The New Nikon Compendium : Cameras, Lenses & Accessories since 1917 (A Lark Photography Book)

Rating:
Summary: A valuable information source for Nikon owners
Review: Despite sloppy writing and editing at times (there is indeed a mysterious glut of grammatical errors), this 2004 edition of the Nikon Compendium is a valuable source of information on Nikon cameras, lenses, flashes, and accessories.

When I first opened the book, I felt both excited and overwhelmed. There was so much juicy information on Nikon products in this hardcover that I simply did not know where to start. Ok, the first Nikon I used was an FM2, so I flipped to page 60 and found lots of cool information from background to features to versions to pictures of the FM2. Then I jumped to the page on the N50 (F50 outside of North America), a consumer-oriented SLR that was the first SLR I bought. Here, I found so much information on the N50 that I wished I had read this when I was still using that camera. Next stop was the D70, which I currently own. Yes, this book is very up-to-date (as of end of 2004), and covers all current d-SLR models in Nikon's lineup.

There's also tons of information on the Nikkor lenses, the Speedlight flashes, the Coolpix digital camera line (but the latest model, Coolpix 8800, is not included), plus accessories. I don't know if this covers 100% of what Nikon has produced, but that doesn't matter. The book covers all the Nikon products that mattered in the history of cameras, and there's plenty of info on currently sold products. There's even a section on the new Coolwalker portable hard drive from Nikon, which the author cautions against buying since you don't want to "put all your eggs in one basket" should the hard disk fail.

Anyway, this book is not about photography at all, and nobody is going to become a better photographer upon reading this. The book also doesn't review the specific pros and cons of each product; it's more about specs and features. It's geared toward Nikon collectors, but also normal Nikon owners who want to know Nikon's history and product lines. It's esp. valuable when you want to buy something used. With this book in hand, you can find out what the equipment does or doesn't do, and whether there were better versions before or after its introduction. This is not a pricing guide, but it arms you with enough knowledge to make a meaningful, reasonable bid according to your needs.

The book's inside cover note says it's not sponsored by Nikon.

Rating:
Summary: A major improvement over the first edition
Review: This update of the first edition by Hillebrand & Hauschild contains all of the original material plus coverage of the lastest Nikon eqipment. The current author, Simon Stafford, has added entirely new chapters on digital cameras (both the SLR and Coolpix series) and the content comprises all models up to the publication date. New material covering lenses and accessories has also been added. Chapters that correspond to those of the earlier edition are mostly paraphased with some errors corrected. Of particular interest, Stafford offers his opinions on the advantages and disadvantages of many items based on his use of them as a professional photographer who is interested in what works best rather than what has the highest status image. In some cases he recommends prosumer models instead of the professional level items for this reason. (You may not always agree with him, but his thoughts are worth considering when making equiment selections.) He also provides cautions about operations that could produce unwanted results. The book contains a lot of detail on the controls of the cameras and accessories--perhaps to the point where it could replace the operating manual. On the other hand, the specifics of variations of each item throughout its production cycle and photos of each do not match the detail of Peter Braczko's book, The Complete Nikon System (which predates the digital era, so does not include those cameras). This edition of the Compendium is an update of the 2003 European edition. It shows its English heritage through language useage, and the phrasing can at times sound strange to American ears. More importantly, the book suffers from a lack of effective copy editing resulting in numerous grammatical and other errors, especially in the digital sections, which must have been added at the last minute. For example, fisheye Nikkor lenses are discussed on pgs. 209-10, but the 10.5 mm DX Fisheye lens info was dropped into the middle of the perspective control Nikkors discussion. Stafford is an editor for the Nikon Owners Club, and the book ends with two pages of shameless advertising for the organization. Despite these minor glitches, the book is well worthwhile. The price is a steal for a hard cover photography book with numerous color and B&W photos. Even if you own the first edition, this book is worth buying.