The Little Digital Camera Book (Little Book)

Looking for a friendly, comprehensive primer on digital cameras that assumes you know next to nil about digital photography, yet manages not to treat you like a dummy? Look no further. In The Little Digital Camera Book, authors Cynthia Baron and Dan Peck help you go digital by providing a no-nonsense, jargon-free introduction to shooting, enhancing and sharing images from a digital camera.

The Little Digital Camera Book covers everything nonprofessional photographers need to know about purchasing the right digital camera, how to get the best image that the camera and image-editing software can provide, and how to share those images in print, email, and on the Web, as well as how to turn your photos into cards, calendars, and other projects. Baron and Peck begin with an easy, conversational explanation of what digital photography is and how it works. Then they discuss how to choose the right hardware, including cameras, accessories, and printers, and how to use some of the most common features found on digital cameras. Finally, they discuss how to use image-editing software to fix typical problems such as red eye, cropping, and color correction, and the different options out there for sharing digital images. Reading The Little Digital Camera Book is like having a friend at your side to answer all your questions--you'll be teaching everyone else you know the ins and outs of digital photography in no time!

The Little Digital Camera Book opens with a very brief history of photography followed by a few steps to prepare your computer for the imminent image exchanges. If you have more than a passing familiarity with RAM and why you need it skip to Chapter 2 that's when the book first becomes useful. Chapter 2 of The Little Digital Camera Book is a potentially big money saver if you're one of those bigger numbers must be better type of person. If you read carefully you'll realize you don't need that 5-megapixel-money pit, a 2 megapixel will likely suit your needs. The rest of the chapter is fairly useful as well, though you are not going to end up saving a couple of hundred bucks by continuing to follow Cynthia L. Baron's advice. If you just can't bring yourself to part with the ... cover price of The Little Digital Camera Book at least stand and read chapter 2 in your local bookstore; the advice therein is well worth following.

The rest of the book is not as immediately useful to the novice user but the majority of The Little Digital Camera Book will be useful to the average digital camera owner at some point. You get your basic photo composition tips (rule of thirds et al), your basic image editing tips (though these a bit too general to truly be useful), some info on storage options and just enough info on online versus local printing options. All of the information is pertinent and all of it is well presented. The information you find most useful will undoubtedly not be the info I find most germane but there's something in The Little Digital Camera Book for everyone.

I do have a few gripes about The Little Digital Camera Book. The same camera is used as the model throughout the book. This is fine if you own an Olympus but if you use any other brand of camera you might feel a bit cold-shouldered. Since The Little Digital Camera Book is (presumably) a book aimed at just about any novice user it might have been more interesting if a variety of cameras were used for demonstration purposes. My last gripe regards color photographs. Photography books have to address color and color correction owing to the nature of the subject but a precious few actually go to the extra expense of providing color plates to illustrate the point being made. I regard this exclusion as a necessary omission but a few color plates could have put The Little Digital Camera Book at the top of my must have list.

Bottom Line: The Little Digital Camera Book manages to cut a wide swath without being over simplistic or overly detailed. The Little Digital Camera is a nice book for beginners, pros should look elsewhere.

MacMice Rating: 3.5 out of 5

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Chris Seibold


Wish I'd Had This Book when I Bought My Digital Camera??   December 18, 2002
 2 out of 2 found this review helpful

This is a great book for people who, like me, only have rudimentary knowledge of digital cameras. It answered so many questions that I had about both taking photos on a digital camera, and then editing them on the computer and using online. Highly recommended!


Ideal for digital camera beginners   December 4, 2002
 3 out of 3 found this review helpful

If you are a newcomer to digital photography, this inexpensive book is for you. The Little Digital Camera book covers the gamut of your needs: How to use your camera; share pictures with friends and family; organize and protect your digital files; find a photo editor that suits your skill level and needs; along with digital photo creative projects. The writing is thorough, clear and informative, without being overwhelming. Thankfully, the content is truly cross-platform, viable for both Mac and PC owners. Overall, excellent value for your money.