David Busch’s Sony Alpha NEX-5N Guide to Digital Photography (David Busch's Digital Photography Guides)
Category: Books,Arts & Photography,Photography & Video
David Busch’s Sony Alpha NEX-5N Guide to Digital Photography (David Busch's Digital Photography Guides) Details
From the Author Although the NEX-5N shares many features with the earlier NEX-5/NEX-3 models, as well as with the flagship NEX-7 camera, I decided it was important to update this book exclusively for the NEX-5N. Clearly, this camera is an enthusiast model, and deserves a book written for both beginners and more advanced photographers. But what if you're not an enthusiast -- but hope to become one, or simply want to take better pictures? In that case, you really need this book to show exactly how to use every feature and option of the NEX-5N. If you're in love with photography, but so far haven't been in love with learning to use cameras, let me help you get the most from your NEX-5N. My Sony NEX-5N Guide to Digital Photography is divided into four parts. Part I, "Getting Started with your Sony Alpha NEX-5N" includes chapters that will help you set up your camera, start shooting great pictures and movies in minutes, and explain each control, button, and dial, and how to use them. I guide you through every menu option and offer advice on what each does -- or does not do -- and when you should, or should not, use a particular setting. Rather than simply re-hash the Sony manual, I provide a wealth of useful tips. Part II, "Beyond the Basics," has chapters that show you how to use the NEX-5N's amazing exposure modes, including Sweep Panorama and 3D Sweep Panorama. There's an entire section on using the camera's autofocus to get sharp images every time. In Part III, "Advanced Tools" The NEX-5N's movie-making capabilities take you to the next level, and I've written a full chapter on the camera's video features, with plenty of shooting tips for those new to movie shooting. Another chapter shows you how to choose and use lenses, with an analysis and review of the most important lenses available for the NEX-5N, and there's a chapter on working with available light and flash. Read Part IV, "Enhancing Your Experience," to pick up tips for choosing software for your NEX-5N, and a chapter on troubleshooting and maintaining your camera. The software advice is strictly an overview; I don't pad this book out with Photoshop how-to lessons that show you how to correct mistakes you made while shooting. This entire book is dedicated to helping you get the shot you want in the camera. Whether you're a dSLR owner who is switching to the Sony Alpha NEX-5N, a would-be enthusiast who wants to learn all of the camera's great features, or a beginner who wants to learn the basics of photography while mastering the camera, sit down with me and we'll explore this camera together. You're in for a great ride!And, as always, I include contact information in the introduction of the book, so you can ask questions about your camera, send suggestions for improvements, and for corrections for the web site's Errata page and fixing in later printings. Read more About the Author With more than a 1.5 million books in print, David D. Busch is the world's #1 selling digital camera guide author, and the originator of popular series like David Busch's Pro Secrets, David Busch's Compact Field Guides, and David Busch's Quick Snap Guides. He has written dozens of hugely successful guidebooks for digital camera models, including the all-time #1 best-sellers for many Sony models, additional user guides for other camera models, as well as many popular books devoted to digital cameras, including Mastering Digital SLR Photography, Third Edition and Digital SLR Pro Secrets.As a roving photojournalist for more than 20 years, he illustrated his books, magazine articles, and newspaper reports with award-winning images. He's operated his own commercial studio, suffocated in formal dress while shooting weddings-for-hire, and shot sports for a daily newspaper and upstate New York college. His articles and photographs have appeared in Popular Photography & Imaging, The Rangefinder, The Professional Photographer, and hundreds of other publications. He's also reviewed dozens of digital cameras for CNet and Computer Shopper, and his advice has been featured on NPR's All Tech Considered. Read more
Reviews
Busch fills out the information that's in Sony's printed and (longer) PDF manuals. There's not much in his Guide that isn't already there. What he adds are practical tips and discussions and comparisons of the very many features of the camera. The NEX-5N has an immense collection of features, superbly implemented and more than a bit overwhelming. The camera's UI is probably as simple and efficient as it can be, but even the 300 pages of Sony manuals need further enhancement. This is what Busch's Guide provides.Most useful for me are discussions of how the various features compare and interact, along with suggestions for when to use them. For example, the camera has many ways of dealing with a low-light scene. These include using the flash, setting a very high ISO, hand held six-shot combined image, various shutter, aperture, manual and programmed modes, and tripod mounted slow shutter exposure. His discussions of these explain the pros and cons and suggests when one would be more suitable than others.Nonetheless I would still have liked more tips and suggestions for uses of the NEX-5N's many features. I thought he spent too much paper and ink on a recap of what's in the manuals. He's an experienced photographer and should really be able to give more specific and detailed suggestions of how to exploit the camera's capability. In the first four months I shot over 10,000 jpgs (it's free!) in different places and conditions and learned a lot by trial and error. What I learned was that the camera could get a good to excellent photo in any lighting situation if set properly. If my eyes could see it the NEX-5X could get a marvelously good image.This Guide is a much better read than Sony's already very adequate manuals. There's a lot of putting it all together and what to do and not to do as well. Maybe the Guide felt to me that it was written by an excellent and technically experienced camera guru rather than an old hand at getting a wonderful photo with the equipment at hand.