Basic Digital Photography: A Comprehensive, Step-by-Step Guide to Selecting and Using Digital Cameras, Scanners, and Software

Rating:
Summary: Great for beginners
Review: If you want a book that will give you a basic understanding of what digital photography is, then this is your best bet. It starts out with a brief history of digital photography, and gives some background on how it differs from film. There's value in the straight-forward way it's presented.

There is also value in some of the information that's given on how to choose formats (as in, PC vs. Mac), what type of storage media is available, what kind of hardware is out there, and what software is available.

Rating:
Summary: A disappointing book, primarily based on its title
Review: This book provides a general description of the history of photography and then goes into devices used in digital photography along with definitions of terminology that may be educational to the the total novice. It does little to relate the significance of various capabilities for producing quality pictures and the trade-offs that occur. Some of the points are well developed for the novice, whereas others are treated supeficially and assume that the reader already has familiarity with the subject (e.g. the coverage on color). It major strength is an interesting chronology of the evolution of photography to where it is today. My main concern with the book is that it is far from the 'comprehensive, step-by-step guide' that it's title claims it to be. Anyone looking for a book that helps in taking and processing digital pictures will find very little of use here.