Product Description

Take great pictures with your Canon 40D! All you need is this training DVD and about two hours, and you ll have the knowledge and the confidence to create the images you want.

The topics are arranged in chapters, so you can move at your own pace, and return later to individual subjects.

Topics include:

* Be Prepared (To Get the Shot)

* Shutter priority

* Aperture priority/Depth of field

* Depth of Field Preview

* Focus alternatives

* AF-On

* Metering

* White Balance/Color temperature

* ISO

* Playback and image review

* Live View shooting

* Lens choices and results

* Understanding histograms

* Exposure compensation

* Flash overview

* Custom functions

* Programmable buttons

* Info button

* Composition

* Self timer and tripods

* Picture Styles

* And much more!

The Canon 40D is a powerful piece of equipment. A solid understanding of its features and controls can really unleash its potential.

Once you learn how the camera s components work together, you ll have all the tools you need to capture the best images under all conditions.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #61354 in DVD
• Brand: Blue Crane Digital
• Model: BC114
• Released on: 2007-12-31
• Format: NTSC
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .8 pounds
• Running time: 108 minutes

Features

• Introduction to the Canon 40D Digital SLR
• Blue Crane Digital DVD

About the Actor
Take great pictures with your Canon 40D! All you need is this training DVD and about two hours, and you ll have the knowledge and the confidence to create the images you want.

The topics are arranged in chapters, so you can move at your own pace, and return later to individual subjects.

Topics include:

* Be Prepared (To Get the Shot)

* Shutter priority

* Aperture priority/Depth of field

* Depth of Field Preview

* Focus alternatives

* AF-On

* Metering

* White Balance/Color temperature

* ISO

* Playback and image review

* Live View shooting

* Lens choices and results

* Understanding histograms

* Exposure compensation

* Flash overview

* Custom functions

* Programmable buttons

* Info button

* Composition

* Self timer and tripods

* Picture Styles

* And much more!

The Canon 40D is a powerful piece of equipment. A solid understanding of its features and controls can really unleash its potential.

Once you learn how the camera s components work together, you ll have all the tools you need to capture the best images under all conditions.

About the Director
This DVD is aimed at the new DSLR photographer. The focus of the DVD is to review the most powerful controls of the Canon 40D and help the new owner understand how the buttons, dials, and displays are designed to be used together.

This title contains hundreds of examples and several excercises that the new user can practice at home. The goal is to first get the new photographer up and running quickly, then provide a resource that can be refrenced later as the owner masters the basic controls.

There are about two dozen "though the viewfinder" simulatiuons that also allow the new owner to better understand the cameras displays and the results that can be expected.

Customer Reviews

My view of this DVD
I recently bought the Canon 40D after spending several years with a Sony Cyber shot 5MP camera and missing shots due to shutter lag and blurry photos. My primary subjects are my Angora Goats and I use the photos for my website and our group's calendar. I have a pretty basic understanding of photographic principles.

I was a bit disappointed with the results of my first few sessions with the packaged zoom lens that came with the 40D. I decided to pop for the 70-200 L series lens and was wowed with some of the shots but quickly found out this combination didn't guarantee great photos everytime. So I figured some of the problem must be me. Turns out I was correct.

The video starts by giving you a framework or structure to get yourself and you camera prepared beofre the shot. The first camera specifc thing I learned was what the color coding on the back of the 40D buttons meant. I bought the camera from Camera/Video store with what seem to be knowledgeable sales guys but they didn't tell this. This video does a tremendous job of covering ALL of the features of the 40D with some ideas and actual photos demonstrating the features like low contrast, backlite subjects and many more topics and when you might want to use them. This is a lot easier to understand watching the than trying to read about it.

During this video I discovered several of the focusing issues I was having and how easy it will be to adjust how I use the excellent tools to realize the results I have invested in. If you are a Pro and new to Canon or the 40D this video could be useful to in 90 minutes to get the soup to nuts information on the 40D. If DSLR is kind of new for you or you are coming from a point and shoot world this could be the perfect tool to in 90 minutes to open the 40D world for you. An earlier review wished he could have worked with the camera during the video. The video at the end of several sessions recoomends that you turn off the video and practice with the camera and there is always the pause button on the DVD.

As it turns out the 40D has lots of customzation capability and options and this video introduces them and gives you enough of an idea of how you can make your 40D truely yours. The 180 minutes (watched it twice) I spent watching this will more than be made up for by getting it right in the camera and spending a lot less time trying to save photos on the computer and I am betting I will see a lot more of the stunning shots from that 70-200mm F2.8 L series lens. Recoomended without reservation.

Pretty good for visual learners
The ads for this item and the back of the DVD case read: "All you need is this training DVD and about ninety minutes, and you'll have the knowledge and the confidence to create the images you want." This very considerably overstates the case. You cannot learn what you need to know about the 40D in ninety days, much less ninety minutes. I feel rushed when watching the DVD. It doesn't give you time to manipulate your camera while watching the DVD. I know that I can turn it off and come back to it, but it would be helpful if I could manipulate my camera while watching the instructions. Still, this is a very useful DVD for those trying to learn the 40D, and I recommend it.

Canon 40D Introduction
Well, let me first say that the item arrived fairly quickly (2 weeks to Australia) and arrived in pristine condition. The DVD cover itself looks well presented. The DVD looks like it was mass printed with only the name of the disk on it. From there it really went downhill. I'm new to DSLR photography and have had my 40D for 3 months. However, I'm not a noob to photography principals and really wanted a hands on 40D specific walkthrough. The presentation and the graphics and audio is all top quality and that was fine. The presenter looked a bit like a robot and sounded a lot like Troy McClure which was VERY annoying. The presentation is much more an intro photography rather than the 40D, they only just touch on the simple and rather obvious features of the 40D. There's no real in depth tutorials on how to employ the 40D in different environments or situations. Like I said they talk a lot about the important issues of very basic photography but I didn't learn anything novel that I didn't pick from the manual and after a week or two of mucking with my 40D or searching for 40D on YouTube. For this reason I was VERY disappointed and feel a bit ripped off. This would be more suited for someone who has never picked up a digital camera and happens to be learning on a 40D.