I need thy help, brave photographers... for I seek a book, and not just any book.

[Richdog]

Basicall i'm lookng for a tome-like, all-encompassing, almost encyclopaedic book on digital photography. It needs to cover all of the basics and advanced material and be very, very well illustrated. Sort of like the Collins DIY manual but for dgital photography, something I can refer to again and again no matter what help or tip or trick I need.

So far i've found the following, but am in no way sure that they are the best of the best, which is why i'm hoping for your advice...

• The Digital SLR Bible: A Complete Guide for the 21st Century Photographer
  (Hardcover) by Nigel Hicks

• Mastering Your Digital SLR: How to Get the Most Out of Your Digital Camera
  (Hardcover) by Chris Weston

• The Art of Digital Photography
  (Hardcover) by John Hedgecoe

• The Digital SLR Handbook
  (Paperback) by Michael Freeman

• The Digital Photography Handbook: An Illustrated Step-by-step Guide
  (Paperback) by Doug Harman & David Jones

The first one by Nigel Hicks looks the most promising but I can't find too much about it, and the one by Michael Freeman also looks decent.

Anyone got an experience with these, or know of any others that are worth getting? Remember i'm looking for pretty much the ultimate guide to digital photography, so t needs to be very, very badass.

 

[Strax]

I have the Michael Freeman book and its very good. It doesn't just focus on picture taking but also has sections on editing with CS2 along with other useful stuff.

The only downside is that it might not go into enough details on exposure/ composition for an absolute beginner.


My tip would be to get yourself down to a large bookstore and flick through the titles you are interested in and see which one is best for you.

 

[Richdog]

I have the Michael Freeman book and its very good. It doesn't just focus on picture taking but also has sections on editing with CS2 along with other useful stuff.

The only downside is that it might not go into enough details on exposure/ composition for an absolute beginner.


My tip would be to get yourself down to a large bookstore and flick through the titles you are interested in and see which one is best for you.

Been to every bookstore in town... didn't have any of those books! The book you suggested looks decent... however what puts me off is it being a paperback... is it well llustrated?

 

[Strax]

Been to every bookstore in town... didn't have any of those books! The book you suggested looks decent... however what puts me off is it being a paperback... is it well llustrated?

Yes its got a lot of illustrations and its cover is quite thick so its between a hardback and paperback IMO.