Rating: 
Summary: THE BEST first book on photography
Review: Kodak has published little books on various aspects of photography for fifty years. I learned the basics of composition, depth of field, and most other fundamentals from those little books. This bigger book combines all those little books into a real introduction to photography. Lots of good photo examples (with Kodak film type and lens information, so that you know how the photo was created.) accompany an easy-to-understand text on the how and why of composition, exposure, lenses, flash, and so on.If you just bought a new 35mm or high-end digital camera, then read your camera manual and this book, both cover to cover, and that's all you'll need for the first year or 2,400 pictures, whichever comes first!
Rating:
Summary: One of the best books to learn or imporove your photography
Review: The Kodak guide to 35mm Photography is probably one of the best basic books on photography on the market. Although I photograph free lance for Today's Photographer Magazine and American Image Press, I consider myself an advanced amateur. I wish that I had had this book in my hands when I started photographing. It would have saved me countless dollars of development expense and time on photographs that were not at all what I wanted.
The book covers all the basics of photography: exposure, shutter speeds, apertures, light metering, composition, depth of field, etc. It covers the subjects in a very easy to understand writing style. And when it comes to pictures, the book is literally filled with pictures, excellent pictures, showing the effect of various changes to camera settings. After reading the book (or any chapter in the book) you will better understand what you need to do to take those beautiful and moving pictures that elude the basic "snapshot" photographer. For a new photographer this is the place to start. After you understand the concepts in this book and have a good handle on them then it would make sense to move up to a good book on the zone system or learn developing or something similar. I've not encountered any other basic book that is as filled with good information and so many, many excellent pictures as examples of the concepts.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best books to learn or imporove your photography
Review: The Kodak guide to 35mm Photography is probably one of the best basic books on photography on the market. Although I photograph free lance for Today's Photographer Magazine and American Image Press, I consider myself an advanced amateur. I wish that I had had this book in my hands when I started photographing. It would have saved me countless dollars of development expense and time on photographs that were not at all what I wanted.
The book covers all the basics of photography: exposure, shutter speeds, apertures, light metering, composition, depth of field, etc. It covers the subjects in a very easy to understand writing style. And when it comes to pictures, the book is literally filled with pictures, excellent pictures, showing the effect of various changes to camera settings. After reading the book (or any chapter in the book) you will better understand what you need to do to take those beautiful and moving pictures that elude the basic "snapshot" photographer. For a new photographer this is the place to start. After you understand the concepts in this book and have a good handle on them then it would make sense to move up to a good book on the zone system or learn developing or something similar. I've not encountered any other basic book that is as filled with good information and so many, many excellent pictures as examples of the concepts.
Rating: 
Summary: Virtually useless book
Review: This book is so generic in its advice that it is all but useless. It tries to be all things to all cameras, and therefore says nothing specific about anything. Add to this the way it tries to tout Kodak film, and you realize Kodak should be paying people to read this book. But they still wouldn't know how to work their cameras.
Rating:
Summary: This book is GREAT for the money.
Review: This book is under $20.00 and it isn't like those books that show you TONS of pictures and have no information. I like photography, but need those technical things explained to me. This book is a WONDEFUL reference and has a million diagrams and charts and tons of explainations. If you need to know how to take different pictures than the ones you are taking currently, this book will show you how. It will teach you all about shutter speeds and how to use your lenses.
Rating: 
Summary: Many gems but lost in words and pictures
Review: This is a great introduction to 35 mm photography for the amateur. It covers most subjects to a reasonable depth and provides valuable pointers; any one often justifying its purchase. That said, boy, does this book drown its good stuff with words and large, and sometimes only marginally relevant photographs. One to two pages are sometimes devoted to one simple thing so the book can be condensed to one-third its size without loss of value.
The exclusive reference to Kodak materials also became a little irritating at times.
Rating:
Summary: Amateur photographer looking for some good info? This is IT!
Review: This is a very nice, helpful publication from Kodak (the original photo folks). There are nice pictures laced throughout the entire book that provides clear examples on how to shoot, what to shoot, when to shoot, etc. The 35mm techniques in the book are straightforward and simple. It really can make a difference in the shot you want and being unsatisfied. There are also great tips on auto-focus vs. manual cameras; also info on flash techniques. I also like the size of this book (6" x 9") - it is not a clunky big manual. :) Get it and take some great photos!
Rating:
Summary: A MUST to read and enjoy book!
Review: This is an Excellent book, it covers all the topics a beginner photographer should know and should practice with its own camera. It brings enough information on each one, including some very useful recommendations about what to do, showing and comparing the resulting photos you can get when using different camera settings. In the same purchase order, I bought three similar photographic books, after browsing each one, I liked it best.
Rating:
Summary: best book on photography
Review: This is an excellent comprehensive guide on photography. The written material is concise and to the point, accompanied by lots of beautiful photographs that not only clearly illustrate the author's point, but also are an inspiration for the reader. The material is organized in chapters very well, and is extremely easy to refer to on any specific topic. The book covers everything from the very basics through an intermediate level -- once you master the techniques in the Kodak's Guide, only your own creativity will limit your accomplishments in photography. For those of us who are not pros -- this is the book we Must Have.
Rating:
Summary: An average guide
Review: Well, if you are looking for a book to get you started in understanding the basics of how to manually work and understand your SLR 35mm camera this could be the guide. It succeeds in explaining lenses, composition tips, exposure and choosing aperture and shutter speed and a discussion about lenses. This is all very basic. Hence if this is the first guide that you pick up it is a good start. I had already taken a photography class at the local community college and we discussed and experimented with aperture and shutter speed to help us with exposure. I found that after this class, I had a good understanding of what to do to manipulate exposure. I was kind of put off by one thing in particular in this book. I know that it is put out by Kodak so they are going to endorse their products, however I thought that an entire chapter which is devoted to choosing a film is solely about their film was taking it pretty far. There are other brands on the market that are different and will produce different coloring. So, I suggest you try different brands (and speeds) of film to see what you like best. Fuji has come great films. And because of this, I feel as though there are some better guides out there. I like that this book has colored photos throughout, however it does not show what settings the photographer used. That is sometimes just as important as you can learn as an amateur what the pros do. I have been enjoying the National Geographic Photography Field Guide and see my review on it for details. And for a great book which covers a lot of ground I would recommend getting The Basic Book of Photography by Grimm. Their only drawback is that the pictures are in black and white, but the information is clear and easy to access. Overall, this guide is a very basic overview and I would recommend getting it if you have the interest in photography and you are just starting to understand how to use manual settings. But, think about taking a class or checking out another guide in conjunction with this book by Kodak.
| 
