After years creating guides for DSLRs models from Canon and Nikon, Douglas J. Klostermann has followed the times, and introduced guides for mirrorless cameras: the guide for Canon EOS R is next.

Even seasoned photographers using Canon and Nikon DSLRs will have to read some form of manual when picking a mirrorless camera.  Aware of this, Douglas J. Klostermann, the photographer and author behind the series of Full Stop guides introduced recently the “Nikon Z 7 / Z 6 Experience – The Still Photography Guide to Operation and Image Creation with the Nikon Z 7 and Z 6 Mirrorless”, a 422 pages, illustrated guide priced at $14.99, and in May will have  the “Canon EOS R Experience – The Still Photography Guide to Operation and Image Creation with the Canon EOS R Mirrorless Camera” priced similarly and also with more than 400 pages.

The guides take users beyond the manual, and help them to learn the  features, settings, and controls, but also explain not only how but when and why to use the different features of these new cameras. Having followed Douglas J. Klostermann path as a guides creator for some years now, I can vouch for the quality of these guides, having used some of them to get a better grasp of some of the cameras I’ve used throughout these years.

A decade in 2020

In fact, Douglas J. Klostermann is close to celebrate a decade of publishing eBooks that take users beyond what the manual offers. As I wrote here at ProVideo Coalition back in 2015, to mark the fifth anniversary of Full Stop Books, these guides with 200 to 400 pages explain everything about each model covered, and do it in a language photographers understand, something one cannot always say about manuals. Although manuals cover the technical aspects of the cameras they are written for, many times they lack the passion and practicality one finds on these guides. That is one of the reasons why so many people never read the manual of their cameras, although manuals, and/or guides, are the only way to fully understand what a camera can and cannot do.

Back in 2015 the whole collection of Full Stop guides comprised 24 eBooks; next May, when the Canon EOS R guide is published, Douglas J. Klostermann will have published a total of 30 guides, now extending the production of these guides to Sony mirrorless models, with two eBooks already available: “Sony Alpha a7 III Quick-Start Menu Setup Guide” and “Sony Alpha a7R III Quick-Start Menu Setup Guide”. These are smaller guides, with 167 illustrated pages each, are priced at $5.99.

Quick guides for Sony mirrorless

The guides for Sony mirrorless cameras are created to help users take control of Sony Alpha a7 III and Sony Alpha a7R III cameras, guiding them through the detailed and complex menu system. This quick-start guide, says Douglas J. Klostermann “clearly and concisely explains and illustrates all of the items in the numerous menus, including the Camera Settings 1, Camera Settings 2, Network, Playback, and Setup Menus. Each menu item description includes suggested settings and starting points, to assist you in setting up and using your camera.”

The guide has a companion Sony a7R III Setup Guide Spreadsheet, (available for free with purchase of the guide), which lists suggested settings and recommended starting points for the Settings 1, Settings 2, and Setup Menu items, with full and separate listings for various shooting situations such as Landscape, Sports, Birds, Portraits, and Studio. The users can edit and customize the spreadsheet with their preferred settings.

A guide for Nikon Z7 and Z6

The guide for Nikon Z6  and Z7 cameras is different. Designed for both intermediate and experienced photographers, it helps users to take full advantage of the capabilities of Nikon’s full frame mirrorless cameras. The guide covers standard camera functions and exposure concepts for those learning digital photography, and explains more advanced camera controls and operations for experienced enthusiasts.

For experienced photographers coming to the Z7 or Z6 from previous Nikon models, this Nikon Z7 / Z6 Experience user guide explains the new and advanced features in order to quickly get you up and running and taking advantage of these capabilities, including the advanced hybrid Autofocus System and all its AF Modes, AF-Area Modes, and Custom Settings, for capturing both still and moving subjects. The guide covers the use of F-mount lenses with the FTZ Adapter, and the in-camera image stabilization. Plus it explains the camera controls and how to customize them for your shooting needs, and features such as all the Metering Modes, Focus Shift Shooting, Silent Photography, the new Picture Control options, and the HDR, Multiple Exposure, and Time-Lapse Shooting features.

Canon EOS R guide in May

The guide also introduces the HD, 4K UHD, and slow motion video features and settings, the wireless capabilities, and guides you through all the Playback, Shooting, and Setup Menus, Custom Settings, and Movie Mode Menu settings of the Z7 and Z6 in order to help you best set up the camera and its controls for your specific shooting needs.

The same logic is applied to the next guide coming, for the Canon EOS R full frame mirrorless camera. The guide focuses on still-photography with an introduction to the movie menus, settings, and options to get you up and running with 4K UHD and HD video. This new guide will be available, according to Douglas J. Klostermann, in May, from Full Stop Books.