Should I have recieved a full instruction manual with my new camera.

[petey303]

Canon 800d purchased , have the quick start manual but no full user manual. Have canon stopped includeing it in the box ?

Have downloaded the pdf document but rather have the actual book. 

[jrhoffman75]

Most cameras now do not come with full paper manuals.

One option, besides printing out yourself, is www.eos-magazine.com

[kvbarkley]

I only got the "Basic Instruction Manual" with my T6S.

[John_]

You can get a printed manual with spiral binding, the kind that allows you to fold the pages over flat from an online company. I had them print me up a larger size manual but still small enough to carry in a camera bag and much easier to read too. All total with shipping was $29. Printed-manual.com, the name of the company is OTC Limited. I think even Staples will do it from the PDF file too.

[TCampbell]

I downloaded the PDF and imported it into the “Books” app on my iPhone.  No bulk.  Nothing to add to the camera bag and the phone is always with me.

Years ago I had a pipe burst and it destroyed most of the books in my office library.  Since I lost ost of them... I decided that every “new” book would be an e-book format.

I initially tried to go with Kindle but that didn’t work out well for photography.  Kindle e-ink is black & white so it’s not great for books on photography.  They did eventually come out with the Kindle Fire (which is color) but I found most books converted to Kindle had poor resolution and poor color. 

I had an iPad ... so I decided to try Apple iBooks (now they just call it “Books”) and that was MUCH better (also the book-marking, highlighting, etc. system works a lot better).  Color and resolution is great so it’s a good platform for any photography books.  As a bonus... they all sync across devices, so the books are available on my Mac & phone as well (syncing all bookmarks, notes, highlights, and it even keeps track of what page you were last reading when you closed the book on one device and open it on another.

I like the experience so well... I’m wondering why I didn’t do this sooner.

[wq9nsc]

I am also a big fan of text searchable electronic versions and the more complex the manual the more useful the electronic version becomes.  My 1DX and 1DX II both came with full manual sets that have reminaed in their original wrap, I downloaded the PDF version before the cameras arrived and that is all that I ever use.

I restore vintage electronic gear and I have a couple of file cabinets with manuals for most of the gear I have restored and own but I haven't used the paper copy in years relying instead on electronic scans and printing out portions (i.e. schematics) when needed.  It is space efficient, easy to organize, and robust against getting misplaced.

Rodger

[petey303]

Thanks to all for  the info and your posts.

I do think it is a shame that full camera manuals in the print handbook style are not part of the new camera purchase, considering the price we all pay for a camera .

I understand everything is digital and online with apps ...I am fine with that....sat in the middle of nowhere with no smart phone reception is no help .  I have joined the digital world , scaned and saved old photos , documents ect ... sometimes you just need a bit of old school paper in your bag .

[Waddizzle]

Have you considered just how large a printed copy of the full manual would be? How much it would cost to print? How much bigger and heavier the box would be?

[jrhoffman75]

"Have you considered just how large a printed copy of the full manual would be? How much it would cost to print? How much bigger and heavier the box would be? "

Actually, given the small footprint of the full manual, I don't think including one would change the size of the packaging.

But, there is a cost, real and environmental, and that is the way the world is going. I support that.

All you need to do is spend some time on this forum and you will see that folks don't read the manual anyway 🙂

I download the PDF version to my iPad and iPhone. Instantly available and no internet conection required.

[John_]

LOL So true hardly anyone reads the manuals!!!!