> Based on the manuals people bring into my photo classes, even the best > manuals are bad. This is especially bad considering most consumers > don't understand the photographic concepts necessary to read the > manual.
it's not the manual writer's job to teach people the basics of photography. The writers have to assume some basic knowledge on the part of the camera owner. If the owner has bought the camera without knowing the basics of photography they can't really have made an informed choice. The manual writer's job is to tell people how to use the equipment to carry out certain tasks and to solve certain photographic problems. Probably the simplest camera manual I have is the one for the Leica M1, .., 4. These cameras are about as simple as a camera can get without being an Instamatic. The instructions for the M3, which is what I have, cover 16 pages. All it does is tell you how to operate the camera. It doesn't, for instance, tell you what the aperture is for, or what the markings mean, or anything about the relationship between EV, aperture, shutter speed and film sensitivity - you're assumed to know that before you buy the camera. I don't see why modern manual writers should have to assume any less. Bob -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
