You’ve probably heard Scott Bourne insist that all camera owners should read their camera manual from cover to cover. While I agree with his opinion that this is the best way to learn about your investment in gear, it isn’t always practical. After all, the manual takes up space and adds weight in your camera bag.

Well, just like airline pilots who are switching to electronic manuals, so can photographers. Sure you can of course search a manufacturers site and save a PDF to your device for viewing, but Nikon went several steps further.

nikonviewer2

Nikon offers an app makes it a snap to find virtually every Nikon manual for cameras currently being sold (and even some older models). You can browse pro cameras, point and shoots, and flashes. No more hunting through Nikon’s massive site to find the right manual.

Once downloaded, you can easily browse the manual. You can store multiple manuals on your bookshelf and add unique bookmarks to each as you find useful articles. Manuals can be searched (all the text is live). You can also see a detailed index. One of my favorite features is that all indexes and page number references are live (which really speeds up finding things).

nikonviewer3

Thanks to this free app, I have instant access to information about my camera. Advanced options like custom white balancing can be looked up. I can now decipher what every menu option unlocks. Plus I don’t need a live Internet connection once the app is downloaded. This is the best part as it means I can read on airplanes or in the middle of nowhere without needing a network connection.

And best of all, 100% free. Of course you probably bought a Nikon camera which meant you did pay something after all.

Get the App for iOS https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/manual-viewer-2/id631171410?mt=8

Get the App for Android https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=jp.co.nikon.manualviewer2

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