even reference the manual that came with the camera, as this book covers all the menu item nd explains on easy to understand what exactly happens when you chane something. It's my goto book.

Excellent companion to the Nikon User Guide. Well written and well organized. Step by step instructions regarding how to change settings. The author provides personal recommendations for most options and settings. The only reason I gave this book a 4-start rating is because it is just shy of being as informative as books written by Thom Hogan. I would highly recommend this book for beginners and intermediate users.

I needed a book to explain some of the buttons and setting for a new to me Nikon D810. This book has everything.

Excellent book. Easy, clear and to the point. I'm a photographer who change recently to professional DSLRs and consider myself an "more than a intermediate but not yet amateur/professional photographer". This book bring all details and features of the D810 and help me understand all tricks and functions of the camera. I'm from the old school who prefer to shoot the perfect photo at first and not doing retouches and photoshop. So it is important to know every trick this camera have. The book provide with pictures and photos the workflow to change settings and getting the best picture at first.This book is not intended to teach you how to take photos. If you buy this book means that you know the basics and more about photography. This book teach you how to get the most of the D810 for make your life easy.I will recommend this book to any amateur to professional photographer who wants to get 100% knowledge of the $3K inversion.

Highly useful to learn practically by applying all settings.

Ce livre est une mine d'informations sur le Nikon D810. Il ne se contente pas de reprendre le manuel Nikon mais détaille toutes les configurations possibles avec des explications très détaillées, des centaines de captures d'écran des menus et les recommandations d'un pro. Pour certaines options du D810 je n'ai trouvé des explications que dans ce livre !Attention par contre, ce n'est pas un livre pour débuter la photo, c'est un livre d'expert pour des personnes déjà bien au fait du réglage et de l'utilisation d'un appareil photo.L'ouvrage est en anglais mais c'est un anglais simple et accessible à la majorité et il n'est pas nécessaire d'avoir un dictionnaire à portée de main.En résumé, si vous voulez bien comprendre les modes de fonctionnement et de configuration du D810, ne ratez pas ce livre.

Perfect addition to my camera kit! Item is exactly as described and arrived quickly! Highly recommended!

Ottimo libro che esplora, spiegando in dettaglio, ogni singola funzione della macchina fotografica. L'autore indica anche come lui utilizza le funzioni disponibili. Scritto in inglese ma facile da capire per chi ha un minimo di conoscenza della lingua.

Masterfully written, extremely detailed, and yet very, very easy to understand. This manual breaks down every single function of the d810 in simple, logical, yet detailed chunks with step by step instructions and photographs of the appropriate camera menu of every setting of this camera (there are lots), what every setting does, and why one would use/not use. He has broken out separate chapters on metering, flash, motion picture considerations etc. The author has many years of experience and the user of this manual benefits greatly from this.The author has even included his own settings for this camera, why he uses them and why you may/may not want to use them. I found it a great starting point for my own shooting style. I did not find anything missing and I thoroughly expect that I will be using this manual as a reference for many years to come. I would say that if you could only have one manual for the d810, this is the one to have. Hats off to the author.