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Magic Lantern Book

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thomm

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Hi!

I am new to the Pentax SLR forum - I have a K100D which should be arriving in the next couple of weeks.

I am not new to SLR photography, but it's been over 12 years since I used a SLR camera, and have never used a dSLR. I am moving from a KM A2.

I was wondering if anyone has any comments on the Magic Lantern book - pro or con. Also, are there any suggestions for books in general for someone trying to get back into SLR photography. I remember a few things from those many years ago, but would need a refresher on quite a bit.

Thanks in advance for any help!
Tim
 
the "Magic Lantern" book for the K100D is a must have. It basically changes the manual from something from a tech writer to terms that can be understood by most anyone.

As far as other books, get yourself a copy of "Understanding Exposure" by Brian Peterson.
--
'Integrity' Means doing the right thing. Even when no one is watching.
 
I purchased my K10d and the Magic Lantern guide last week. I highly recommend the book. The Pentax user manual is fine, I guess, but the Magic Lantern guide is WAY more accessible. I've had the two with me constantly and have all but abandoned the user manual. I've seen them for as little as $14-$15. Money well spent in the scheme of things.
 
Do not expect too much. I have the K10 version of the book.

It is wordier than the manual (good) but has very few illustrations (quite poor) and provides very few tips that go beyond the manual. Regarding accessories it mostly only recommends (and mentions) orginal Pentax accessories. Well it does not cost much.

However, these books seem more interesting:
http://k10dbook.com/index.htm
 
thomm said:
Hi!
I am new to the Pentax SLR forum - I have a K100D which should be
arriving in the next couple of weeks.

I am not new to SLR photography, but it's been over 12 years since I
used a SLR camera, and have never used a dSLR. I am moving from a KM
A2.

I was wondering if anyone has any comments on the Magic Lantern book
  • pro or con. Also, are there any suggestions for books in general
for someone trying to get back into SLR photography. I remember a few
things from those many years ago, but would need a refresher on quite
a bit.

Thanks in advance for any help!
Tim
Click to expand...
Hi tim,

Since someone asked about books about Pentax, I would like to introduce you to the Pentax K100D " Everything you need to know...and then some". I am the Author of the book. It also includes the K110D and the K100D-SUPER. I also have a book for the K10D. Someone has already mentioned the book's website in this post but here it is again: http://www.pentaxdslrs.com/ or http://www.k10dbook.com/

There are free downloads of portions of the books on the website, so that you can judge for yourself. I have sold more than 1000 books all over the world, received almost as many positive emails and made many friends in the process.

You can read a review of the K10D book on the popular Ok1000 Pentax Blog http://ok1000.blogspot.com/2007/07/k10d-book-good-companion-to-pentax-k10d.html and the books are also for sale on Ebay if you feel more secure using Ebay. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=150176862506&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT&ih=005

I would be delighted if any readers would visit my blog and say hi. My blog is all about Pentax and Digital Photography in general. It also contains a lot of good links to other pentax Blogs and sites. http://pentaxdslrs.blogspot.com/

Regards,

--
Yvon Bourque
 
luc0815 said:
Do not expect too much. I have the K10 version of the book.
It is wordier than the manual (good) but has very few illustrations
(quite poor) and provides very few tips that go beyond the manual.
Regarding accessories it mostly only recommends (and mentions)
orginal Pentax accessories. Well it does not cost much.

However, these books seem more interesting:
http://k10dbook.com/index.htm
Click to expand...
I must say I own both these books and I much prefer the Magic Lantern book on the k10d. Your mileage may vary.
--
LaRee
http://www.laree.smugmug.com/
http://laree.zenfolio.com/
 
Yvon Bourque said:
Since someone asked about books about Pentax, I would like to
introduce you to the Pentax K100D " Everything you need to know...and
then some". I am the Author of the book. It also includes the K110D
and the K100D-SUPER. I also have a book for the K10D. Someone has
already mentioned the book's website in this post but here it is
again: http://www.pentaxdslrs.com/ or http://www.k10dbook.com/

Regards,

--
Yvon Bourque
Click to expand...
I bought your book from ebay and am finding it very useful. Many functions of the camera that I read about in the instuction book and didn't quite understand were clearly explained in your book.

--
John
 
Of course it's always a matter of opinion as to what book best fit one's needs. As a small self-published writer, it's easy to contact me personally. Additionally, my books are 100% money back guaranty. Check it out for yourself. http://www.pentaxdslrs.com/

Respectfully,
--
Yvon Bourque
 
I have the Magic Lantern Book for my K10d. I found it very helpful for all the ins and out of the functions of the camera, more detail than the manual that comes with the camera. It does not really talk about slr photography in any detail. Therefore, you would do well to try "Mastering Digital SLR Photography "by David D. Busch. It will go through all the stuff you need a refresher on and is well written and easy to understand.
 
I have a slightly less enthusiastic opinion of the Magic Lantern K100D guide than some others expressed in their posts. I've had the Magic Lantern (Joe Farace) book for the K100D for close to a year and I'd have to say I give it mixed reviews.

The single best thing, IMO, is the little folding Quick Reference Card that you punch out of the back of the book; it has saved me a couple of times from having to go searching through the manual (or book) when I couldn't remember where an adjustment was.

The book as a whole is mostly a pretty good reiteration in more accessible language and format than the Pentax owner's manual, and I've used it to good advantage at times to try to understand stuff the manual is not clear about.

Unfortunately there are a number of editing errors in which, apparently, manuscript instructions were simply printed in the book. Also, there is some plain misinformation.

All that said, I still think the book can be useful.

I am not yet familiar with the other book about the K100D, which its author mentions in posts in this thread. I looked at the first chapter, available for perusal at his website, but I don't think that chapter's probably the best one to use to judge the book as a whole; it seems well done, but doesn't let one evaluate just how well the book explains (a/o expands on) items which are not well done in the manual. (I'd encourage the author to use a later chapter as his free sample.) But, from the little I could tell from that first chapter, it seems at least as well written and clear as the Magic Lantern book, and it includes coverage for the K100D Super, which Magic Lantern does not, so it may well be the better choice for someone buying the "Super" model.

I hope these comments are useful to you.
 
just purchased the K10D book in PDF form and when downloaded it gave me a password for opening the file and it said the password is good enough for 24 hours??..Does that mean i cant open my PDF file after 24 hours???...
Cheers
 
Volvo said:
just purchased the K10D book in PDF form and when downloaded it gave
me a password for opening the file and it said the password is good
enough for 24 hours??..Does that mean i cant open my PDF file after
24 hours???...
Cheers
Click to expand...
--
Yvon

You have about 24 hours to download the book from the website. Once downloaded, you can save it on your computer and reopen it anytime afterward, still with the same password.

Regards,

Yvon Bourque
 
Thanking you for your reply yvon, mate i also sent you a couple of emails asking if and how i could print my copy of the downloaded version in a smaller format for easy carrying around the traps with me same as the normal manual size??...
Cheers
 
Kimmad said:
I have the Magic Lantern Book for my K10d. I found it very helpful
for all the ins and out of the functions of the camera, more detail
than the manual that comes with the camera. It does not really talk
about slr photography in any detail. Therefore, you would do well
to try "Mastering Digital SLR Photography "by David D. Busch. It
will go through all the stuff you need a refresher on and is well
written and easy to understand.
Click to expand...
--

I hope this will help. The K10D or the K100D "Everything you need to know..and then some" have an additional section on DSLR photography in general with explanations about Aperture, ISO, Shutter speed and the relationship between all these elements. There are also examples of most used photography methods and how you can achieve the same results, specifically with your Pentax DSLR. The books are available in printed form and are also downloadable for less money and no shipping costs.

Regards,

Yvon Bourque

http://www.pentaxdslrs.com
 
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