David D. Busch - David Buschs Nikon D3500 Guide to Digital SLR Photography

GUIDE TO DIGITAL SLR PHOTOGRAPHY

David D. Busch

David Buschs Nikon D3500 Guide to Digital SLR Photography

David D. Busch

Project Manager: Jenny Davidson

Series Technical Editor: Michael D. Sullivan

Layout: Bill Hartman

Cover Design: Mike Tanamachi

Indexer: Valerie Haynes Perry

Proofreader: Mike Beady

ISBN: 978-1-68198-476-6

1st Edition (1st printing, February 2019)

2019 David D. Busch

All images David D. Busch unless otherwise noted

Rocky Nook, Inc.

1010 B Street, Suite 350

San Rafael, CA 94901

USA

www.rockynook.com

Distributed in the UK and Europe by Publishers Group UK

Distributed in the U.S. and all other territories by Ingram Publisher Services

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018957157

All rights reserved. No part of the material protected by this copyright notice may be reproduced or utilized in any form, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission of the publisher.

Many of the designations in this book used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks of their respective companies. Where those designations appear in this book, and Rocky Nook was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed in caps or initial caps. All product names and services identified throughout this book are used in editorial fashion only and for the benefit of such companies with no intention of infringement of the trademark. They are not intended to convey endorsement or other affiliation with this book.

While reasonable care has been exercised in the preparation of this book, the publisher and author assume no responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein or from the use of the discs or programs that may accompany it.

This book is printed on acid-free paper.

Printed in Korea

For Cathy

Thanks to everyone at Rocky Nook, including Scott Cowlin, managing director and publisher, for the freedom to let me explore the amazing capabilities of the Nikon D3500 in depth. I couldnt do it without my veteran production team, including project manager, Jenny Davidson, and series technical editor, Mike Sullivan. Also thanks to Bill Hartman, layout; Valerie Haynes Perry, indexing; Mike Beady, proofreading; Mike Tanamachi, cover design; and my agent, Carole Jelen, who has the amazing ability to keep both publishers and authors happy.

With more than 2.5 million books in print, David D. Busch is the worlds #1 selling digital camera guide author, and the originator of popular digital photography series like David Buschs Pro Secrets and David Buschs Quick Snap Guides. He has written more than four dozen hugely successful guidebooks and compact guides for Nikon digital SLR models, several dozen additional user guides for other camera models, as well as many popular books devoted to dSLRs, including Mastering Digital SLR Photography, Fourth Edition and Digital SLR Pro Secrets. As a roving photojournalist for more than 20 years, he illustrated his books, magazine articles, and newspaper reports with award-winning images. Hes operated his own commercial studio, suffocated in formal dress while shooting weddings, and shot sports for a daily newspaper and an upstate New York college. His photos and articles have been published in magazines including Popular Photography, Rangefinder, Professional Photographer, and hundreds of other publications. Hes also reviewed dozens of digital cameras for CNet Networks and other CBS publications. His advice has been featured on National Public Radios All Tech Considered.

When About.com named its top five books on Beginning Digital Photography, debuting at the #1 and #2 slots were Buschs Digital Photography All-In-One Desk Reference for Dummies and Mastering Digital Photography. Hes had as many as five of his books listed in the Top 20 of Amazon.coms Digital Photography Bestseller listsimultaneously! Buschs 200-plus other books published since 1983 include bestsellers like Digital SLR Cameras and Photography for Dummies.

Busch is a member of the Cleveland Photographic Society (www.clevelandphoto.org), which has operated continuously since 1887. Visit his website at http://www.nikonguides.com.

Chapter 1
Thinking Outside the Box

Chapter 2
Nikon D3500 Quick Start

Chapter 3
Nikon D3500 Roadmap

Chapter 4
Playback and Shooting Menus

Chapter 5
Setup, Retouch, and Recent Settings Menus

Chapter 6
Nailing the Right Exposure

Chapter 7
Mastering the Mysteries of Autofocus

Chapter 8
Live View and Movie Making

Chapter 9
Advanced Shooting Tips for Your Nikon D3500

Chapter 10
Working with Lenses

Chapter 11
Making Light Work for You

Chapter 12
Troubleshooting and Prevention

You dont want good pictures from your new Nikon D3500you demand outstanding photos. After all, the Nikon D3500 is one of the most versatile entry-level cameras on the market. It boasts 24 megapixels of resolution with excellent low-light capabilities, fast autofocus, and high-definition video capabilities. But your gateway to pixel proficiency is dragged down by the minimalist pamphlet/user guide included in the box as a manual.

You know some of the basics are in there, somewhere, but you dont know where to start. In addition, the camera manual doesnt offer much information on photography or digital photography. Nor are you interested in spending hours or days studying a comprehensive book on digital SLR photography that doesnt necessarily apply directly to your D3500.

What you need is a guide that explains the purpose and function of the D3500s basic controls, how you should use them, and why. Ideally, there should be information about file formats, resolution, exposure, and special autofocus modes, but youd prefer to read about those topics only after youve had the chance to go out and take a few hundred great pictures with your new camera. Why isnt there a book that summarizes the most important information in its first two or three chapters, with lots of illustrations showing what your results will look like when you use this setting or that? This is that book.

If you cant decide on what basic settings to use with your camera because you cant figure out how changing ISO or white balance or focus defaults will affect your pictures, you need this guide. I wont talk down to you, either; this book isnt padded with dozens of pages of checklists telling you how to take a travel picture, a sports photo, or how to take a snapshot of your kids in overly simplistic terms. There are no special sections devoted to real world recipes here. All of us do 100 percent of our shooting in the real world! So, I give you all the information you need to cook up great photos on your own!