Mastering the Nikon D300: The Rocky Nook Manual

"Mastering the Nikon D300" is by far and away the best book I have read on the D300 to date; it's a really enjoyable read and very informative.I also own the "Nikon D300 Digital Field Guide" (Wiley) book - this is ok, but there is such a massive mistake just a few pages in (the photo showing the metering mode selector is wrongly labelled on page 7 which wasted so much of my time - center weighted and 3D Colour Matrix are shown back to front!) that this just put me off from the start. I've also flicked through another D300 guide for a few minutes and found several typos, so I didn't buy that one.Darrell Young's book is the first one that has given me the confidence to customise the D300 and I now feel I really know my way around - I've set up custom menus for different shooting situations and this has proved really useful already.I'm really looking forward to other books from Nikonians Press and this one comes highly recommended.

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.

Excellent service, book a little complcated

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!

Everyone purchasing a D300 should have a good look at this book. The personal experience of the author and his recommendations as to how to get the most out of your D300 are neatly brought together with references to the D300's user manual to give you the best of both worlds - all of the detail and plenty of explanation. The book is just the right size to make it readable and is then well sectioned / indexed to help you go back to it again and again as you develop your own experience of the camera.

Mastering the Nikon D300A superb book, tells you how to use the camera in a photographers language. no jargon or smugness. logical layout. Captures lots of techniques that are very useful and can NOT be found in the Nikon user Manual, the book has lots of references to the user manaul which adds to the clarity.

this book is an absolute must if you buy a D300, I had a Nikon D70 before, and upgraded to this camera, it is quite a complex camera and you need more than an instruction book. well worth buying and easy to use.

Quite the best book on the D300 (indeed all of other Nikon camera books) that has come my way. Clearly written, largely jargon free, and no showboating by the author. Pat Hunt, Ireland

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.

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.

ok

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...