O’Reilly has just announced the release of their Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi/450D Companion.  It’s $24.99 and, as the title implies, covers the functionality of the Canon Rebel XSi.  O’Reilly is touting the “lessons” the book offers as an advantage to the typical user manual of do this, do that instructions on how a camera works.  It’s available for pre-order at Amazon.com for $16.49.

Press Release

Sebastopol, CA—Have you ever bought a new camera, only to be so overwhelmed by all the buttons, gizmos, and gadgets, that you don’t touch it for months? You wind up using your old point-and-shoot camera simply because you don’t know enough about your new camera to be comfortable with it. If you’ve ever been caught in this situation, don’t worry–with O’Reilly Media’s new Companion series, you’ll be wowing people with your new photos in no time.

The newest book in this new series, The Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi/450D Companion ($24.99) is not a typical camera guide. Rather than just showing you what all the buttons do, this unique book teaches you how to use various Digital Rebel features to make great photographs. Through easy-to-follow lessons, this book gives you a complete class on digital photography, tailored specifically for people who use this camera.

With The Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi/450D Companion in your camera bag, you have the perfect field reference for taking stunning pictures of any occasion or place, any time. You get valuable creative tips and technical advice for capturing professional-looking images of people, landscapes, action shots, close-ups, night shots, and more.

This book will allow you to:

• Get to know the Digital Rebel XSi/450D and how it works
• Take creative control and go beyond automatic settings
• Learn the basic rules of composition
• Know when to let the camera work for you
• Photograph fast-moving objects, and learn to capture decisive moments
• Discover ways to use a flash indoors and outdoors
• Learn the advantages of different lenses, and the best time to use them
• Understand the options for shooting RAW, and whether it’s right for you

There are plenty of photography books, but only this companion guide teaches you how to take high-quality digital photos using the camera model you own. Professional photographer Ben Long includes plenty of full-color examples to show you what’s possible once you graduate from snapshots and focus on the pictures you’ve always wanted to take.

Each book in this Companion series gives you the best advice on how to take the best pictures possible in a variety of situations. And they’re portable and attractive enough that you’ll want to take them along with you!