Books for Canon EOS 20D

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I just bought a Canon EOS 20D. Does anyone have any recommendations on books or ebooks that would give additional tips and explain all the features of the camera better than the manual?

Below are tw0 links where I found Magic Lantern Guides: Canon EOS 20D by Sheppard and DSLR Canon Eos 20D by Peter iNova. Has anyone bought any of these and if so, would you recommend them?

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?userid=MN6k7deCbS&isbn=1579906923&itm=1

http://www.digitalsecrets.net/Promo/DSLR-IR.html

Thanks for your help! :dunno

John Mueller

I bought Magic Lattern for my 1D MK2. I didnt think it was much better than the manual.Maybe larger print

hgernhardtjr

While I have not used his 20D book, I have used others and have found Peter iNova's e-Books to be very useful along with the included PhotoShop actions and my money well spent.

Moreover, he has been highly responsive when I asked for help on one of his camera-specific actions that did not work with the version of PS I had at the time, promptly sending the revised action!

Be aware that iNova's e-books make use of a lot of the same "general" subject matter, and are then tailored for the specific camera. If you've purchased one from a series, other than the camera-specific sections and tips the rest of the books are much the same.

Peter does not try to hide this and states "all four DSLR titles contain similar information customized for each camera". He packs a lot of knowledge into his books, which are especially good for the new owner of a specific camera ... though perhaps a bit elementary for the professional.

Recommended.

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Thanks for the replies!

Thirty plus years ago I bought The Complete Idiot's Guide to VW Repair. It gave simple, understandable directions on repairs including rebuilding an engine. I am looking for a similar book for the 20D that will go beyond the manual and will explain the camera's features and capabilities along with step-by-step easy to read instructions and procedures.

Based upon John's response, the Magic Lantern guide does not fit my criteria. I appreciate Gernhardt's recommendation for iNova's ebook. I could not find samples on the site. Is there a place on the web that shows actual samples of what is in the ebook?

Are there any other books or ebooks you would recommend?

Thanks again!

hgernhardtjr

Do you mean How to Keep Your Volkswagon Alive -- A Manual of Step by Step Procedures for the Compleat Idiot by John Muir? The one with the pirate-like picture of him with his parrot? I bought my first one in '69 (first printing). Several updates later I still have the '78 edition. I like easy-to-use but "powerful/informative" books like this.

iNova's e-books, at least the one I have and the Nikon one I looked at, are not quite that easy to use ... but almost. In fact, a couple of years ago the Canadian shops were including a copy of his The Sony Advanced Cyber-shot eBook with the sale of an F828 ... beats the manual hands down and is stuffed with tons of info. I think you would find his Canon 20D book a good investment.

Here's one of several "reviews" I Googled: http://www.imaging-resource.com/NEWS/1130486961.html

Sample pages: http://www.digitalsecrets.net/secrets/sample.html

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hgernhardtjr wrote:

Do you mean How to Keep Your Volkswagon Alive -- A Manual of Step by Step Procedures for the Compleat Idiot by John Muir? The one with the pirate-like picture of him with his parrot? I bought my first one in '69 (first printing). Several updates later I still have the '78 edition.

That sounds about right. It had a white front and back cover and was bound by large spiral rings. I believe on the front cover there was a drawing showing a man with a cigarette in his mouth and that same character was drawn throughout the book. That book helped me once, rebuild the engine and twice, perform a valve job on my '64 bug.

Thanks for the links as they were very helpful!

hgernhardtjr

Yep, that'ud be it! Black spiral, white covers, hand-drawn. The last 4 or 5 editions, though, were annotated as being edited and updated by his wife after John's passing. A true VW guru and the two of them made a great team. That's where I learned about Bug engine-pulling contests ... pros could do it in 4 minutes, but I could never get near that speed although I could pull (or install) my microbus engine in under 10.

On edit, those were the days! But dang, am I showing my age or not?

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hgernhardtjr wrote:

....those were the days! But dang, am I showing my age or not?

Middle-aged.......and getting better with each passing day!?!

pmartin4665

The Magic Lantern Guide is good for the novice (like me)
I purchased the Magic Lantern Guide for the E20 from amazon.com and I'm very happy with the content . . . its layout is systematic and provides an explanation of the various settings/features/options. I believe it is better than the manual and it also features a handy Quick Reference tri-fold pocket guide.

If you're a novice and trying to navigate around the D20, this would be an ideal book to purchase. It won't make you an expert however, it is thorough in explaining the various functions. I checked this book out at my local library before deciding to purchase it for myself. I also purchased Bryan Peterson's Understanding Exposure, revised edition at the same time . . . an excellent text. I hope to take his course through BetterPhoto.com in the near future. I hope this helps you in your decision.

ian408

iNova's books are delivered on CD. You read them with a PDF viewer and
if you like, print the pages.

I think the content is pretty good and he explains things well. My only real
"complaint" is that the "book" isn't that easy to take with you.

Magic Lantern guides are really just substitutes for the manual. If you can't
find it or bought used and wanted a manual, ML is for you.

Ian

kdog

Here's another vote for Magic Lantern 20D book. The Canon user guide simply tells you how to invoke the various functions with only a brief description of the function. The Magic Lantern Guide goes into each function with a lot more detail. Plus the author gives you tips and his personal opinions on ways to do things, including features he finds useful and not so useful. You will learn much more about the 20D with this manual. The original owners guide will still be useful as smaller reference for your camera bag.