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