Taking your manuals with you

One thing that I have amassed as a digital photographer are lots and lots of instruction manuals. Cameras, flashes, wireless units, audio recorders, Pocket Wizards, studio lights, computer software, portable lights and all of them with more features than I could possibly remember. So I am really good about keeping all of the instruction books on a bookshelf in my office... ready to be referenced at a moments notice.

The only problem is that I am rarely shooting in my office when I need to look up some obscure feature offered by one of my cameras or accessories. Typically I am out of town, or at least across town when I need to look something up... and my manuals are... right there on my office shelf and out of reach.

So I started downloading pdf's instruction manuals of all of the cameras and other devices I use frequently and have a folder with my own little "digital library" that is on both of my laptops so that it always travels with me and I have access to all of my manuals whenever I need to look up a feature or setting.

Here are some of the links to the most popular items... if there is something you want that isn't listed, you can probably do a Google search for the name of the device and the words "manual" and "pdf" and if it's online, that should lead you to it. (Example: "Canon 40D pdf manual")

Canon manuals -- click on the camera you need the manual for. Then click on "Drivers & Downloads." Scroll down the list and download the manual for the camera.

Nikon manuals -- in the Nikon Knowledge Database under "Search by Product" select "Digital SLR" and in the sub-menu you can select the camera you want. Then under "Search by Category" select "Manuals and Guides" and then hit the search button and you can download the manuals you want.

Pocket Wizard manuals -- the various Pocket Wizard manuals (for current and previous products) are listed here.

Quantum battery packs and Q-Flashes -- a list of all the manuals for all their lights, batteries and accessories.

Happy shooting and computing!