Mastering the Nikon D300: The Rocky Nook Manual (The Mastering Camera Guide Series)

I have had my Nikon D300 for about 6 months, I had mastered most of the custom settings but still wanted to explore other settings so that I had complete control over my camera. I read a short review on Mastering the Nikon D300 by Darrell Young on the Nikonians web site and decided to porches the book just to see how much I was missing on the custom controls. The Nikon D300 is a semi pro camera and is capable of taking exceptional photos, which I can certainly vouch for, but you must know ALL the custom settings to be able to get the most from this amazing camera. The default settings will give you great photos, better than most any camera can give, but when you master the custom settings it is a fantastic camera delivering the best images you have ever seen. I emphasize on buying this book if you do not have the custom settings down to pat, and reading the very informative information on each page, then you will be able to get the most from your D300. The book is set out in a very well informative style, very easy reading with diagrams and very easy to understand.I believe the author of this book is a person who has grown up with cameras of various degrees and styles, and has been able to relate his experiences and his own personal experience with the Nikon D300. The author has laid out the chapters and detailed settings relating to the D300 in layman's terms, no high fluting jargon which you can not understand.It is a must if you have any dough's or cancers in setting up your D300 for the best custom settings possible. HIGHLEY RECOMEND

Being a long-time Nikonian myself, I'm familiar with Darrell Young and his writings. He has delivered a very informative and worthwhile book on the D300. I would have given it 4.5 stars if I could. Suggestions for the next edition: 1. Printing font was too small, and the color of the print was much too light; very hard on these 54-year-old eyes! I would use a more reader-friendly font and print color next time. 2. Several times Mr. Young injects his own preferences for menu selections throughout the book. He should do that more often. The Nikon D300 can be overwhelming with its multitude of menu choices and setting options, even for an experienced DSLR owner. Having a seasoned shooter like Mr. Young give us suggestions for initial settings gives us a start point from which to explore on our own. Bottom line: Well done...

Finally a book that opens up new ways to use an already super camera. The author steps beyond the user manual and discusses how and why you can go beyond the default settings to acheive spectacular results with your photographs. If you though you knew how to use your D300, think again. This book provides you the key understanding of what all the camera menus mean. His explanation of the custom setting functions, for example, of how to set your autofocus a1 and a2 menu has allowed me to triple my success in achieving crystal clear focus of birds in flight. This tip alone was well worth the price of the book. There is not another book out there with such a clear explaination of a complex camera. The book covers 100 percent of the D300 features and adds an excellent bonus chapter on Nikon's creative lighting system. The book is printed on heavy qualty stock gloss paper and sized appropriately to carry with you for reference. This is a book worthy of being read over and over.

I recently purchased a Nikon D300s and was amazed at the menu options. I had read the owners manual several times, but still didn't feel completely comfortable with it. I found this book and decided to order it. The author is extremely knowledgeable and gives you a bunch of tips for making the camera easier to work with. He also gives a great perspective regarding shooting methods and working with RAW format. I had never worked in RAW, because I really didn't know much about it. I now shoot all of my important photos in RAW format, then convert them to jpeg. I also ended up ordering the Nikon Capture NX software, which makes the process much easier. I have been amazed at the quality of photos I have started taking since reading this book. "Digital Dan" is a great resource for someone entering the professional level of photography.

If you like a ski lesson from a local ski patrol guy, you'll like this book, it is accessible, easy to understand, and you may (or may not) appreciate the jokes or remarks as something that your uncle might have told you.If you are looking for a ski lesson by Bode Miller (if he ever gives any, and that is the problem) that inspires you to become like him, (or show you why you will never reach his level), then you will be disappointed.This book provides a (much) more detailed review of every single aspect of the D300, but the photos and examples are just OK, not so inspiring, and the remarks pro-Nikon, though not surprising from a Nikonian member do not add to the story IMO. (I guess most of the people buying this book have already bought their D300, therefore do not need to be reminded every 2 pages why it was the right decision..)

I have recently moved up from a Nikon D60 to the new Nikon D300s with the consequent high learning curve. This camera is, without a doubt, the most complex imaging device I have ever owned and I was struggling with the Nikon owners manual. This book; (although not including the video section for the D300s)is very useful and well worth purchasing. I found the sections on the "Shooting Banks" very helpful as they were entirely new to me. There are many other parts of the book that I still review from time to time for clarification. If you are new to the camera this is a must have manual.

I have 3 "D" series Nikons prior to acquiring my D300, which is only to say that I know my way around a Nikon Digital camera but I am not ashamed to admit that the D300 was simply a huge step up from previous bodies and getting to know it well, was a steeper learning curve than I anticipated. Then I happened across Darell Young's book that suggested I could master this amazing piece of technology. I am here to say that Darell Young has a way of clearly explaining concepts and does an amazing job of not just stating where a given function can be found on the camera but also, what the effect of that function, will be.I love this book for how easy it is to follow and how much information, that it imparts. If you REALLY want to unlock the power of this camera and become so comfortable in your use of it, that it becomes second nature, you really should buy this book, it is undoubtedly, the best learning resource for this camera that I have ever seen.

ok

Text is too small and pale. Difficult to read which detracts from the value of the content.

Excellent book, I recently upgraded my camera from the Nikon D300 to the Nikon D800. I had Darrell Young's book for the D300 and was so impressed with it that I bought his book for the D800. If you aer like me and love photography but find the technical stuff in the manual a little overwhelmingly diffucult to get your head around, then this book is for you. He makes it simple and clear and he also tells you how to set the various camera settings for the type of photography you like to do. I would really struggle and would probably not use my camera to it fullest capacity without his advice. I am now geeting to grips with the new addition of the movie camera on the D800 and I know this book will set me on the right path!

I recently bought a Nikon D300, which is my first 'serious' dslr camera. It is also my first Nikon, which meant learning a whole new set of ground rules. Then I saw this book advertised on Amazon and after reading the reviews decided to give it a try. I'm very glad that I did.This book is very well written, logical, concise and a perfect companion to the provided owners manual which it constantly cross-references to. And that is a point to remember. You should always have the owners manual to hand whilst reading this book as although it tends to be a bit clinical it does tend to contain more in-depth information. A combination of the two should be enough to gain an understanding of even the most complex of subjects.I can thoroughly recommend this book to any D300 user.