"Read the Manual" - is this comment/response always helpful?

[soundbyte]

Beware this is a long post and may upset some readers but please bear with me as I try to explain my reasoning for the question.

"Read the Manual" - is this comment/response always helpful?

I regularly see links posted here with a simple "Read the Manual" comment/response for help from another member.
Is such an answer always helpful - perhaps a more detailed answer is more appropriate?

Reading a camera manual is a very good option, a difficult part of that is making sure that you are reading the correct manual in the first place.

Sometimes it is difficult to actually get an answer from a manual that can be understood easily.
Questions need various answers - clear - simple - explicit - complex - concise - detailed - nuanced, the list goes on.
Someone who has a better understanding of reading manuals or has used the camera and firmware combination possibly/could/will provide a description that is understood more readily.

People generally know that they can read manuals on line or consult the supplied manual that is in the box (if a new purchase) or download the PDF files - the links are usually readily available for most cameras.
But beware that linking a manual without regard to the camera/firmware combination you may be sending someone on a quest for information that may not be so easy to find as the manual that was linked may not be correct, as the information may have changed since it was published.

As an example - Nikon Z9 - Firmware Version 5.00 a very popular camera/firmware combination.

The only Reference Manual (PDF) I can find for the Z9 is here - there is a link to download a file called "Z9RG_(En)08.pdf".
All good until you read the first page.

You can only see EXIF info for this image if you are logged in.

No mention of Firmware Version 5.00 only up to 4.10 and takes it more than 7 lines to mention that.
Well that's not good for the Nikon Z9 firmware version 5.00 users!

As an example lets check out d19 - page 623 "Custom Viewfinder Settings Display" in "Z9RG_(En)08.pdf".

You can only see EXIF info for this image if you are logged in.

But that's not correct for version 5.00, why? - see below.

Lets try online here, the latest Firmware Versions for the Z9 are clearly listed here.

You can only see EXIF info for this image if you are logged in.

Lets check d19 again using the "Search" function on the "Firmware Version 5.00" page.
The first result listed from the "Search".

You can only see EXIF info for this image if you are logged in.

We find in Z9 - Firmware Version 5.00 d19 has been changed to d19/g17 “Half-Press to Cancel Zoom (MF)".
The old (version 4.10) d19 "Custom Viewfinder Settings Display" is now on d20.

Anyone know of a link to a "Z9 Firmware Version 5.00" PDF manual for downloading?

Perhaps a "Read the Manual" comment is not so helpful as you might think?

Thanks for reading this far, appreciate the effort and my apologies if I have upset any reader.

 

[bleirer]

The most recent example of that here answered the op question explicitly, and linked to the exact page in the manual before suggesting that the op read the manual. Very appropriate i thought.

It makes no sense to me to buy a $4000 to $6000 camera and not read the directions. But I'm someone that has read a few manuals so I can find my answer usually pretty quickly.

 

[aolander]

The most recent example of that here answered the op question explicitly, and linked to the exact page in the manual before suggesting that the op read the manual. Very appropriate i thought.

It makes no sense to me to buy a $4000 to $6000 camera and not read the directions. But I'm someone that has read a few manuals so I can find my answer usually pretty quickly.

I am often irritated when someone says, "read the manual". Manuals for most of today's cameras are quite lengthy, and you're just not going to remember everything.

 

[Steve]

I really dislike those "read the manual" responses (although I don't mind someone putting in a link to the exact section that answers the question).

Here's the thing - when people ask a question, they often are trying to figure out how to get the camera to do something new for them and they may not even know what the function is called. It's unreasonable to expect someone to read a 1000+ page manual in search of a function they don't even know for sure exists - or what it's called. And even if they do find it, sometimes the manual is so obtuse that they may not recognize it as what they were looking for in the first place. Asking on a forum can help the user quickly get to the answer they need and is literally one of the main reasons this board exists.

In addition, the manual is good at telling you what something does but seldom how, when, and why to use it. Manuals are famously useless when it comes to field application where forum members are much more helpful.

 

[Archibald]

When you get a new camera, you want to take pictures, not read a 1000-page manual. Most of us have some experience with cameras, so IMO it is fine to go out and shoot.

Besides that, it is impossible to understand a camera manual unless you have some experience with the camera.

So I recommend to shoot until something puzzles you or something unexpected happens. Then go and read the section of the manual that deals with that.

After you get the basics established, keep the manual in the bathroom. During visits, read a page at random and when you get a chance, use that feature on the camera.

 

[bleirer]

Also, asking a question, and answering, is a social activity. Sure the info is there on Google or AI, but what fun would that be.

 

[CoyoteCreationsNW]

I tend to agree that "read the manual" is not always helpful so from now on I will respond --- Read Steve's E-book. Sorry, I'll see myself out.

 

[Patrick M]

I simply love reading manuals! If something interests me, I’ll read the manual. I read the Z9 manual as soon as it was available. I don’t actually have or need a Z9. If I buy a car, I’ll read the manual. A tv, whatever.
Somebody mentioned ( @Steve ) their binoculars. I read the manual! Then I bought a pair!

 

[jeffnles1]

If I know the answer I try to provide it. If it is in the manual and I can find it, I will still answer the question to the best of my abilities and the invite the person to read the manual section for more information or a deeper discussion. I usually find the “read the manual” response with no further information to be off putting.

It may take longer to type out an answer but, by golly, we are here to learn from each other. I just don’t believe there is any secret info. But that is just me. Others may have different positions and that is ok for them.

Jeff

 

[Woody Meristem]

I've never found the camera manuals very helpful beyond the simplest initial set-ups. Having shot both Canon and Olympus for years I've been disappointed with both brands manuals; perhaps Nikon, Sony, Panasonic and Fuji manuals are better, but from the questions I see on various forums it doesn't seem like they're any better. If you don't know the obscure terminology the manufacturers use, good luck -- even for the same basic function: pro-capture or pre-capture or raw burst or pre-burst or pre-shot. That's not an obscure setting whatever they call it

 

[Cameron T]

I come from a time not too long ago when we did, in fact, have to read the manuals to understand things and getting told to rtm was extremely common for most basic questions.

I'll agree with Steve about the manual not telling you when or why to use things, but that's a different question than "what's this option do", and imo not the manuals job. The manual should explain the functions. It's up to the photographer to apply that knowledge and practice with it.

Just my two cents on the matter.

 

[JAJohnson]

I regularly see links posted here with a simple "Read the Manual" comment/response for help from another member.
Is such an answer always helpful - perhaps a more detailed answer is more appropriate?
…
Perhaps a "Read the Manual" comment is not so helpful as you might think?

I know “RTFM” (read the $&@$&@$ manual) replies might seem satisfying when it seems that the questioner hasn’t done their own due diligence, but it’s so much more helpful to post a link to detail which answers the question or to provide a brief answer written from your own experience.

I created post #19 in the thread below in attempt to object mildly to “read the manual” replies and to encourage those who post more helpful responses to questions posted by others. Thanks again to those who share their insight and knowledge on the Forum.

Camera switches from RAW to JPEG and back to RAW

I shoot RAW. My cameras, both Z8s, are always set to RAW. I just checked both of them to be sure they were still set on RAW and they are. I'm looking through images just taken on a trip. I look at the type of file and it says JPEG! I go back through the images where it happened. At one point...

bcgforums.com

 

[fulltimewanderer]

A little background on me. I spent 30+ years as a bench technician and as a shop supervisor. It was mandatory that the repair manual be open on my bench or opened on my monitor. You didn’t want to be caught by a supervisor or FAA Inspector without manual open. So full disclosure I’ve read both Steve’s and Tom Hogan’s books and have a hard copy of Nikon manual (Z9) and a e version on my phone. So I definitely believe in the manuals. However personally I wouldn’t tell anyone to read the manual, but to reference the manual and to provide the information where someone can find their answer definitely yes. They will find so much more information than a simple quick answer, and possibly keep reading and learning. Cameras keep getting more and more complex that we all can use as many resources that are available including other photographers.

 

[frdjohns]

I think it is perfectly reasonable to expect the person asking the question to have made some effort at finding an answer, including looking in the User's Manual, before simply asking someone else to quickly provide them with what they desire.

 

[John Navitsky]

"Read the Manual" - is this comment/response always helpful?

no, it’s explicitly NOT helpful, at least in every way other than a very narrow technical way

 

[John Navitsky]

we should examine our motivations when we tell people we won't give them something that costs us nothing when they ask for it.

we are basically _withholding_ the answer. we know it, we can just give it to them, but we choose not to.

basically this sounds like "well, i had to work for this, so should you". sort of like "well, i had it hard, so should you".

if that's the case, why do we feel this way? is it really productive? is it welcoming?

and how much effort do they need to put in before we'll help them? come back after you've read the manual? taken some courses? gotten a BA? who decides?

anyone want to guess if they'll go read the manual? will they come back? what will their perception of the interaction be?

are we not trying to encourage people to our profession/hobby? don't we often worry about the future of our profession/hobby?

it costs you a minute of your time to just answer them. they might be appreciative. they might find our community helpful and welcoming. they might come back. they might someday answer someone else's question.

it's just my $.02, but just answer the question.... or not, that's ok too.

but if you're going to say something, consider saying something that adds positive energy to the interaction.