David Busch's Sony Alpha NEX-7 Guide to Digital Photography (David Busch's Digital Photography Guides) Paperback – June 6, 2012

Unless you are an advanced professional photographer, this book is a must. I am not a professonal photographer, although I have some experience with digital cameras and owned a Canon digital SLR for many years, but needed an upgrade for my professional work (which is not photography -- I needed to take sharp photos from ancient manuscripts in low-light library reading rooms where flash is not allowed). Sony Alpha Nex-7 camera seemed like a very good choice, so I got one. But when I received a package and opened it, I was quite intimidated by this high-tech camera. I figured out its point-and-shoot capabilities on my own, but realized that I needed a good guide book to navigate all the available features of this camera. So, I bought David Busch's Guide and found it VERY useful. It is not for a light reading, though -- you will need to use your brain and it will take time to study the book in depth, and I am still working on it, but I definitely progressed to better understanding of my new "toy" and improved my photographic skills. Bottom line: if you invested money in Nex-7 upscale camera, you should invest very modest amount of money to buy this book -- you won't regret.

While there appears to be no panacea for the curious, incomprehensible, and seemingly random system used by Sony on the NEX-7 menu system, this book does provide some help and, at least, makes you feel a little less worse about using the camera. The general approach of the text is a bit simplistic - if you are paying big bucks for this camera, you should be familiar with the basics of photography and digital cameras. It really doesn't need to start from 'the beginning.' Nevertheless, it is a useful guide to actually using your NEX-7 which, when used properly, gives AMAZING results. If you have the opportunity to read this before buying, I'd suggest that you try that and see if it will be useful FOR YOU. I've been taking pictures for 50 years and I felt that the book was worth it - if only marginally. Better than 3 stars -- not as good as 5 stars. Also, in my opinion, better than the 'unofficial quintessential guide...'

This is the BEST camera book if you have a NEX-7. It is very detailed and covers the NEX-7 completely. I studied Sony's handbook and could basically operate the camera but knew I wasn't getting its full potential. Also, there is not one word in the Handbook about the "why" of the settings. David Busch's book not only covers the mechanics of operating the NEX-7 but also when and why one might want to use a particular setting. For example, David discusses RAW vs. JPEG and why you would want to use one over the other. He explains in detail how each of the functions works. Also, before I even got 50 pages into the book, I learned of several operations that were not covered in Sony's Handbook. If you want to get the most out of your NEX-7, this is the book to read.

I am new to the "world" of photography in a lot of ways. I have always "taken pictures" but I have never had a camera that could create masterpieces good enough for framing. I finally got my first "real" camera... the Nex-7. Although I was able to figure out many of the features on my own, this book is incredibly detailed with wonderful illustrations and the author goes into painstaking detail about every single feature and what it's for and what it does and offers suggestions on how to make the most of the Nex-7. Thanks to the author for taking the time to put this book together. It is easy to read and not boring at all.

Having recently bought a NEX-7 and with no prior experience with a mirror DSLR, I was initially lost with the intricate menu system of the camera. This book will not teach the reader which settings are the best given the type of picture, but there is enough useful information given to make the learning path less steep.An amateur or professional photographer with experience with DSLRs will probably not need this book. For me, it is indispensible. For example, I had no idea that dust can create problems with the sensor during lens changes. Therefore I am resisting the temptation of changing lenses as often as I used to with my old film-Nikon SLR. There are many hints of that type.

This is a very clear and complete guide to use of this fantastic camera as well as an excellent presentation of the aspects of digital photography available with this camera. Because it is printed on glossy stock paper which make the many color photographs much more accessible and useful, this manual is rather heavy and not something you are likely to carry around in your camera bag. It would be nice to have had a pull-out menu that you could carry around more easily, but that is not really the function of this guide. It is meant to take you into a much deeper understanding of the camera and its functionality as digital image processor. I'm very happy with this purchase.

I regularly purchase a book when I get into a new SLR and/or new system. In the case of the NEX it is a new step for me as I wanted to downsize and get a smaller more compact system for hiking. This book really explains the hows and whys of each menu item and control when using this camera. For the record, I am an experienced photographer brought up thru the film era into digital ( I own and use Nikon F-5, D-200 and D-300s Cameras). I have several books by this writer and as always he does a great job of clarifying things so you can get the most from your camera.

While the NEX 7 is a great camera out of the box and fairly simple to use if you stick with the obvious settings, there's a lot that is not obvious. This book gets into those areas and when you finish it, you will know how to use the camera to the fullest.I've got several cameras and bought manuals for them. The majority of text in most camera manuals seems to be just boilerplate - generic information for all digital cameras. However, this book is largely specific to the NEX 7. Even if you have other camera manual, you won't find yourself skipping over large blocks of text with a "I already knew that." You'll read and learn throughtout this manual.

This is the book to get for the NEX 7. I have taken pictures for much of my adult life and was well aware of all the 'normal settings' for a camera and how they affect the image (F-stop, shutter speed, ISO setting, meter reading point, law of thirds, focusing point, depth of field etc), I came from a Nikon D200 DSLR that was ace but too big to carry everywhere and after 6 months of sitting in a cupboard I decided to sell the Nikon and by a NEX7 (higher resolution, better image and more compact design).David's book takes you from this point and gets you to set up the camera for your shooting style and apply instant settings to buttons so that you aren't digging through the menus to get where you ned to be. The other book on Amazon (I know you've either looked or are about to look at it) tells you loads of really useless stuff that you really shouldn't need, considering you have just bought an £800 camera. The other book tells you like it's the only way there is, David, tells it like it is and lets you make your own decsion. For instance, he disregards the Sony software as he makes the assumption that, as you've spent all this cash on this camera, you'll have much better software on your computer and he's not about to waste time and paper telling you how to use software you'll probably never install. More to the point, this book says WHY, not just WHAT a much better teaching style and he has a much more friendly style. A much better style in my opinion.But at the end of the day, the reason you buy books like this is to take more and better pictures and moreover to get the camera to work for you...and at this, David's book excels.

This is a must have book for those who want to know the ned-7 deeply, it covers every issue related from A to Z

Super Handbuch, ach in Englisch für nicht unbedingt geübte zu verstehen.Deutlich empfehlenswerter als die z.Z. in deutsch erhältlichen Bücher, die viel zu teuer und nebenbei auch nicht viele mehr wiedergeben als dass handbuch von Sony. Sehr gutes Preis-Leistungsverhältnis.

So enjoyable to read it is almost as if David Busch is beside you, talking you through the complexities of this amazing camera. I used my Nex 7 for a year and did not realize how much more I had to learn, and learn much I did.