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.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent even for the digital pro-sumer
Review: With my Canon Powershot G1 (digital camera with SLR-like capabilities) came a whole new realm of creative photography. I was so used to the point and shoot and found myself bewildered and ammused at the same time. This book helped me wade through the ISO-this and the f-that, and took my skills to a whole new level. With picture comparisons of photos taken with various settings given the chapter topic, I found myself not only able to understand the written descriptions, but also able to immediately see how it applied to my photography. This book is a MUST have for any photographer from beginner to pro-sumer.
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