Canon EOS 5D Mark III Digital Field Guide Paperback – July 10, 2012

I almost never write reviews, but future readers need to know a few things about this book.One star as a field guide; three stars as a general reference, tops.– Several obvious errors.– Poor build quality; the pages come loose and fall out.As a basic guide to the 5D Mark III, the book is adequate. It covers basic use and setup well enough. As a “field guide,” however, it falls woefully short. It covers too much information. If you are in the field, you probably do not need, nor have the time to read about the difference between zoom and prime lenses, for example. A “field guide” does not need to explain such things. That is a minor issue, but details like that add to the size and bulk of a book meant to be carried in the “field.” If you are not going to carry this book with you, then it does not matter, but I would not call it a “field guide.” It is too big for the field, but too small for reference.Most of the information is useful, but some of it is just wrong. Changing aperture, for instance, does not change the focal length. Yet, the author says it does at least twice. Increasing ISO, for another instance, does not increase the signal-to-noise ratio, but lowers it. Again, these are minor issues, but it makes me wonder what other mis-information is in the book. The content is not really the main issue I have with this book. Most books have a mistake here and there. The publisher’s “build quality” is horrible, though. When I turn a page, it falls out. Yes, the pages simply and cleanly fall out after a couple of turns. I have read the book completely through one time. On the second pass, the pages came loose one at a time, and are no longer attached to the spline. Now, every single page in the middle third of the book is loose, and most of the rest remain attached by an inch or so, which will give up after the next turn. What I now have is a collection of individual pages, not a book. This “feature” makes it totally worthless as a “field guide,” and difficult to use as a reference book. A “field guide” needs to be to the point, accurate, and robust. It needs to stand up to more reading abuse, not less. It needs to cover topics needed in the field, more how-to, not why. It should not discuss things like what lens to buy. If you are using a camera in the 5D3 class, you probably know what lenses you need. If these issues do not bother you, then buy this book. But, if you are looking for a “field guide,” then look for something else.

I recommend this book for any photographer that wishes to know as much as possible about the technical capabilities of their Canon 5D MKIII. The author does a very thorough job of revealing in a clear and understandable way every aspect of this fabulous camera. I am mystified why some reviewers complained about the use of icons throughout the book. I found the icons a very good shorthand way of familiarizing one with each control. Isn't it easier to just see an iconic picture of for instance the Quick Control Dial rather than adding many more words in the explanation?Our language evolved from a type of icon after all. I particularly found the section on the multiple hows and whys of the focus modes was very clear. Also, her explanation of exposure compensation and bracketing is very good. I formerly owned a 5D and then a 5D MKII. This author does the best job of explaining the mechanics of this camera of all the other books on photography I own. Buy it and you will find you will constantly go back and reread sections as you use your camera. It is not necessarily the book you want if you are looking for a how to book on photography technique. She includes good tips but the technical content and description of controls is the real strength of this book.

Very happy with it.

While this book does have the information needed for operating the 5D Mark III, it also has a couple major problems.This is supposed to be a field guide, but it is actually an in-depth manual on not only the camera, but also digital camera operations in general. There are 43 pages, front and back, about working with flash, including lighting setups. There is a whole page about light fall off alone. Also, it includes tons of unnecessary paragraphs that really have no value and make it difficult to get to the info you are actually looking for. Ex. pg. 117.(For an advanced audience, it seems unnecessary to explain how to manually select an AF point. But in my courses, I frequently find that experienced photographers don't know how to do this, and they always let the camera automatically choose the AF point(s). It's a light-bulb moment.....). This continues on and on and is placed right in the middle of a section and completely interrupts the flow of pertinent information. I could go on and on with examples of this problem, but I think you will get the point.The major problem however is completely unacceptable!!! The construction of the book is the worst I have ever seen! Again this is supposed to be a field guide....the first time I opened the book the pages began to fall out!!! This was not a cheap book and because it is past the return time by a few days when I first opened the book, now I am stuck with it. It will be in the recycle bin. How can I use a book in the field when every time you turn a page it falls out of the book??? I hate that I wasted my hard earned money on this horrible book. Ugh, and now I have to buy a different field guide...now I will be some 50.00 spent on a freakin book.

I like this book enough that when I lost my first copy I considered the book helpful enough to buy another copy.

I found this guide to be very helpful in finding my way around the 5DIII. I have not read the book completely but it seems to cover all the features of the camera. I does not go into as much depth on some of the features as I would like, such as back button focusing, but there are plenty of other resources available for these features once you know your way around the camera. The guide is far more readable than the Canon Instruction Manuel and in that sense is a welcome substitute.

This is a fantastic book and I highly recommend to anyone how has just purchased a 5D Mark 111 and really wants to get to grips with the inside workings of the camera. the simple language makes it easy to understand all the features/menus of the camera so you can easterly set the camera up to your own working environment.The book is great and a must buy.

Clear and concise. For a camera that is not! I read it in a few days, and she offers quite a lot of insight into how to get things done. I would have liked a bit more in-depth "how-to" information on getting the best from the camera, but all-in-all, very helpful. Definitely a good preliminary as to setting up & getting around the camera's plethora of settings.

This is a really useful guide for somebody stepping up to the 5D mk iii from a compact. Like many books of this kind, it is padded out with lots of information you don't need - but it is not a book you need to read cover to cover. It is a great reference resource with useful tips and advice.

This book is a luxury version of the Canon manual.I was able to quickly find the information I needed and I find it straight forward to read.It fits in my camera bag and it gets occasional use for the advanced settings.Would recommend if you want to get to grips with all the Canon 5D Mk III features.

this is a great book as it explains more easily than the official book about the 5Dmk3. The Canon 5Dmk3 has a steep learning curb. So I took each step at a time. This book helps very well as I was able to dip into it when I had a particular issue I had to know about.