Read The Manual issue

[marklcooper]

<p>I've followed many threads posted on photo.net and on computer-related sites/forums. Many folks say 'RTFM' in response to well thought-out questions.</p>

<p>My take on the subject is the folks writing the F'n manuals are too close to the subject. They have made many assumptions. They also may not have English (French, German, Finnish, etc.), as their native language. The F'n manuals may have all the facts. But they are not written for today's photographers (programmers, network admins, etc).</p>

<p>I personally prefer to read a text written by a knowledgeable author who has RTFM, and then said, WT*f? The typical manufacturer's manual has been written by someone who knows their stuff. It has not been written by someone who's livelihood depends on repeat/consistent sales.</p>

<p>Manufacturer's manuals are a very small part of the quest to extend one's knowledge about a particular piece of equipment. To me, the after market books are where I can really learn.</p>

<p>Any thoughts?</p>

<p>Thanks - Mark</p>

 

[lornesunley]

<p>One area that seems to be at issue is the famous (infamous) Nikon CLS. The camera manual may have information about settings to use with the camera's pop-up flash as a commander, and some bits about flash compensation, but there is more information that is really useful hidden away in the various manuals for the flash units. It is kind of tough to RTFM when you don't know which FM to read.</p>

[SCL]

<p>I strongly believe that RTFM is a prerequisite before using a camera....don't think I've ever done it, but that's my belief. My male chromosomes prevent my getting thru a manual until I've at least tried a few things out ;). In all seriousness, I do believe newbies should be encouraged to read the manual...often they are great resources and answer 95% of the questions before they are asked...and for several decades many came written in a variety of languages. I do still laugh at some of the ones from the 1970-80s which obviously were written in an asian language and translated into pidgin english. Typically if I am responding to an inquiry where I think a read is important, I avoid the RTFM statement, and usually try to provide a link to a manual which is free or low cost.</p>

[marklcooper]

<p>Steven - You sort of prove my point....the manufacturer's manuals answer 95% of the questions before they're asked. People (authors) like David Busch already know what kind of questions to ask. They've been there, done that. They are an interpreter between the manual and the new user. My point is to read 3rd party books first, then the manufacturer's manual. David Busch know's what us neophytes are looking for. He give's us the down and dirty answer to an issue. He also says the manual probably has the excruciating details that handle a given issue.</p>

<p>I've been in computers since 1977. The manuals have 'Just the fact's ma'am, nothing but the facts.' The 3rd party manuals put the facts into everyday use.</p>

<p>Mark</p>

 

[dbcooper]

<p>It's been a while since I've seen a RTM/RTFM here at photo.net. It used to be fairly common, though, and in my experience was used to answer inane questions from folks that were usually too lazy to RTM. That said, I agree that the manual isn't meant to answer all questions, particularly for the application of a feature. Manuals are about identifying features and how to operate the unit, not how to make photographs, although I'd have to say they're sometimes vague, lack 'connecting the dots' on some information, and probably have the world's worst indexes/indices.</p>

<p>One thing I urge people to do is start at page one with camera in hand and go through the manual trying every topic and feature that's addressed using it as an exercise workbook. Doing that makes a lot of other things self-explanatory, but if someone doesn't have a handle on the very basics, they could get lost easily. I'm not sure a manual should address that, since we'd all have to wade through the Sesame Street version then. What surprises me is that with digital cameras, an electronic manual and electronic photo-making guide aren't included, particularly since using a digital camera implies computer access. A full-screen color version might help. Including video tutorials or links to them would be nice, too. </p>

<p>Once someone knows what they need to do to make a particular photograph, it's usually a small matter to twiddle the right dial to get there, and if they've read the manual, they know how to go about it or where to go for that information. As in the example of CLS, the manual for the camera tells you when to go to the manual for the speedlight. The truth is that some folks just hate to read manuals. My mother, for example, has never read any part of any car's owners manual, ever, and she's been driving since around WWII. Why anyone would buy a technically complex <em>anything</em> and NOT read the manual is beyond me. Mom has <em>never</em> succeeded in so much as setting a VCR, DVD player, or even a coffee maker's clock because...she refuses to RTM.</p>

<p>Where folks have questions in the forums that are well thought out, or if they're tried and are stuck, and I can help, I'll go out of my way to do it. What I won't do is someone else's homework or legwork for them.</p>

[anthony_bez]

<p>Only poofters read manuals.... If the Camera won't do what you want, whack it until it does :-)</p>

[jay_poel]

<p>Whenever I recommend RTFM, I give a quick explaination and page number where I found the infomation (based on the English manual downloaded from Nikon's support pages.) It's much easier to search a PDF than an actual printed manual.</p>

<p>I read the D80 manual that I printed off, twice before buying it. I also read KR's D80 User Guide online prior to purchase. But I really like to read technical stuff (I'm an auto mechanic and the learning never ends.)</p>

[marklcooper]

<p>Anthony, I must say I've never seen the word 'poofter' before, but I totally understand your meaning. And if whacking the camera doesn't solve the problem, maybe a quick read of the manual will set you in the right direction. On the other hand, if you've properly perused a 3rd party manual, you may not have to whack your camera and possibly damaged your whacking hand in the process.</p>

 

[marklcooper]

<p>Jay - I downloaded the D300 manual and read it before purchasing my D300. My D300 purchase included David Busch's book on the D300.</p>

<p>D.B. - You have way more patience than I (and the typical American user) have. Per Anthony, manuals are for poofters. They're a last resort. When all else fails, RTFM!</p>

<p>Mark</p>

[anthony_bez]

<p>Mark,<br>

I will literally waste hours trying to figure something out by fiddling with the camera before I resort to reading the manual. But if I manage to figure it out I don't forget what to do next time.</p>

<p>I have third party guides but already know 90% of the information contained from using previous cameras. After I have read them I forget almost everything about the remaining 10% of useful information. I can only see a real benefit if it is your first DSLR and you need help getting started.</p>

<p>When I am stuck I reluctantly RTFM (poofter), normally the PDF version as it is easier to navigate. The third party version is left to collect dust on the shelf.</p>

[photo5]

<p>Agreed. Read the manual FIRST, and after you have read it cover to cover a few times, then buy another book if you need more help. There is no excuse for not reading the effing manual, period. But thankfully for those who can't get much from the manual, there are books by Thom Hogan and David Busch that can help even more. The Magic Lantern Guides are also excellent in my experience, and I buy them too.</p>

[Sanford]

<p>Some day, sooner or later, you are going to accidentally hit the "all-reset" button when you were going for something else. At that point you will not only wish that you had read and memorized the manual but you also had it with you.</p>

[Matt Laur]

<p>New owners/users and new <em>photographers</em> are not the same thing. Owner's manuals are for new owners/users, and the hand-holding guide books are for new photographers (or, those new to entire class of equipment and the accompanying workflow).</p>

[johnw63]

<p>The first Nikon DSLR manual I tried to glean info out of was my boss's D70 manual. I knew what I wanted it to do, but couldn't find out HOW in the manual. I think he had a focus point way to the left, and couldn't get in centered again. The manual took me in circles. Go to page X, read what focus points are, see page Y. Page why tells you that you have focus points. Go to page Z for more info. Page Z says See page X.</p>

<p>It was really frustrating.</p>

<p>I bought my dad a D40 Kit for his birthday. Once, while at a car show, it wouldn't fire the shutter. It didn't give a reason. Looked in the manual. It didn't say anything but reset the camera or pull the battery and put it back in. What I wanted was a list of possible reasons WHY the shutter wouldn't fire so I could check them off, one by one.</p>

<p>Again, really frustrating.</p>

<p>When a guy at work was looking into getting a new Nikon, I told him the FIRST thing he should buy was a third party guide on that camera.</p>

<p> </p>

[carl_becker2]

<p>When all else fails, read the manual or get a bigger hammer, screwdriver, etc....<br>

I have been guilty of that. It is truly a shame as lots of info can be found in the manual but not all. Thankfully forums exist so the manual may collect dust.</p>

[lex_jenkins]

<p>I never thought the manuals were funny. Especially the CLS instructions in the SB-800 manual. Most hackneyed, unfunny stuff I've read since Milton Berle's comic classic "Hey, it's a joke, get it, stupid? I'm telling a joke. Are you a moron or what?"</p>

<p> And while we're on the subject of indecipherable acronyms, etc...</p>

<p>One reason photo.net's <a href="../beginner-photography-questions-forum/">Beginner Questions Forum</a> was created is because the instructions provided by the manufacturer are inherently flawed or there would be no need for an interweb. If cameras, flashes and lenses were designed to be intuitive for most people, we wouldn't need the funny manual. That's why replies to the Beginner Forum that basically say "RTFM" or "Google is your friend" tend to be deleted.</p>

<p>I appreciate organizations that recognize this same philosophy. Particularly recently when I was trying to help my mom use her new Kindle. Even after reading the entire manual *and* searching the Amazon site, I still couldn't figure out whether she needed the 3G option or could get by with the built in WiFi. And while the customer service rep was very patient and helpful, there were still a few details left unclear to me. It wasn't until I found a user-oriented website comparable to photo.net that the differences between and advantages of each wireless option became clear. And I didn't even need to ask because the owner of the website anticipated the questions so well, it was already answered clearly enough for almost anyone to understand.</p>

[CvhKaar]

<p>mm I'm kind of glad that the TFM's are not always too helpfull / clear. It encourages me to visit websites like this, talk to people around me , find the odd book to help me out etc. etc. So : "Long live TFM"..:-)</p>

<p> @Mark : Poofter : <a href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=poofter">http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=poofter</a> ..( not so nice to call somebody you do not know at all ....)</p>

[zack_zoll]

<p>"Poofter" has some connotations that "homosexual" does not. Calling someone a poofter, nancy-boy, sally, or similar usually implies less about the people they find sexually attractive, and more about their inability to perform stereotypically male tasks, like assembling Ikea furniture, operating power tools, or not reading a manual.</p>

<p>Justin Bieber is a poofter, even if he likes women. Your gay friends are probably not poofters.</p>

[Wouter Willemse]

<p>Seems to me there are two different things</p>

<ul>

<li>Manuals.</li>

<li>Questions begging to be answered with RTFM.</li>

</ul>

<p>A lot of manuals are poor and written from the wrong perspective, in my view. It's the marketing department continued effort to convince you of all the bells and whistles they invented, and then the marketing engineer wrote down how it works. It's not about the user, it's about the product. And it should be about the user instead. That's where the 3rd party books get it right.<br>

Questions that beg for RTFM (or the -to me-more annoying google is your friend, since it attempts to sound nicer while it isn't, and the internet is even fuller of nonsens info than the worst user guide) - well, there are just a lot of questions that reveal a laziness or unwillingness to learn. Asking for the magical camera setting for event X or moment Y. Trial and error is a great way to learn, and manuals unwillingly stimulate that. So sometimes RTFM is not that bad an advice, since it will inspire trial.And cause error.</p>

[will_daniel1]

I will never forget the time I was in the field with two brand new cameras (different models, same brand) and I took both manuals with me. So there I was not being able to figure out the most basic function of setting the self-timer. After 15 minutes of RTFM and trial-and-error (all error) I realized I was reading the WRONG manual. It was one of those "Duh -- wish I had those 15 minutes back!" moments.

[peter_simpson1]

<p>When I bought my D700 (my first DSLR), I ordered Busch's book as well. I tried RTFM, but, though it was well organized, it gave me too many details and not enough suggestions. It is a *fine* (isn't that what the "F" stands for?) manual, but it's a technical manual, not a user's guide. That's where Busch's book came in. I read it cover to cover and had the camera next to me as I learned how to navigate Nikon's menu system.</p>

<p>Part of the problem, I think, is the lack of good user interface design. I had an old Nokia phone, and every time I used it, the default menu selection seemed to be the "right" one. It was like having an assistant hand you the correct tool, just as you needed it. Sadly, their subsequent phones don't show this same quality interface...they must have fired the guy. The Nikon user interface isn't *bad*, but it isn't optimal, either. It's never obvious to me which menu contains the setting you need to change, and you need to memorize them. But I've seen far worse. My new microwave, for example. Made (and user interface designed in, I assume) the PRC, probably to keep the costs down. Since software development costs are a big chunk, it looks like they saved some money there.</p>

<p>Terminology is another issue, though infrequently. Nikon's manuals are pretty good, but every now and then, you run up against a term or phrase that doesn't immediately make sense, reminding you that the author comes from a different culture. Again, a second opinion from one of the user guides usually clarifies the issue.</p>

<p>And, of course, we now have Google, wherever the internet is available.</p>

<p>One more question? Does anyone actually use any of the "cutesy" features the camera manufacturers like to shove into the menus? They're more frequently found on P&S cameras: frames, in-camera color palette modification, games? I've used the D700 NR, and tried the panorama stitching in my P&S, but as a rule, I think most of these are marketing junk, added so they can fill up the sides of the box with feature bullet points. Removing them would go a long way to simplifying the UI and making manuals thinner!</p>

 

[railphotog]

<p>Reading this thread with interest, even though I am a Canon guy! I agree with most of the comments posted re the manuals. I do suggest reading through manuals, and keeping them close at hand until most functions of the camera are known. Most frustrating with my most recent Canon - an SX30 IS - is that it came with a small "getting started" 36 page manual, but the actual full manual came on the CD. Try reading the CD while out somewhere! </p>

<p>Maybe an answer to those wanting info on this camera would be "RTFCD"?</p>

[DickArnold]

Last year I gave courses to beginners on how to get started with their digital cameras. They all brought their cameras varying from P&S to some very expensive DSLRs. What I found, very quickly, is that most of them did not know enough to be able to make sense of their manuals. Although cameras are marketed to beginners, beginniers generally don't have enough knowledge understand what is in their manuals. What we had to do was to learn basic terms like Compact Flash Card, aperture(the hole in the lens that light passes through), sensor, mirror, TV, AV, etc., before I could really start teaching. Intermixed with learning these simple definitions is explaining how they relate to functions on a camera. There are simple concepts in photography that we surround with a great deal of jargon. I got buried in jargon when I first started to learn Lightroom until the idea hit me that I was dealing with a very powerful data base manager and then I really began to learn. It's the same with manuals. Once my students understood that light went through this hole, hit a sensor and made an electronic image and that light was basically controlled by the size of the hole and the length of time it stayed open they began to understand how to read their manuals. We then began to attach these basic principles to jargon like aperture, shutter speed and ISO and they understood a little more. We then got a little more advanced by going to the dials on the camera to use functions Like P, TV, AV, manual etc. What I tried to impart was enough basic knowledge so they could advance on their own. If you are new RTFM doesn't mean much if you don't know enough to understand the manual. I see questions here all the time that show that lack of this basic knowledge. I think the beginners forum is a great thing for PN. I also see basic questions by people who know how to read a manufacturers manual who are too lazy to do so. I find that I am more of a visual learner than a reader. I belong to Lynda (not a plug) and in my own quest for learning I view at least a couple of tapes a week mostly on PS or LR because I can never learn enough. I had a real estate agent just call me to help her buy a camera. She doesn't want to read the manual. She just wants wide angle and to point and shoot.. There are virtually millions like her. I am going to tell her that she has to learn more than that.

[raczoliver]

<p>I don't know. I think the Nikon manuals are good enough, and you should not expect a product manual to teach you how to take photographs. Buy a book for that, that's not what the user's manual is for. It should tell you how to do exposure bracketing, but you shouldn't expect it to tell you what that is (even though it often does). Nikon even has a fast shooting guide or something like that, not sure about the exact wording, which was basically written for those who really hate to read manuals, and summarizes how to get playing with your camera in two pages, and yet you have people coming to the forums asking why they are getting an error when they "forgot" (they had no Fine clue) to set the aperture ring to the smallest value. I don't know why you would buy a complicated device and not read the manual. I've literally seen people thinking they could fly airplanes without ever having opened the pilot's operating handbook (basically the user's manual for airplanes). Some things you don't want to learn through trial and error.</p>

[asharpe1]

<p>Before getting any of my cameras, I read the manuals. Heck, I've even read the manuals of cameras I'll never own (1D MK IV, etc.). I find it enjoyable, like settling down in the evening with a good novel.</p>