Magic Lantern Genie Guides®: Nikon D800 & D800E (Magic Lantern Guides®) Paperback – May 15, 2012

I have owned many Magic Lantern Guides for various cameras and have been well pleased with the series in the past. I do understand that the Genie series is a shorter version. The content of this Genie version is grammatically easier to read than the Nikon supplied D800 manual (faint praise, I know). The thing that makes the book unusable for me is the small type and font choice. I have excellent eyesight but the type is small and the index and print legends under the illustrations are microscopic. I often have the book in one hand and the camera in the other, or if I am in the field I have the book lying flat with the camera at hand. Some relatively minor changes in type and font would make this a keeper. I suggest that the publisher simply send a photographer out for an afternoon with instructions to try to use the book in a meaningful way and I believe the type modifications will be easy to determine. If you decide to buy this book, I suggest that you physically preview it to be sure it will work for you.

Note: This is an edit of my earlier review which did not make my points very well. Hopefully this is better.Based on the D300 Magic Lantern Guide (415 pages), I had high expectations for the  Magic Lantern Genie Guides: Nikon D800 & D800E (Magic Lantern Guides) . While I understand that the Genie version is intended as a more brief guide, in my estimation it is too much of a distillation of the User's Guide and too little about actual, integrated use of the camera's bewildering array of options. A rather shocking omission is the failure to discuss at all one of the camera's singular features, video. In fact, the word is not even listed in the index.In some places it wastes words stating the obvious, like the fact that "there is a cluster of buttons set within the release mode dial," which simply looking at the camera will tell you. At the same time detail is lacking in other areas. A set of recommended settings for the Custom Settings Banks for various scenarios would have been useful. More detail about the relationship between the Shooting Banks, the Custom Menus and the Custom Settings Banks would have been helpful as well, rather than merely an enumeration of their functions and options. In my experience this is the most challenging area. A better discussion of the practical use of the custom menus would have been great.The advertised Quick reference cards that are enclosed consist of one tear out card covering operation shortcuts and warning messages and a second one for troubleshooting. The guides are not color-coded or detailed, some of the symbols almost impossible to read and are not organized for quick use in the field in my judgment. Like the guide itself the items are a list rather than an integrated approach.In the effort to short-hand the controls of the camera too much has been lost in the translation in terms of the camera's practical use in my judgment; how the different settings relate and what are the alternatives for various purposes. For example, the wonderful discussion about the Nikon CLS system for flash is not even touched on in this guide. It just tells you what the flash buttons and settings are- what you can get from the User's Guide anyway.I have faulted other guides for spending too many pages teaching the basics of photography as filler. The previous Lantern Guides I have used never did that to their credit. While there are hints and tips, the D800 Genie Guide was deficient for me as a useful supplement to the camera's User's Guide, and not worth the money.

While Nikon D800 manuals were running twice as much as this Genie Lantern guide, the guide has easier to understand information with more than enough photos to show you around your camera. Makes it easy to understand and get into the swing of a new camera.

This guide basically does nothing but paraphase the official owner's manual. I even felt that it did little to explain difficult concepts; and left out much of the explaination I was searching for.

Not an easy read. Lacking in illustrations.I like the pocket guides though.

Just the right size to carry with you. No fluff in this book, just short descriptions of everything (meaning you already know photography - you just need to know the Nikon 800). I like it so much I bought four copies and gave one away as a gift. Great price!

I, too, was disappointed with this book. While they say the size is good to tuck into your bag, I greatly prefer the older format which was considerably smaller. Funny they should tout the size when the format is much larger and cameras and camera bags are getting much smaller.They say if you want info on CLS, see the e-book.I have a number of their earlier guides and think they covered the bases much better in them. I don't care for the abbreviated format. If all you want is a compilation of camera settings, this may be for you.I agree that you should inspect this book in person before buying it to make sure that it 'fits' your needs (and your bag).

I was able to read all about the D800 weeks before I actually got my camera. This helped me get ready for the trip that I was planning. I received my camera a few days before my trip and I was up and running, thanks to this book.

I have always bought these guides with every camera i have owned.I`m afraid this one is not to the usual standard expectedYes it does provide detailed information and in high quality print, but it is far too abridged compared with previous guides,It reads more like the factual camera manual rather than the cosier informal guides of the past which were a great read.Simon Stafford is one of the best, if not the best, technical writers and presenters of today, but I am afraid this book has lost the warmth of the human touch.I was so looking forward to reading it after the excellant D700 guide.I will keep it, but it should now be well used, but it is not, shame!

I must agree with the first reviewer.This book achieves little more than what you would gain by reading the user guide that came with the camera.As I have had the camera now since launch, I had already read the user guide, and have already started to use the camera, I was looking for a more informed reference to point out the quirks and differences/preferences in new settings.Great camera.... shame the author did not spend an extra month to add more depth.

the previous reviews are right - this book is not worthy of the publisher who normally does a good job, I plan to return mine - do not buy this waste of money, wait for a decent job to be done

Great handbook for the D800 - much easier than struggling through the Nikon handbook. Some great advice on practical settings - really helped me out with this very demanding camera.

i got this book to help me use my d800. What a disappointment. It was just a rewrite of the manual that NIKON provided with the camera.The d800 is a fantastic and complex camera, this book did nothing to help master it. With hindsite I would have done better to use the NIKON and youtube guides.