If you're comfortable with the concept of photography but find the digital part a stumbling block, Digital Photography for Dummies will get you over the hump.

Author Julie Adair King, a photographer and graphics-software specialist, deftly explains such concepts as resolution, f-stop, and compression. She is also refreshingly upfront about the differences between film-based and digital photography, spelling out the latter's shortcomings early on. Her advice on all aspects of the field is well thought out and simple without being condescending. She informs readers, for example, that you needn't use high-pixel resolutions simply for placing images on a Web page. Such tips will come as a relief to fledgling photographers on a budget, or novices who may have thought they had to use the highest-quality settings at all times.

Aside from the technical concerns of working with the camera and computer, King also gives sound tips on composition and lighting. And since retouching is one of the principal benefits of digital photography, she spends a fair amount of time discussing photo-editing software. And while most of the examples are in black and white, the most important examples, gratefully, are included in a 16-page color plate section in the middle of the book.