This is a great book that is very easy to read and follow. It is filled with great tips that you can apply immediately. You will see an improvement in the quality of your photos. I'd recommend this book to all photographers; novice or advanced.

I read the book not once but twice and found Scott's presentations very short and concise. Each page of the book has an item of interest with a very informative narration. I would recommend this book to anyone starting the love of photography.

This Book is one of its kind and Scott Kelby is really a person of knowledge, if any one who wants to start learing photography as a hobby or profession, the knowledge shared in this book is absolutely fantastic I will be soon ordering more titles written by him soon......

This is a great book with the follow-up book #2 for any one wishing to improve their technique and performance in digital photography.

This book is great for beginners. There is a lot of helpful information, ranging from equipment to techniques for different types of photography. I think that this book is perfect for someone like me who is looking to transition from point and shoot to DSLR.

His humor is tolerable if you keep in mind that he's trying to be light hearted. Early on he states that his intent is to give advice to you as he would to a friend. I suppose his humor is intended to be endearing.

Very clear and concise solutions for clearly described special and not so special situation. Warning: it made me order a lot of extra equipment in order to try out many of the same things the author describes. You will learn a lot of tricks and develop a closer personal relationship to your photographic equipment. The time I spend with mine has increased dangerously. Highly recommended.

This, and Vol. 2, are essentials for the serious student of digital photography. They are sized just right to carry in your camera bag.

Plenty of useful tips for beginners. Instructions are clear, worth buying
Please read this book more then once to really pick up the points.

I was so impressed with Scott Kelby's "The Digital Photography Book" that I immediately bought his "The Digital Photography Book" #2. Scott has a wayof telling you how to use your photographic equipment and skills to produce very professional results. He skips over the 'technical jargon' and gets right to the settings and setups. Anybody who has ever tried to figure out Adobe Unsharp Mask will love this book for its straight forward advice.

I have read this book from cover to cover. It is full of very good advice about tricks to improve your pictures. It is not a photoshop book (Thanks GOD!!)it is a book to help you to get better as a photographer.

I was looking for a true beginner's book to digital photography and this book came up first on Amazon and with so many great reviews I decided I needed to head to the bookstore and really look through this book in person. I was somewhat disappointed when I discovered this is not quite a true beginner's book but does include tips when shooting in certain situations. Each page presents a scenario which then offers tips/tricks/solution IF you were presented with the issue.
While reading through this I did pick up some tips to keep in mind but not enough for me to actually buy the book.

If you want a completely non-technical approach to shooting better (great?) shots in various common senarios (eg outdoors, weddings, flowers, sports, etc), this is exactly the right book for you. It's a short read, but you'll have a hard time remembering all the valuable things that are in this book!

One of the reviews mentions here mention how the author uses some weird humor in chapter intros, but don't let that distract you. The author admits he wrote most of those intros while smashed, and I believe it. If you want, just ignore the chapter infos. The tips are definitely very valuable.

As the cover suggests, this is mainly for people with dslr's, so you're not going to get the most out of this book unless you already have one (or are planning to purchase a new one). Those with lesser cameras will still benefit from this book, but as this book makes clear, (digital) photography can be a very expensive hobby.

I have been unable to put the book down. I read a bit, go shoot some pictures and beging the process over. I had worked in the business in a prior life and have had a lot of experience with film DSLR and large format equipment. This is a great transition for someone who is now back into photography and making the big switch to Digital.

Take this little book on every photo trip you go on because you won't know what to do without it. Each page has one "how to" technique on it. Look up what you want to do, say "I want the background sharp" & he tells you what to do, if you need the technical reason you can look it up later in another book. This is a have to have.

Scott Kelby books are my favorites!
Scott answers all of my questions at the exact moment I have them.
It is like talking to a friend.
Yes, his humour at times drags you down BUT you can always just skip the first chapter of each section and ta da, you have everything you need without the distractions. (or read the whole thing and chuckle away).
Amazing color photos. Tricks and hints abound in this book and volume 2.
I highly recommend any beginner and advance photo bugs out there to buy these two volumes.
I read them both very quickly and use them for constant reference.

The information in the book was very helpful, easy to read and had great tips.

I bought this book (Digital Photography) along with
The Betterphoto Guide to Digital Photography.

The Betterphoto Guide was a lot better. Unless you plan on attending a wedding, I would go with the BetterPhoto guide, especially if you want to learn how to control lighting, and exposure.

I purchased both this book and the second volume. I can best describe the value of Kelby's books by telling you the following story. I thought I was lending these books to a good friend who's a very highly experienced and gifted professional photographer. After a couple of days he called me and told me how much he liked the books and that it was so nice of me to let him have them! Guess I'm buying them again. Both of us really like Kelby's sense of humor - reminds us of our own conversations. I found the Photoshop sharpening techniques he describes to be superior to all the ways I've tried. Just this one little trick more than paid for the book. Kelby's photos alone make the books a worthwile purchase. I would highly recommend these books as required reading for anyone starting out. They'll most certainly be useful for experienced photographers as well.

I am an Art educator at the university level and a collegue recommended this book as a text for my Digital Photography class. I purchased it for review and was totally disappointed. If I wanted a book of tasteless humor I would have asked for one. It is insulting and dumbed down to a degree that may explain the popularity and success it has achieved. That being said, for my pains I did learn one photoshop shortcut.

i love this book because it doesnt give me headach. most book i always have to take a break.. this book teach me alot. i just want to keep reading it. i was kinda sad that it's over at the last page. I bought a camera.. it's on the way now.. this help me know the basic of the camera. its great for beginner.

I read this book with great pleasure. It is a must for every beginer.

This book is a must have for any beginner thru advanced amateur. I'm in the advanced amateur category. Gives you solid opinion. You can choose to investigate or accept; regardless, this is inexpensive advice you can use to great value. Buy it or give as gift. I cannot wait for an updated or new version. I will buy the next gen of this book immediately.

have recently purchased an SLR Nikon camera. love the thing but know that I am not using it to the full potential.
I am hoping this book is my aanswer to all my woes.
I have looked it over and it appears to be user friendly and that is always a help.
I am pleased with my choice.

First off, I like the way author Scott Kelby makes you feel as if he is taking you out, teach you personally. He takes the mystery out of getting those nice sharp pictures that, if you were like I was, are very elusive. He tells you straight what you need to do, how to best spend your hard earned cash, and shares some great tips and tricks, as well. Besides being very informative, this book is also entertaining. You can read it straight through, but also can get a lot out of it if you pick it up for 5 minutes and learn bit by bit. I am back on Amazon right now to buy his next book.

You know those shots when the planets lined up, a polar bear kisses a penguin, a full solar eclipse during a lightning storm, etc. that you were so stoked to get the pic, only to see it later and have it out of focus, overexposed, what have you...those days are gone. Quit reading reviews and get the damn book already.

Scott Kelby delivers excellent IDEAS what you can do with DSLR, both of his book should be One Book.
I recomend it for everyone.

This book doesn't offer enough info to bother with really. Not enough in depth for the buyer really wanting to learn "Digital Photography". Also I wondered in product recomendations if I was reading advice or advertisment.

I wish I could understand the more technical aspects of a camera and photography. I found this book easy enough to understand as I went through and tried to duplicate the work this author had done. It takes time regardless of what we know what we want to know. I am glad to have this book in my collection to go over points I am forgetting when I don't take photos daily.

Dear fellow amazon.com shoppers,

I bought volume 1 and volume 2 of Scott Kelby's books together with my Pentax K200D. As a photo-enthusiast and DSLR starter I really enjoyed reading this two books. Both read very easy and takes you in a fast pace through the basic and intermediate know-abouts of professional digital photography. Volume two picks up right where volume 1 stopped, so both books actualy make 1 big total package. The author doesn't bother you with too technical explanations but takes you with him on a shoot as a friend would do. Every chapter he describes how to best do this and that. Starts with landscape shooting, all the way to sports, macro, weddings, nighttime shooting etc. Every chapter is dedicated to a certain discipline and gives you more usefull information than you'll be able to remember the next time you go out on a shoot. So the book grows with you as your experience grows. You read the chapter again, ie. Landscapes, and hey: i forgot about this and that, let me try that the next time when I'm in the mountains. When you control every discipline described in these books, then and only then you can move on to more technical and specific books. The chapters read very fluently with a great deal of humor and pragmatic 'aah, so that's how they do it' moments.
For the price, get both at once as you really need both to get going!

Good luck improving your photografic skills!

Great book to get you "into" digital photography. Reading it makes you feel like he is standing there looking over your shoulder, telling you what to do and how to do it.

I purchased this book on the recommendation from the store where I purchased my SLR camera. I was looking for a book that will tell me the terms of using an SLR camera in English and be a fun read. Well, I have read the book from cover to cover several times now because I pick up new things each time I read it. I liked this book so well that I purchased it for my Brother-in-law so he could learn to use his SLR camera better and I just purchased it for a friend of mine who just got an SLR camera and wanted to learn more.

I really enjoyed this book for all the great info and tips. I like the way it was broken down for each topic covered and lots of great images for examples. The author does have quite a sense of humor, but I rather enjoyed it and it kept things interesting without being to over the top. A lot of great topics covered from recommended equipment such as filters, tripods, printers & and even paper. Great recommendations on website and couple of tips for adobe. Also recommendations of creative approaches to taking photos and not just explaining settings to use on the camera fir certain situations. Must have for any owner of a DSLR.

bought this book as a gift for my sister as she just got a new dslr. She found very easy to read and quick to search for what questions she has. Great tips especially for starters. Great book to keep as a reference, good physical size too makes easy to carry around whilst still learning.

This little book is exactly as advertised. I use a compact camera for extensive travel trips and a digital SLR for other photo shoots. Scott Kelby presents material that provides tips useful for both kinds of cameras. Primarily for amateurs who want to improve the quality of their photographs without a lot of additional effort.

Love this book ...................Lots of great information within!!
Great price and great service...........Thanks Amazon!

I bought this book after purchasing my camera, but didn't review it closely enough.
When I had a specific need to get some good shots, I went back to this book and studied it closely.

The learning and depth really occurs with the explanation of the manual settings on most popular brands.
Namely, White balance, ISO (film speed), shutter speeds, F stops and Burst mode, for quick sequential shots.

Understanding these settings, and practicing with your camera, will improve your photographs. You can then return to the book, for a better understanding of the tips.

Many times, I'm trying to recapture exactly what my eyes are seeing at the moment not end up with something that is starkly lit by a "flash bulb". These settings, with the help of the book will give you a good understanding (or at least a lot of practice will) of how to capture the moment.
I never realized how much better shots can be without the flash. Users really need to try to force themselves away from the "auto" setting on their camera, except for the MOST basic shots.

With storage space so cheap, it's so much easier than the days of film and film processing to get the practice you need.

The downside of the book is that it tries to cover almost too much info. (lenses, filters, kids & old people) I think some of this could have been left out, and focus around manual settings could have been covered in better depth.

I think the book is a very good starting point, and should also be used as an ongoing reference until you are comfortable with your brand of camera and its settings.

After reading the reviews here on Amazon I have to say I was highly disappointed in this book. Instead I would recommend Understanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs with a Film or Digital Camera (Updated Edition) which the author of this book recommends himself.

This book is full of lame jokes about shoving other photographers down and breaking their equipment to "get the best shot." There is no clear explanation of how shutter speed and aperture work together to give you the proper exposure. If any of my family or friends asked me if I thought this was a good book on photography, I would tell them to avoid it at all costs.

This is a great book if you want to improve your photography. To move to the next level of photography, you need to read this book. Scott is witty and this book shows you different ways to really great shots. K. Frank

I had just purchased an SLR camera and was totally confused! This book is written in an easy to read fashion ...even easier that the "For Dummies" book! There are easy examples such as "If you want to take a photo that looks like this, then do this". I carry this book with me when I go out shooting now.

This is a must have for anyone who is familiar with photography and wants to move up to the next level. Scott has a great way of explaining things in a straight forward matter and making you understand the more technical side of this sometimes confusing field.

I think I have bought this book 5 times for friends who are getting into the field and would recommend it to anyone.

It's so simple and makes you understand what you need to do to know your camera

Bought this book to start getting more detailed information about photography. This book helps you to learn some tricks to get better photos, it is a very practical book, the author goes straight to the point when describing what camera settings to use in each situation (aperture, shutter speed, exposure, etc) without going too deep into the physics of how the camera and lenses work. If you are just migrating from point-and-shoot cameras to SLR/dSLR, this book is definetely recommended.

I am an assistant wedding photographer aside from my regular job as an accountant. I have read this book and I can say that there are so many great tips! I love how he says "if you want this type of picture, you do this". I took a photography class, and got a bit confused with the numbers, and I was so glad to have run across this book. It has helped me tremendously! After reading this book, I also read his book on Photoshop CS2, and that has helped a lot too, as I bought the software, but knew nothing on how to use it.. now I take great pictures a lot easier, thanks to his cool tips, and I can use Photoshop CS2 like a pro.
Do yourself a favor and buy this book- you will not be sorry you did.
Here is a funny thing. I was at a wedding, and noticed the photographer (i was not shooting this wedding) used a lot of the techniques he said to use. I asked her if she read the book, and she said that is her "photography bible".

I had a tough time finding reviews for the Kindle version for this book - I wish Amazon would have an option to separate them out. I have volume 2 in paperback. I was hesitant to get a Kindle version for one reason - the Kindle version does not have color nor are the photos very good. And that is why I rate it 3 stars - it is not going to be the same as the book itself.

However, the photos and images are included in the Kindle version which I think is still a good thing as it helps to fully understand the particular subject.

I don't have volume 1 in book form and can't compare them side by side but the Kindle version appears to be the same (based on how volume 2 is).

I bought the Kindle version because we Kindle users always have our Kindles with us and whenever one is out taking pictures it's good to have those tips with you. And it works just fine on the Kindle for looking them up.

They didn't break the tips out on separate pages like the book. I am not sure why except it may have made the file larger and with the photos taking space it may have been a mess. But it doesn't create a problem that I have found yet. The full table of contents is there and also appears to work correctly (I didn't try every single one).

I know a lot of people complain about his humor - it is bad. But I can understand his intention - just like computer people, they try to make their profession more important by intimidating amateurs (with good reason). This is his attempt to make you feel more comfortable. It doesn't bother me that much, I still get the tips.

The sample is not going to help you decide. Amazon needs to fix that by making it the first chapter, not the TOC or acknowledments or other worthless info.

But his info is very good, lots of great tips for taking better pictures.
Some complained about it being for beginners. If you are that good, why are you looking for a how-to book?

Update: It appears that they didn't do a lot to port this book over to the Kindle - the index is still listed but with no references, just a list of words. It doesn't create problems but adds a few unnecessary pages.

I had a tough time finding reviews for the Kindle version for this book - I wish Amazon would have an option to separate them out. I have volume 2 in paperback. I was hesitant to get a Kindle version for one reason - the Kindle version does not have color nor are the photos very good. And that is why I rate it 3 stars - it is not going to be the same as the book itself.

However, the photos and images are included in the Kindle version which I think is still a good thing as it helps to fully understand the particular subject.

I don't have volume 1 in book form and can't compare them side by side but the Kindle version appears to be the same (based on how volume 2 is).

I bought the Kindle version because we Kindle users always have our Kindles with us and whenever one is out taking pictures it's good to have those tips with you. And it works just fine on the Kindle for looking them up.

They didn't break the tips out on separate pages like the book. I am not sure why except it may have made the file larger and with the photos taking space it may have been a mess. But it doesn't create a problem that I have found yet. The full table of contents is there and also appears to work correctly (I didn't try every single one).

I know a lot of people complain about his humor - it is bad. But I can understand his intention - just like computer people, they try to make their profession more important by intimidating amateurs (with good reason). This is his attempt to make you feel more comfortable. It doesn't bother me that much, I still get the tips.

The sample is not going to help you decide. Amazon needs to fix that by making it the first chapter, not the TOC or acknowledments or other worthless info.

But his info is very good, lots of great tips for taking better pictures.
Some complained about it being for beginners. If you are that good, why are you looking for a how-to book?

I've been casually shooting for years, but wanted to start getting serious. I got The Photography Bible, which is a good introduction to all the basics of photography, but that's about all. It doesn't really give you much practical knowledge or advice for how to get out there and take great pictures.

This book took up where the other left off excellently, though you could easily start using it as a complete novice and really start improving your photography. In fact this book is geared specifically for the complete beginner. The author's sole purpose is to get you taking better photos as quickly as possible and he therefore leaves out a lot of the technical jargon and explanation. He teaches you only what you need to do with your camera and setting to get a specific result. I could see this direct approach being a detractor for those wanting to know why to use a certain shutter speed, aperture , ISO or flash and if you want to know the science behind photography, this book is not for you, but it will be perfect if you're a beginner and simply want to get out there and improve your photos.

There are plenty of technical manuals out there for photography. This book is for everyone else. I highly recommend it!

Easy to read and understand. Gives simple tips to correct problem photos, lighting, appeture. Very good book for the beginner and helpful tips for more serious photographer. Some unnecessary "wild goose chases" that take up space and don't teach you anything but I the author is just trying to keep it lighthearted and not so technical. I actually purchased volumn 2 as well and it has less of the "chatter".

Scott Kelby gets into to every aspect of digital photography that is importent to me and does so with the language that makes it easy to understand. Good job.

i bought this for my husband. he is into digital picture taking. he says it is the best book he has seen on the subject. to the point and very easy to read and understand. so that is what i say .. i stand by him in his evaluation

Is a good book. If you need deep knowledge about photography, isn't a good purchase. It have a lot of tips.

I really enjoyed this book and learned a lot from it. I can't wait to get out with my camera and try out these tips! I've read several Scott Kelby books and have loved them all.

This book is the first title by Kelby that I've read. As a newbie to digital photography, I wanted something credible, yet with simple, straightforward content. Kelby's work here is a perfect match to what I was seeking. He is very much the professional, as his photographs and credentials attest. Despite his lofty status however, he comes across as very personal in these entertaining, informative pages. He shows a quirky sense of humor over and over, which I admire in dealing with a subject that could easily be over-technical. He also gives information that is practical -- I found myself again and again taking my camera and seeing exactly how I would use the tips he provided.

Kelby gets an easy five stars here -- I'd give six if they were available! I've got his second volume on this same subject, and look forward to reading more of what he has to share.